First Major Upgrade to Mac OS X

New Mac OS X v10.1 Upgrade Available Free to All Mac OS X Owners

Apple® have announced at Seybold San Francisco this week Mac® OS X version 10.1, the first major upgrade to Apple’s next generation operating system. Mac OS X v10.1 will be available in New Zealand from next week. Mac OS X v10.1 combines the power of UNIX with the simplicity and elegance of the Macintosh®. This major upgrade to Mac OS X delivers dramatically enhanced performance, a refined Aqua® user interface, and unprecedented support for digital media and devices including DVDs, MP3 CDs, MP3 players, printers, digital cameras and DV camcorders.

The Mac OS X v10.1 retail package will be available for an estimated street price of $299 + GST. Current Mac OS X users can upgrade using the standard Mac OS Up-to-Date program for $29.95 (inclusive of GST). A free Instant Up-to-Date upgrade kit for existing Mac OS X users will be available until October 31, 2001, or while supplies last, through Apple Authorised Resellers throughout New Zealand.

“Mac OS X v10.1 is a stunning upgrade—and only six months after releasing Mac OS X,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Mac OS X is now ready for primetime. It’s incredibly fast, includes a refined Aqua interface, has unrivalled support for more digital devices than any other operating system on the planet, and best of all—the upgrade is free.”

Mac OS X users can find more than 1,400 native applications in all categories that fully leverage the modern architecture and features of Mac OS X. The most anticipated application for Mac OS X is Microsoft’s Office v.X for Mac, featuring a bold new Aqua user interface. Major Mac OS X applications available today include Intuit Quicken Deluxe 2002, Alias|Wavefront’s Maya, Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.1, Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0, Macromedia Freehand 10, Aspyr’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, Aladdin’s Stuffit Deluxe, Pro Create Painter 7, FileMaker Pro, MYOB’s AccountEdge, World Book Encyclopedia 2002 and a host of products from Symantec including Norton AntiVirus, Norton Personal Firewall and Norton Internet Security.

Mac OS X v10.1 delivers significant performance enhancements throughout the entire operating system. Everything is faster: applications launch two to three times faster; Aqua menus are up to five times faster; re-sizing of windows is up to five times faster; and file copying is up to twice as fast. Apple testing has shown substantial performance boosts to many other areas of Mac OS X including start-up, log-in, Classic start-up, OpenGL and Java.

Fine tuning of the Aqua interface in Mac OS X v10.1 delivers a better user experience including the number one most requested new feature—the ability to move the Dock from the bottom to the left or right sides of the screen. New system status icons on the menu bar provide consumers with easier access to commonly used functions such as the new volume control slider, display settings, date and time, easier access to Internet connection settings and convenient monitoring of wireless networks and battery charging. Sending, receiving, opening and reading any file type has never been easier with the new automated file extension management capability of Mac OS X v10.1. Mac OS X v10.1 is the world’s most powerful engine for the Digital Hub, with built-in support for burning CDs and DVDs, playing DVD movies, managing music, making movies and capturing photos from digital cameras. Mac OS X v10.1 is the first operating system to allow consumers to burn over 4 gigabytes of data to a DVD—storing seven times the amount of data as a CD. A new built-in Image Capture application automatically downloads and enhances pictures from digital cameras, and Mac OS X v10.1 now supports more popular digital camera models than any other operating system, including those from Canon, Nikon and Kodak. Apple’s popular iTunes™ and iMovie™ 2 applications are now included as part of the installation instead of as separate downloads.

Based on open standards and UNIX, Mac OS X is the most compatible operating system available today. The Mac is now a first class citizen on Windows networks with the new SMB/CIFS client integrated with Mac OS X v10.1. Mac OS X v10.1 can connect to virtually any network system with support for AFP over TCP/IP, AFP over AppleTalk®, SMB/CIFS, NFS and WebDAV protocols. Mac OS X is also the only desktop operating system with built-in support for creating and displaying PDF files as well as the only one that comes complete with Java2.

Additional features new to Mac OS X v10.1 include:

- a new DVD Player with simplified interface compatible with Mac systems equipped with DVD-ROM drive and AGP graphics;

- burning of DVD-R data discs directly in the Finder™ on Mac systems with SuperDrive™;

- improved iDisk now based on the internet-standard HTTP web server extension WebDAV, providing users in schools and businesses with easier access to iDisk and the ability to stay connected, even behind corporate firewalls;

- easier printing with new print drivers from HP, Canon and Epson, automatic set-up for the most popular inkjet printers, and better support for professional-grade PostScript printers including PPD files for over 200 PostScript printers from HP, Lexmark and Xerox;

- enhanced 3D graphics performance with updated OpenGL software and full support for NVIDIA GeForce3;

- ColorSync® 4.0 with support for ICC colour management and a simpler user interface;

- the most advanced audio architecture delivering high-resolution 32-bit/96-kHz audio, multi-channel support, low-latency performance, and built-in MIDI; and

- substantial improvements to AppleScript® throughout the system, and full support for Internet scripting using SOAP and XML.

Pricing & Availability Mac OS X v10.1 will be available from late next week as a full retail product through Apple Authorised Resellers with an estimated street price of $299 + GST.

All existing Mac OS X customers are eligible to receive a Mac OS X v10.1 upgrade package through Apple’s Mac OS Up-To-Date program (http://www.apple.com.au/macosx/uptodate/). The Mac OS X v10.1 Up-To-Date package is available for a shipping and handling fee of NZ$29.95 (including GST) and includes a Mac OS X v10.1 upgrade CD, full install of the Classic Mac OS 9.2.1 CD, and an updated Developer Tools CD. A free Instant Up-To-Date upgrade package is available for all existing Mac OS X customers through Apple Authorised Resellers. The free upgrade includes both a Mac OS X v10.1 upgrade CD as well as a Classic Mac OS 9.2.1 upgrade CD. This Instant Up-To-Date product will be available through to October 31, 2001 or while supplies last.

Mac OS X v10.1 requires a minimum of 128MB of memory and is designed to run on the following Apple products: iMac®, iBook®, Power Macintosh® G3, Power Mac™ G4, Power Mac G4 Cube and any PowerBook® introduced after May 1998.

For additional press releases regarding Mac OS X v10.1 announcements today, please visit www.apple.com/pr.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.

Press Contacts:
Bronwyn Sinclair
Renaissance Limited
DDI Ph (09) 622 3695
b.sinclair@apple.co.nz

NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple's PR website (www.apple.com/pr/).

Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Macintosh, AppleScript, Apple Store, AppleTalk, Aqua, ColorSync, Finder, iBook, iMac, iMovie, iTunes, Mac OS, PowerBook, Power Mac, Power Macintosh and SuperDrive are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

© Scoop Media