bit-tech Shopping: Apple Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard (Full Product, Mac)

• PowerPC G4
• PowerPC G5

Rating: 8

Time with product: 2 Weeks

Strengths: Great product

Weaknesses: no weaknesses noted at this time

Summary: I received my product in a timely manner. The mac os x leopard product that I purchased exceeded my expectations. I was able to upgrade an older ppc mac to current os standards easily. The installation of the product was easy and did not require special assistance from support professionals or friends. The product works well and currently I have no problems with its operation.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 3

Strengths: Minor feature changes (rather than major), easy upgrade routine

Weaknesses: A bit expensive for minor updates

Summary: To begin full circle, I had no difficulties installing Leopard. I've now done this twice on two MacBooks -- one on a clean hard drive, and another as an upgrade from Tiger. No difficulties in either case. Just follow the prompts and it works. I also upgraded right away to 10.5.1, and am now running 10.5.2.I've not yet taken advantage of all the major new features, but have found some very useful items. Cover flow in Finder is wonderful, even including the preview of nearly every document file type in the file icon. Preview now allows for manipulation of PDFs, a welcome feature. Spaces is useful to have several desktops (when you don't already have a multiple monitor setup.) I haven't yet used Time Machine, but am looking at implementing it soon. Stacks are nice on the dock, though I prefer the file menu view (what was in 10.4, and is now available in 10.5.2.) Performance over Tiger seems to be either the same or even slightly faster. I've noticed other minor improvements (such as better WiFi/Airport connections).For some, this upgrade might not be compelling. I have to be honest and say I upgraded more to say I have the latest and greatest than all the new features. I haven't and won't use everything new (I don't use Mail or iChat for example, I prefer Thunderbird and Adium respectively), but this upgrade hasn't disappointed so far. Vista can't do half of what Mac OS X can with all the beauty. And the install was so simple compared to Windows (I rarely have done Windows upgrades, rather preferring to start fresh.) If you like (or perhaps love Macs), the upgrade is still a no-brainer.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 1

Strengths: easy install, reasonable price, great product additions to your Mac

Weaknesses: none really

Summary: I love Leopard!!! It upgraded so much that I don't even know where to start. The desktop is nicer and now there is Quick Look to see what you have open faster. As far as upgrades go: Finder, Apple Mail, IChat, and Safari. There is also a program called Time Machine which is a backup for your computer essentially and lets you go back in time if you make a mistake. Boot Camp is also nice if you are used to a Windows machine because it allows you to run Windows programs. As a basic user, I am most impressed with the Apple Mail upgrade as it allows for neat stationary themes, Boot Camp for Windows, and Time Machine to take care of mistakes. I hope to become more expierenced and appreciate Leopard more and Apple does make it easy to learn.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 25

Strengths: Runs fast,Spaces, Visual explorer, time machine.

Weaknesses: had problem upgrading from Tiger.

Summary: I had 2 macbooks which i purchased few months before leopard was released. Tiger has been pretty good but i had to purchase Leopard to get bootcamp since my wife still need windows for all her work. Its sad that apple took bootcamp off as a free download. Leopard seems to be noticeably faster on the same hardware than Tiger. I usually skip a release and upgrade every other releases and even though i bought it to get the bootcamp software to dual boot to XP i think leopard is worth the money.

Rating: 4

Time with product: 21 Days

Strengths: Ease of use, attractive interface, stability.

Weaknesses: Time Machine, Spaces

Summary: I'm working with OSX 10.5.1 on both a G5 and a MacBook Pro (Intel) and on neither does Time Machine work properly. I've spent five frustrating days trying to backup my Macs using the app, but there are too many glitches. It just won't work properly. Although Spaces works as advertised it's not a real time saver--it's more eye candy than anything else. Considering the cost of upgrading (including purchasing a half dozen upgrades for other applications I use) I definitely feel that 10.5.1 wasn't worth the investment. Shame on you Apple!