CUPERTINO, California -- October 8, 2003 --Apple today
announced that Mac OS X version 10.3 Panther, the next major
release of the world's most advanced operating system, will
be available on Friday, October 24, beginning at 8:00 p.m.
Panther delivers more than 150 breakthrough new features
including a completely new Finder that provides one-click
access to a users favorite files and folders;
Exposé,, a revolutionary new way to instantly see all
open windows at once; and iChat AV, a complete desktop video
conferencing solution for business, education and consumers.
Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers will
host special events Friday night, October 24, at 8:00 p.m.
to celebrate the introduction of the most ground-breaking
version of Apple's UNIX-based operating system to date.
"Panther sets the new gold standard for operating
systems," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "With more than 150
new features, were delivering innovations today that will
not be seen in any other operating system for years to
come."
Panther features a completely redesigned Finder with
lightning-fast file searching that is up to six times faster
than Mac OS X version 10.2 Jaguar. The new Finder provides
one-click access by putting a user's favorite folders,
storage, servers and iDisk in one convenient location. The
new Finder also offers dynamic browsing of the network for
Mac, Windows and UNIX file servers.
Panther also introduces Exposé, a revolutionary
new way to instantly view all open windows and choose any of
them to be on top. Exposé visually unshuffles
overlapping windows on the desktop into an organized
thumbnail view so a user can instantly locate and switch to
any open window or get to any file on the desktop. Powered
by the Mac OS X Quartz graphic engine, Exposé is a
breakthrough in working with multiple files, applications
and projects.
Panther extends instant messaging to the next level with
iChat AV, the worlds easiest to use desktop video
conferencing solution, offering full-screen, full-motion
video over broadband, crystal-clear audio and a familiar
easy-to-use interface. iChat makes natural conversations
over the Internet immediate and effortless, and has been
enjoyed by over half a million beta users since its
introduction in June.
Other new features in Panther include:
Fast User Switching to elegantly switch between
active users without having to quit applications or log
out
FileVault, which uses the latest security standards
and 128-bit encryption technology to ensure that data in
the home directory is kept secure and private at all
times
Font Book, a new application that provides
system-level font management with double-click font
preview, one-click installation and an intuitive
interface for managing font collections, and activating
or deactivating fonts
the worlds fastest PDF reader in a significantly
improved Preview application, with super-fast text
searching that builds an instant index of search results
in a PDF, text selection and copying, URL support and
support for the PDF 1.4 format
a fully integrated iDisk that increases productivity
by automatically syncing a users offline work to their
.Mac Internet server storage once theyre online again, so
users can work locally on files with hard drive speeds
and have them synced automatically back to their iDisk
later
enhanced Mail, with advanced spam filtering
technology and the ability to organize mail into
convenient threads to make it easy to read, file or
delete related emails
a new Address Book that includes powerful new
features for printing labels and easily notifying
contacts when a users personal information changes
integrated faxing synced with the Address Book so
sending and receiving faxes is as easy as printing, and
includes support for adding cover pages
enhanced Windows compatibility that ensures files,
printers and network services can easily be shared with
Windows users. Support for Microsoft Exchange is built
into Mail and Address Book to make it easy to access
Exchange email and sync address book entries
advancements to the open-standard UNIX-based
foundation, including support for the latest open source
libraries, commands and technologies, X11 applications,
IPv6, Kerberos integration and a greatly improved NFS
file system
Xcode, the fastest way to create Mac OS X
applications. Xcode combines an easy-to-use interface
with proven developer tools such as GCC 3.3 to make it
easy for developers to take advantage of the latest
technologies from Apple
the latest versions of iSync, iCal, iPhoto, iMovie,
the iTunes Music Store and Apples new default web
browser, Safari.
Pricing & Availability Mac OS X version 10.3 Panther will be available on
October 24 beginning at 8:00 p.m. at Apple's retail stores
and through Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested
retail price of $129 (US) for a single user license.
Visitors to The Apple Store (www.apple.com)
can pre-order copies of Panther beginning today. The Mac OS
X Panther Family Pack is a single-residence, five-user
license that will be available for a suggested retail price
of $199 (US). Volume and maintenance pricing is available
from Apple. The standard Mac OS Up-To-Date upgrade package
is available to all customers who purchase a new Mac system
on or after October 8; all customers who purchased a Power
Mac G5 regardless of purchase date that do not have Panther
included; and customers who purchase the Mac OS X version
10.2 Jaguar retail product on or after October 8 for a
shipping and handling fee of $19.95 (US).
Panther requires a minimum of 128MB of memory and is
designed to run on the following Apple products with
built-in USB support: iMac, iBook, Power Macintosh G3, Power
Mac G4, Power Mac G4 Cube, Power Mac G5, PowerBook G3,
PowerBook G4.
