2 Million Leopards Run Loose in Opening Weekend

Sales far outstripped the release of Max OS X Tiger, which had previously been the best-selling OS in the company's history, Apple said. In fact, it took Apple more than a month to sell 2 million copies of the Tiger OS.

Leopard went on sale Friday after months of anticipation, with Apple saying the release -- the sixth version of OS X to be sold -- has more than 300 additional features not available in the Tiger OS.

The sales figures include copies sold in new Mac machines, as well as packaged upgrades or upgrades shipped as part of preexisting maintenance agreements.

"Early indications are that Leopard will be a huge hit with customers," said CEO Steve Jobs, adding that positive early reviews of the software are "making more people than ever think about switching to the Mac."

Stepping on the Scale

By way of comparison, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) said during its earnings release last week that it has shipped some 88 million copies of Windows Vista since that operating system went on sale in January.

Still, the release of Leopard came at the right time for Apple -- it recently jumped into third place in terms of domestic PC market share with some of its best sales numbers in a decade in the third quarter, according to research firm Gartner (NYSE: IT) .

Apple stock, which has been regularly testing new highs for the past two months, rose another 2.2 percent in afternoon trading Tuesday to US$189.22.

"These are strong numbers consistent with the positive reviews and Apple's ability to churn their base," Enderle Group Principal Analyst Rob Enderle told MacNewsWorld. Based on the sizes of their user bases, Apple selling 2 million units would be comparable to Microsoft selling 20 million units, since 10 times as many consumer PCs run on the Windows platform.

The next big test for Leopard will be the results that Apple posts for the fourth quarter, the period that includes the holiday shopping season, Enderle said. Apple has guided higher for that period, but warned that Mac sales face a difficult comparison due to a stronger-than-usual back-to-school selling season.

Among the features Apple has highlighted in Leopard is Time Machine, a constant file backup technology that enables users to scroll back through earlier versions of a document or file; a new interface for Finder designed to make it easier to track documents and share them across networks; and sweeping changes to the desktop interface.

Early reviews have given the OS high marks for usability and for sleek design improvements. The OS release was also delayed several months -- Apple said it shifted resources to iPhone development to make sure that device debuted on time in June. The delay may have helped spark early sales by creating pent-up demand among some dedicated Mac users.

Price is Right

Apple was careful to price Leopard correctly, offering the "ultimate" version for the same $129 price that Tiger has been selling for, noted JupiterResearch analyst Michael Gartenberg. A family version allowing up to five installations costs $199.

"Pricing is reasonably aggressive and next to the Windows high-end prices, that helps make Leopard look like a good value," Enderle added. "These initial numbers would be consistent with what should be a strong PC quarter for Apple."

Because of the sheer volume of Windows PCs in operation around the world, it's difficult to compare overall installation rates for the operating systems, but early uptake may be a good indicator of whether Leopard or Vista manages to generate more excitement among their respective user bases.

Apple understands how to alter the look and feel of the desktop without eliminating familiarity and has built into the platform plenty of room for third-party developers to do their thing, said Gartenberg.

"If the release delivers without any issues, Apple will have raised the bar again in what to expect from the PC experience," Gartenberg said. "Apple has once again taken their platform to the next step and given developers the framework they need."