Thanks to t0mat0 of MacRumors for this guide.
This thread is intended to be a collation of information regarding Snow Leopard (abbreviated to SL), both normal and also Server editions. I'll flesh some of this out, and should hopefully add more as time goes on - we've got a whole year go!
I've checked this Forum, and I could not see any specific thread on actually talking about SL (Snow Leopard) in this way - both general and specifically. Hopefully there is enough room to take a thread with a different angle.
For the main part this month, it'll be interesting to collate information from such places as Intel, Nvidia, RoughlyDrafted.com, Apple, and others to have a look at the potential future coming in 2009 and beyond, and what may be in store. We're in a rumour site, and it's fun to see what is not just going to happen, but also the potential of what could happen. It can be just as much used for me as an aide in remembering what the heck I read on Apple from other sources. Google Reader ain't as searchable as a cached macrumors thread via Google search.
Starting from Known knowns:
Apple’s Snow Leopard page
When
Shipping ~late Q2, early Q3 2009.
What
“A Quantum Leap”. No solace required. Billed as changing it’s focus, “taking a break from adding new features” and building on Leopard
- Delivering “a new generation of core software technologies” to
- streamline Mac OS X
- enhance Mac OS X, including improving quality.
- Reduce the OS footprint
- Out-of-the-box support for Microsoft Exchange 2007 built into Mail, Address Book, and iCal (using the Exchange Web Serices protocol).
- “Grand Central”
– A set of technologies to improve performance
- Makes “all of OS X multi-core aware”
- Optimises Mac OS X it for “allocating tasks across multiple cores and processors”
- Helps developers, by making it easier for them to create programs that can effectively use the power from multiple cores and processors.
- Extension of 64-bit technology in Mac OS
- Allowing up to a theoretical 16TB maximum of RAM (No word on what type)
- Quicktime X
- Streamlined platform for modern media and internet.
- Optimised support for modern codecs
- More efficient media playback
- Through Safari, delivering fast Javascript (e.g. implementing this through MobileMe)
- OpenCL (Open Computing Language)
- A language to help developers use the power of GPUs (graphics processing units) and redirect it for general purpose computing.
- In other areas, OpenCL is akin to GPGPU.
- ZFS - Not mentioned on the normal SL page, but confirmed for the SL Server edition here
- Read & write support for the 128-bit ZFS file system
- Features such as storage pooling, data redundancy, automatic error correction, dynamic volume expansion, snapshots.
Who
Apple, obviously. Intel. PA Semi potentially. But who else? It's a bit of a shoehorning to fit the thread into the WWWWW&HM theme, but it's a decent start. I'd think it'll be interesting to dig into who Apple's paired with in the past for Graphics cards, and GPU chips, and see where the state of play lies there. Seeing as Apple Macs are a more closed system, bar the more accessible Mac Pro, it'll be interesting to see if Apple will open up being able to upgrade the motherboard, memory, graphics card, and CPU(s).
Why
To make money, serve the stockholders, and to create useful Apple product - software and hardware.
Basically, Apple will be sweetening the pot, to get people to move over, just as Leopard had features that Tiger did not, and people have been moving over at a fair rate.
For example, - You have the most recent(4th Generation) MBP:
- You have a multi-touch pad, so you're set for multi-touch.
- You have either a 2.4GHz, 2.5GHz or 2.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. From
wiki - In February 26, 2008 the MBP line was fitted with "Penryn" Intel Core 2 Duo processors.
These processors have multiple cores, so SL could help them with increasing the use of their multiple cores for processing power.
We await some true stats as to what SL will do on current most recent Apple kit - e.g. Mac Pro's, MacBook Pros and MacBooks, but it's safe to say that as Nehalem is released, Apple will have more power to play with, and will be able to deliver more power through Grand Central and OpenCL.
How Much
I'd say something akin to Leopard. I don't think the price will be lowered, which would discount SL's worth, or too much higher, which would detract software sales (which bring the money into Apple, through hardware sales). It's talked about in depth by Daniel
here so probably best to discuss it further, once i've started adding precis's of that series of articles.
For breaking that down, currently we have some main topic areas being
- Level of multi-touch in SL
- Usage of SL as a basis for the OS of future iPhones and other "electronic devices"
- Microsoft Exchange 200 support, and how much other Windows support SL will have
- “Grand Central”
- how it ties in with Intel and their multiple core chips, and also with multiple processors.
- How it ties in with developing Mac OS X apps, and also iPhone apps
- How 64-bit technology and a 16TB maximum (along with the other mentioned factors) will affect computing
- Quicktime X
- Safari - and Javascript - how this will be deployed. Looking at Air, Silverlight and others (e.g. Prism).
- OpenCL
- How it will tie in with SL, and Grand Central, and who Apple goes for to supply these GPU chips/ GPU boards for GPGPUage
- How it will affecting computing, alongside Grand Central
- It's rivals on the scene, and how Intel will play it's part.
If anyone's interested in this, please say hello, and contribute - i'm all for useful info-packed threads, with as much sources and multimedia thrown in as possible. Unfortunately it's a pain in the RSS to use the macrumor guide wiki section currently, so thread it is.
There's a list of sources on page 2 (the word limit is biting).