Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard available for pre-order on Apple Store

The new version of Mac OS X, 10.6, will be available from this Friday, August 28.  You can already reserve your copy online o the Apple Store.

It promises to take up less space on your computer, but be faster at loading applications, and will also benefit from updated versions of Quicktime and Spotlight.  It's eagerly-awaited by the Mac community, who can also look forward to more powerful performance from Safari.


Cheaper than Windows 7

Anybody who purchases a Mac between June 8 and 26 December 2009 which still has Leopard will be able to purchase an upgrade as part of the 'Up-to-Date' programme for just £7.95.

If you want to upgrade an older Leopard installation, then Snow Leopard will cost you £25 for a one-user licence, or £39 for the five-user Family Pack licence.

Remember, although we don't yet know the price of an individual licence, the Windows 7 Home Premium Edition Family Pack, which was available to pre-order as part of a special deal this year for £49.99, will now be available from 22 September for £79.99, rising to £99.99 from January 1 2010, as an upgrade, or   £149.99 to buy new.

Between now and then, though, Microsoft will certainly have some promotional offers.  To say the least, Microsoft never keeps it simple.