The next version of Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) 
OS X operating system, Leopard, which was delayed by several months in favor of iPhone development efforts, will be released Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. in Apple's retail stores and at authorized resellers. In addition to a graphically rich and vibrant desktop, Apple has promised more than 300 new features in version 10.5 of the OS.
"Leopard, the sixth major release of Mac OS X, is the best upgrade we've ever released," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs. "And everyone gets the 'Ultimate' version, packed with all the new innovative features, for just (US)$129."
Apple doesn't deliver separate client versions of OS X -- that "Ultimate" comment from Jobs is a dig in reference to Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) Windows 
Vista, which comes in several different arrangements including Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate, Business, and Enterprise editions.
A single-user license of Leopard retails for about $129, with a 5-user Family Pack going for $199. Users who have purchased new Mac computers since Oct. 1 can get Leopard free with a shipping and handling fee of $9.95.
New Methods for Organization
Leopard will include several new methods for helping users organize and use their Macs. One new features is Stacks, which automatically places Web, e-mail and other downloads in a downloads "stack" to help users keep their desktops less cluttered. To view the items, users can fan the stack of contents to choose the item they want. Users can also create their own stacks of folders, documents and applications. For power users, the Stacks feature promises to be an organizational boon to cluttered Docks.
In addition, a new feature called "Spaces" lets users create customized desktops that can contain particular applications or documents for specific projects or jobs. For example, a user could have a Spaces for home media projects and another for work or the family budget. Users can switch between Spaces with the mouse or keyboard.
Another nifty feature, Quick Look, lets users look inside files without launching them -- even if they don't have the application that created them. Quick Look creates an instant full-screen, high-resolution view of virtually anything, even media files, from any view in the Finder.
Connected Searching
The updated Finder includes Cover Flow and a new sidebar with a dramatically simplified way to search for, browse and copy content from any PC or Mac on a local network, Apple said. Content on any computer on a local network can now be searched using Apple's Spotlight search, browsed using Cover Flow, or copied across the network with a simple drag and drop.
Boot Camp, which lets users run Windows natively on Intel-based Macs, will officially leave beta status behind. There are lots of other enhancements, of course, like updates to iCal, which support multi-user calendaring based on the new CalDAV standard. However, some new items like Web Clip, which lets users snag portions of Web pages and place them into Dashboard for use as live widgets, promise to let users change the way they access and use everyday items and information.
Time Machine
With just a one-click setup -- and an available hard drive -- Apple's Time Machine will automatically keep an up-to-date copy of everything on the Mac, Apple says. In the event a file is lost, users can search back through time to find deleted files, applications, photos and other digital media and then instantly restore the file. If it's ever necessary, Leopard can also restore an entire system from the Time Machine data on an external drive.
"I think Time Machine will be an interesting thing," Chris Swenson, NPG Group director of software industry analysis, told MacNewsWorld. "Everyone knows they have to back up, they just don't do it, so something automated could be a big help."
Big Deal or Not So Much?
When Apple released its Tiger operating system in 2005, it had a well thought-out strategy for moving boxed copies of the product, said Swenson. Apple's new release faired well with older Macs, which could run the new OS without much difficulty, and Apple even installed copies of Tiger for customers in their Apple retail stores -- and then showed them how to use it.
"They did everything right. The Family Packs represented about 25 percent of all standalone sales, according to our data, and that speaks to the right price and that people have more than one Mac," Swenson noted. "It was like Apple went through and looked at every possible objection to upgrading and took care of it before the launch."
More Stores, More Macs
"Apple has close to 200 retail stores today, and CompUSA will have about half that, so Apple has dramatically increased their retail outlets, and they also have a larger install base -- their official number is 25 million," Swenson said.
"With Apple's increased number of retail stores and a bigger install base, it has to result in a success. I'd be shocked if sales of boxed copies didn't explode. I don't think we'll see a situation like we did with Vista where it was like, 'Gosh, it's really expensive to upgrade an old machine, especially if I have to buy new hardware -- I'll just buy a new machine,'" he added.
Better With Windows
"Leopard's primary focus was to make it much more interoperable with Windows and, on paper, it is the strongest alternative to a Microsoft product Apple has ever created," Rob Enderle, principal analyst for the Enderle Group, told MacNewsWorld.
"It doesn't really have to compete with Vista -- it has to compete with Windows XP SP3, which has been a problem for Vista as well. Given the target of this release is mostly business, I wonder if folks will be as excited as they would have been had Apple focused more on consumers. What is interesting is that there really isn't that much buzz on Leopard right now," he noted. "For an Apple product, excitement seems very low this round."
Apple may be in the minds, if not hearts, of iPod and iPhone consumers, but when it comes to enterprise adoption, Apple is still an underdog.
"According to our Q3 2007 hardware survey, Apple will be the primary desktop and laptop supplier to 1 percent of North American and European businesses, with 1,000 or more employees. It will fair better in the small to medium-sized business market, where it will grab 2 percent of the desktop and laptop contracts," Benjamin Gray, an infrastructure and operations analyst for Forrester Research, told MacNewsWorld.
"Naturally, Apple's presence will be stronger in specific verticals like healthcare, education and media and leisure, where IT is less concerned about standardizing on one platform in order to meet the application and usability needs -- and styles -- of their users," he added.
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