Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
Manufacturer: Apple Part number: MB021Z/A
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The grace of Leopard's interface enhancements makes productivity more pleasurable with a Mac, as more than 300 functional and fun features top off this update.
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CNET editors' review
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
price range: $113.92
- Reviewed by: Elsa Wenzel
- Reviewed on: 10/25/2007
- Updated on:11/02/2007
- Released on: 10/26/2007
The good: Elegant backup via Time Machine; Finder offers powerful navigation tweaks; novel workspace customization through Spaces' virtual desktops; integration with Web data and applications; Cover Flow visualizes file browsing; iChat Theater offers green-screen backgrounds and lets users access each others' desktops; Bootcamp included.
The bad: Leopard was afflicted in some cases by installation woes and application failures; some new features, such as geotagging, aren't obvious to find; users with older Macs can't run Leopard.
The bottom line: The grace of Leopard's interface enhancements makes productivity more pleasurable with a Mac, as more than 300 functional and fun features top off this update.
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard is Apple's first major operating system upgrade since Tiger more than two years ago. The changes include more than 300 new features, which, while not earth-shattering, further streamline the experience of using a Mac.
Should you pay for Leopard? If you're happy with the way Tiger works, then maybe not. If you need Bootcamp, however, then you must have Leopard. And if you're considering the purchase of a new computer, Leopard makes Macs more enticing than Tiger did. Plus, Leopard makes it far easier to find documents and applications than Windows Vista. Leopard's interface niceties made the daily mechanics of using the computer more pleasurable. Mundane chores, such as finding files and backing up data, become a visual treat (See our photo gallery of screenshots.)
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard costs $129 out of the box, or $199 for up to five users. Those who bought Macs after October 1 must pay $9.95 to have Leopard shipped to them.
Setup and installation
It took us about 40 minutes to install Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard on an Intel-based MacBook. That's a bit longer than it took to install than Windows Vista, but not by much. However, installation didn't run so smoothly on some systems. Leopard took a painfully long hour or so to install on an iBook G4, the 933 Mhz processor just grazing the minimum requirements.
You should proceed carefully when migrating the files and applications you'll need. Apple steps you through the process, but take your time to avoid overwriting valuable data. Leopard changed the personal desktop image during one migration from Tiger, while leaving the desktop photo alone in other cases. After installing Leopard on MacBook Pro 2.33 Core 2 Duo with 2GB of RAM, there were problems with various applications, including Parallels and GroupCal.
Leopard ran bug-free on a 2Ghz Core 2 Duo Macbook. Some users, however, reported the fabled "blue screen of death" historically associated with Microsoft Windows; Apple addressed the issue.
To run Leopard, you'll need an Intel or PowerPC G5 Mac. A PowerPC-based G4 Mac with an 867MHz or better processor will work, as well. Apple suggests having 512MB of RAM. Additionally, you'll need a USB or FireWire external backup drive (or a file-sharing volume on a network) to use Time Machine. Features on iChat require a Webcam.
Interface
The new look and feel of Leopard is different without demanding that you relearn the layout. The Dock organizing applications and files becomes a bit more transparent. Bump it over to one side, and the Dock looks a bit flatter. A drop shadow now highlights the active window, and all windows share a unified visual design.
Click on an icon on the Dock and related items fan out in the order you last accessed them. New Stacks help to unclutter your desktop by showing icons of items in the order they were last accessed. This is especially helpful for keeping downloads in one place, although you can't resize the icons. If the Stack is packed with items, you can display them as a grid.
The souped-up Finder introduces a sidebar that allows you to rearrange items in the Places section, while Search For submenus can locate files based on type and when you last worked on them. Click on Today, for instance, and you'll see everything you've touched lately in chronological order. If you work on a network, checking out another person's desktop starts with the simple Share Screen option.
Spotlight scours through files in shared folders on a network, as well as within Safari's Web History (which you should regularly dump to fend off snoops). It gets smarter, reading "Not" and "Or," dates and phrases, and even serving as a calculator for trig equations.
Many new design elements reflect what you've already seen in iTunes and iPhone. Cover Flow, for instance, shuffles through folders as you hold down an arrow key. This makes perfect sense for browsing files. Plus, you can peek at most documents instantly. Quick Look provides previews that can pop up files from iWork, iLife, Microsoft Office, PDFs, as well as popular image and video formats. In each instance appear relevant options, such as Full Screen view or Add to iPhoto. Select several files, double-click them, and you've got a custom slide show.
In addition to making it easier to find your work, interface additions are intended to make multitasking less stressful. Virtual desktops, called Spaces, cluster open windows into categories or boxes. This can cut the number of windows you may otherwise stack around your desktop, especially helpful for tiny monitors. For example, you could move everything you need to edit a vacation video into one space, and in another Space place the files and apps needed to write a dissertation. Spaces were a cinch to set up (such as drawing a chart in a word processor), but a tad awkward for us to master until we learned the keyboard shortcuts. You can also use the mouse to drag items between Spaces, and to drag the Spaces themselves around.
FeaturesIf you rarely back up your work because the process is too boring or confusing, Time Machine is likely to change that. The spaced-out interface is about as sexy as backup can get, displaying a dynamic timeline alongside snapshots of selected folders and files throughout their history. To restore a file you lost, just go to an earlier time, click the Restore button, and you'll zoom back to your present Desktop. For a current period of 24 hours, Time Machine backs up automatically every hour. It backs up each day for the past month and each week for content updated earlier than that.
Time Machine immediately detected our external hard drive via two USB ports and we started backing up within a few minutes. You cannot back up to your Mac's hard drive. You can check out the drives of fellow Leopard users with Time Machine, too. However, Apple doesn't offer password-protection and encryption options upfront showing you how to lock that drive from curious outsiders. Only longtime Mac users are likely to know to explore such options within Leopard's Security settings.
iChat lets you and Leopard-using buddies share files and control each others' desktops, expanding the tool's potential professional use. And you can record iChat sessions as AAC audio or MPEG video files ready for an iPod, which is a great feature for podcasters.
iChat Theater's silly effects can distort your face like you're looking in a fun-house mirror. Green-screen backgrounds within iChat Theater let your talking head appear in a video conference in front of, say, included images of the moon or your own pictures. (We still wish the "Star Wars R2D2" theme were included.) Other chat buddies can see these, whether they're using an older iteration of OS X or they're using AIM on a Windows PC. iChat enables you to share files as you gab via video, so you and a friend can watch the same movie clip or flip through the same PowerPoint presentation. Photo Booth integrates with iChat, letting you record videos and show off full-screen slide shows.
Mac's new Mail application integrates rich note-taking into e-mail. These notes can serve as scrapbooks containing images. Some 32 e-mail templates enable you to drop in pictures and resize them with a built-in photo browser. Mail's RSS feeds tie into those in Safari. The e-mail application also detects addresses for mapping via Google, as well as contacts for a quick save. Natural language capabilities, similar to those within Gmail, recognize phrases such as "next Saturday" for scheduling. Changes are synchronized between Mail and iCal. Setting up Mail is less complicated than Outlook, and it works with accounts from 27 services, including Yahoo, AOL, and Gmail.
However, we wish we could access RSS feeds from Mail without signing into our e-mail account. We encountered delays with several different Gmail accounts. In one case, the most current Gmail message that loaded in Mail--15 minutes after we had logged in--was from December 2006. We kept leaning on the Get Mail button for an unsatisfactory, slow and incomplete refresh.
Finally, the Safari browser default is tabbed without making you turn on the feature. Safari's cool new Web Clips tool lets you turn any snippet from a Web page into a widget for your Dashboard. Potential plug-ins from third parties that would be nice to have already include the Web Clips feature for the popular Mozilla Firefox browser.
Leopard offers many tie-ins to Web-based content (see the Webware video). Among them is Wikipedia as a new companion to the Dictionary. Although you can access the open-source encyclopedia from the Desktop, no entries are saved locally.
Geotagging is a cool addition to Leopard, enabling you to tie photos to latitude and longitude through built-in GPS on digital cameras so you can put picture galleries on a map.
Leopard offers 17 new features. There's support for Braille output devices as well as contracted and non-contracted Braille. It's the first operating system that can use a Braille display during installation. VoiceOver makes it easier to jump to sections on a Web page, and its preferences can be transported to other Macs. However, for people with repetitive stress injuries, Leopard supports voice-activated commands only--not dictation.
There are updates to less glamorous elements such as Automator and Dashcode, and Network Preferences has been streamlined. Developers can enjoy full 64-bit support, and get to tinker with fun extras, which we wish were integrated already within iChat Theater. ColorSync reads EXIF sRGB data from cameras, and there's support for connecting more cameras via cable or Wi-Fi, and for other gadgets via Bluetooth.
Security
More firewall controls are among several security enhancements to Leopard. Yet the firewall isn't turned on by default, and we consider it vulnerable to outside threats.
To fend off Trojans and spoofing attempts, you'll be grilled more when downloading materials. A mechanism called Sandboxing is supposed to prevent potential external threats from hijacking your applications. Parental controls are now featured more prominently in the System and offer content filters, time limits, and Internet activity loggers to keep tabs on young Web surfers.
Performance
We saw only a 1 percent to 3 percent improvement with Leopard over Tiger on our performance tests. As this falls within our typical margin of error (5 percent), we saw no significant difference with application performance when moving from Tiger to Leopard.
We were unable to complete our Photoshop CS3 test because our automation routine tests, which typically run fine under Tiger, had problems with Leopard. Adobe's Web site indicates that Photoshop CS3 should be compatible with Leopard--other than the automation snafu, Photoshop CS3 appears to operate normally.
This underlies the point that some applications might not be 100 percent compatible yet with Leopard. For instance, Adobe is rolling out updates to various CS3 image, video and audio editing applications within the next four months. FileMaker is warning users of FileMaker Pro 9 that there are some compatibility problems with Leopard. However, FileMaker expects to have an update available by November 19.
Service and support
Support options remain the same as in the Tiger version. You get 90 days of help free by telephone, as with other products from Apple. Phone support thereafter costs $49 per incident. AppleCare support lasts a year after you buy Leopard. For extra peace of mind, you should consider extended warranties.
Apple also tweaked the Help menus within OS X 10.5. These are arranged well, although they didn't always provide an instant answer. Many items are better explained on Apple's Web site via message boards, user forums, and a well-organized knowledge base.
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System configuration:
Apple Mac Pro
2x2.66GHz Xeon X5355 (note that this is not a production configuration); 2GB 667MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM; 5126MB ATI X1900 graphics card; 500GB 7,200rpm hard drive
User reviews
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I really don't get CNET's rating system
by cardfan1212 on October 25, 2007
Pros: 10.5 looks to be the best OS out there
Cons: too few to worry about
Summary: I'm a windows user. Always have been. But i'll definitely be looking at Macs in the future.
What i don't understand is how this OS only receives ...Summary: I'm a windows user. Always have been. But i'll definitely be looking at Macs in the future.
What i don't understand is how this OS only receives an 8.0. Ubuntu doesn't compare with either Vista or this one. Vista has so many versions, its unreal and a crappy security policy when you go to install it.
What's not to like about OS X? You can boot up much quicker, don't have the drivers mess, has more features, and is easier to use. It's much more secure and is just a seamless OS without the bloat Vista has and doesn't suck the resources.17 out of 22 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Take it from someone who has seen it...
by njknickerbocker8 on August 11, 2007
Pros: Great look, Very effective, Efficient, and makes life so much easier
Cons: not able to be touch screen=[
Summary: This OS is genius. As i have said before i use pc, and Mac. I have a macbook and a dell 8100. Both computers are excellent, as we all know ...
Summary: This OS is genius. As i have said before i use pc, and Mac. I have a macbook and a dell 8100. Both computers are excellent, as we all know but i must say that mac really gives no issues, and now we will skip that argument, and we will focus on leopards productivity. Everything has gone from simple, to so simple you run out of things to do. Easy menu use with cover flow, its great to have stacks, i didnt see time machine, but i saw use of the new safari and just the simplicity of everything is great. Simple, yet loaded with features. Hp's ad "the computer is personal again" fits perfectly with macs, and with leopard, even more, this OS really makes you think "damn, how long did apple guys work on this" Vista is like a maze compared to this OS
9 out of 11 users found this user opinion helpful.
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When you least expect it, expect it.
by iambieny on November 11, 2007
Pros: I will let you know when I find some
Cons: Here are a few
Summary: For one thing, it does not come with Iphoto. Of course this is an 80 dollar upgrade.
Anyhow, I installed it over Tiger on my Macbook. Darn thing crippled my ...Summary: For one thing, it does not come with Iphoto. Of course this is an 80 dollar upgrade.
Anyhow, I installed it over Tiger on my Macbook. Darn thing crippled my system. I backed up all my data and did the erase and install option. It was then I discovered that my Ical backup did not work and my Iphoto was gone. Not to mention the 500 megs of memory just do not seem enough for this OS. So I of course had to invest in more memory. What an expensive day it turned into. Overall, I can say I wish that I had left well enough alone and left Tiger on the machine as it was working fine. I had never expected a Windows type experience from Apple. Hope this helps.9 out of 13 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The 'Apple Complex'
by PokerCardEnt on October 26, 2007
Pros: This is the most incredible OS I have ever used
Cons: Cnet reviewers are incompetent
Summary: First of all, I have OS X 10.5, don't ask how. I've used everything from Windows 3.1 to Vista Ultimate, and I can tell you with ...
Summary: First of all, I have OS X 10.5, don't ask how. I've used everything from Windows 3.1 to Vista Ultimate, and I can tell you with all certainty that OS X kills them all. Tiger killed them all. Leopard is just over kill. And you have the balls to give it an 8.0!?
What is this 'Apple Complex' you idiot reviewers have against Apple? You can't give an apple product more than 8.3 NO MATTER HOW GOOD IT IS. NO MATTER HOW IT COMPARES TO VISTA. You're so full of **** it's indescribable.
Either raise the rating to it's well-deserved 9.0 or higher or this site has no reputation anymore. For anything.11 out of 19 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Ahead of its time features but as frustrating as Windows
by SublimeJackman on November 8, 2007
Pros: Spaces and preview are extremely useful for multitasking. Also, Time Machine is a simple to use low system impact backup system.
Cons: Very glitchy, it reminds me of Windows.
Summary: As a long time PC user, I was excited last year to purchase my first Mac. I went with the Macbook Pro since I frequently need to multitask and I ...
Summary: As a long time PC user, I was excited last year to purchase my first Mac. I went with the Macbook Pro since I frequently need to multitask and I occasionally enjoy a 3d game. After almost a year of use I have had 0 major problems with OSX 10.4 and have never needed to turn it off without shutting down. So I purchased and installed Leopard on its release date of Oct. 26th expecting it to be as stable as its predecessor. But after just few hours of playing with its new features I started to notice MAJOR bugs. First is that if I run on battery for more than 20min the computer immediately powers off. The second problem is that every time I have a problem with a wireless network the computer locks up and informs me to hold down the power button until it shuts off. The final major problem that I have encountered is that after just eight days of use the computer began to lock up every time it started and I eventually needed to reformat the main disk. These problems along with a laundry list of other minor glitches are problems I would expect with Windows, not OSX. But Leopard is not all bad; as a heavy miltitasker I find spaces and the preview feature to be VERY useful, and Time Machine seems like it would work well if you have a large backup hard drive (500GB+). Overall Leopard is a brilliant and an ahead of its time operating system, but I would not recommend it until Apple works out the many bugs.
6 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Mac OS X 10.5 is REALLY GREAT!
by jlseattle on September 12, 2006
Pros: Simple easy to use interface with many "home" oriented features for home users
Cons: There are none that I can think of; there isn't a better offering out there
Summary: I have been using the Apple computers for the last 5 years and can't imagine going back to windows. The interface is awesome. If your a home user you ...
Summary: I have been using the Apple computers for the last 5 years and can't imagine going back to windows. The interface is awesome. If your a home user you get free movie and dvd authoring software that is constantly updated. Mac has updated it's OS twice in the 5 years that I have been on Macs and I did pay 100 each time but the updates were worth the extra $$. In the last update we got better search tools (now much better then windows) and widgets (called gadgets in vista; widgets are rss feeds from websites like weather, cartoons and others). As far as updates to the OS, apple updates the os about every 3 months as automated downloads that your computer will pick up automatically (depending on your settings) and will prompt you to install (passwords required). Also with the Mac OS you don't have to reboot your computer very often if at all and software conflicts are unheard of. I have a laptop the never gets rebooted and the second I open my laptop it is like I never closed it. The second you open the lid the os is there.
I also have been using windows for the last 20 years up until today at work. All I can say about windows is when I'm not rebooting my computer I'm constantly making short cuts around the system to get to information I need. I always have to click a few times to launch a program or I have to create short cuts on the desktop (clutter) or use the taskbar as the shortcut (seems unnatural and against the operating system.5 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Unfortunately, I had to revert to Tiger
by Cliff3 on October 30, 2007
Pros: Time machine, OS underpinnings
Cons: Lack of coordination with ISVs, Airport disk problems
Summary: Lightroom was largely not functional for me. For example, I couldn't import RAW files, it stopped seeing RAW files that had been previously imported, the print module ceased to ...
Summary: Lightroom was largely not functional for me. For example, I couldn't import RAW files, it stopped seeing RAW files that had been previously imported, the print module ceased to function. Lightroom is a critical application for me so this lack of functionality was a shopstopper for me.
I am astounded that Apple didn't coordinate the release better with key ISVs like Adobe. That is remarkably shortsighted.
I had constant security problems with airport disks that worked perfectly under Tiger. I think they neglected to QA that part of the OS.
The UI has elements that I don't care for - these have been thoroughly discussed in articles and reviews. I am impressed with the changes made to the underpinnings of the OS.
I had to revert back to Tiger. Once Lightroom is working and some of the other issues have been addressed, I will reinstall Leopard.4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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apple surpassed my expectations...
by C.mac. on October 29, 2007
Pros: faster response time to programs then tiger,Spaces,Time Machine
Cons: Took over 45 mins to upgrade, ichat theater has a few bugs,
Summary: apples latest update for OSX is far better then vista i have two pc's, desktop and notebook, and i also have a Macbook and the Leopard update is amazing!!! ...
Summary: apples latest update for OSX is far better then vista i have two pc's, desktop and notebook, and i also have a Macbook and the Leopard update is amazing!!! the only draw back would be there are still a few bugs in the ichat theater (that's why the leopard only gets a nine) from that its almost perfect...
3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Pretty Much Perfect
by manunited518 on July 16, 2008
Pros: Beautiful UI, very stable, tons of new features, Time Machine is a Godsend, the list goes on forever
Cons: Mild Wi-Fi Issues with 10.5.3 (Read on to find out more)
Summary: I have been a long time Windows user; heck, i used 3.1 on my grandma's old Hewlett Packard. Until recently, i loved XP's large base of programs, ...
Summary: I have been a long time Windows user; heck, i used 3.1 on my grandma's old Hewlett Packard. Until recently, i loved XP's large base of programs, and had never even looked into Macs at all.
I was then offered 2 options by the college I'm attending. I could either get a Mac OSX or Windows XP machine from the school. I did my research, and decided to spring for the Mac. I did this because i have crashed a total of 3 WinXP based computers with viruses in the last 4 years. I read about the mac OS's good fortune when i comes to viruses, and i made my decision.
Out of the box, i was amazed. 25 seconds to boot? Holy moly! The graphics on this computer are amazing. Every program works just fine. Sure, no XP program works, but you should know that before coming to OSX. People need to do some research.
I will never use Windows again. ever.
Everything is flawless for me on my MacBook. No problems with ble screens (which, by the way, plague microsoft's donkey). The OS os very zippy. i have only maxed out the CPU, and thus freezing, once. It just works.
The ONLY problem i have had was a tiny wi-fi issue. When i try to connect to an unsecured network, it usually disconnects within a minute or so.(The thing is, though, it's actually my neighbor's network, so maybe i shouldn't be doing it anyway). This is a documented problem that Apple knows about.
Now, an 8/10 rating, just for some geotagging problem? MOST users won't even know this feature exists, let alone have a camera with GPS, let alone want to even geotag their photos. Come on now be serious CNET. i have always come here for my tech reviews, and this disappoints me.
Evidence that Leopard is better than Vista is evident in Vista's sub 5.0 user rating average, while Leopard's is hovering just short of 8/10
All in all, Mac OS 10.5 Leopard has pleased me, and in fact, surprised me in every way. Like I said, it just works.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Not the best, but not the worst
by anthonymac04 on November 16, 2007
Pros: Cool Feature upgrades
Cons: Too bugs from factory to consumer
Summary: I have been an Apple fan since I was six years old. So needless to say I have had quite a bit of experience with their products. As much as ...
Summary: I have been an Apple fan since I was six years old. So needless to say I have had quite a bit of experience with their products. As much as I would absolutely LOVE to give Leopard a 10, I just can't. There are WAY too many bugs that should have never have left the factory. It takes 30 minutes just to empty 50 things in my trash (not even bulk items, we're talking megs here). While there are some bugs that seriously disturb me, I'm sure they'll be fixed. I just wish Apple wasn't stretching their resources too thin. They've been so focused on this iPhone thing, it's brought the high quality so sought after, down. But on the bright side, some of the "features" in 10.5 is the new features in Mail and the Finder. Spaces is also extremely helpful. So as I stated before, this is not Apple's finest hour, but they've definitely had more bonehead products than this (I think we all remember that damn puck mouse thing - what were they thinking!?!).
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Apple
- Part number: MB021Z/A
- Description: The new look of Leopard showcases your favorite desktop image and puts new file stacks at your fingertips for a stunning, clutter-free workspace. Browse your files like you browse your music with Cover Flow. Browse, play, view, and page through your files. Without opening them. See how your system looked on a given day and restore files with a click. Email personalized stationery, take notes, and write to-dos that appear in iCal. Video chat with effects and backdrops, present remotely, and get more from text. Create custom workspaces to stay clutter-free and organized. The world's fastest browser, now with even more features. Give your kids a safer, happier Mac experience. Run Windows on your Mac.
General
- Operating System Apple MacOS X 10.5
- Version 10.5
- License pricing Standard
Operating System
- License Type Complete package
- License Qty 1 user
- License Pricing Standard
- Media DVD-ROM
- Package Type Retail
System Requirements
- Min Processor Type PowerPC G4 - 867 MHz
- Min RAM Size 512 MB
- Min Hard Drive Space 9 GB
- Peripheral / Interface Devices DVD-ROM
Product series
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Manufacturer: Apple
Specs: 1 user, Complete package, 9 GB, PowerPC G4 867 MHz, 512 MB, 10.5, DVD-ROM, PowerPC G4, 867 MHz
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Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard (Family Pack)
Manufacturer: Apple
Specs: 5 users, Complete package, 9 GB, PowerPC G4 867 MHz, 512 MB, 10.5, DVD-ROM, PowerPC G4, 867 MHz
Manufacturer info
- Apple
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Apple products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.apple.com
- Address:
One Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA 95014 - Phone: 1-408-996-1010
