June 8, 2009: Apple introduces OS X Snow Leopard, a model of its Mac working system that ranks among the many firm’s most interesting desktop updates.
Showcased at Apple’s Worldwide Builders Convention in San Francisco, Snow Leopard doesn’t appear as flashy as another Mac working system upgrades. In actual fact, Apple famously features a slide in its WWDC presentation touting “0 new options.” Nonetheless, OS X Snow Leopard greater than delivers on Apple’s core values, paving a path to a shiny future for the Mac.
Mac OS X Snow Leopard optimizes options
On paper, the improve wasn’t a large shift from its predecessor, Mac OS X Leopard. A bit like 2018’s macOS Mojave, it didn’t add a plethora of latest options and horny gimmicks. As a substitute, it caught to the fundamentals, optimizing what was already there by way of options and efficiency. Oh, and it did this whereas taking over 6GB much less cupboard space than its rapid predecessor.
“We’ve constructed on the success of Leopard and created a good higher expertise for our customers from set up to shutdown,” mentioned Bertrand Serlet, Apple’s senior vice chairman of software program engineering, in a press launch. “Apple engineers have made a whole lot of enhancements so with Snow Leopard your system goes to really feel quicker, extra responsive and much more dependable than earlier than.”
Provided that OS X Leopard overreached in some senses, OS X Snow Leopard restored Apple’s status for high quality merchandise that “simply work.” It’s no shock that it hung round for a very long time. (That’s presumably additionally on account of it being the final model of OS X that ran on early Intel Macs.)
Mac updates get cheaper
The 2009 improve modified the sport in one other means, too. Earlier variations of the Mac working system price $129, however Snow Leopard solely set patrons again the comparatively paltry sum of $29. The worth lower prefigured Apple’s determination to cast off many software program costs altogether just a few years later. 2013’s OS X Mavericks could have been the primary free desktop working system from Apple, however Snow Leopard led the best way.
Finally, Mac OS X Snow Leopard turned a vital replace for Mac customers. It centered on getting issues proper, correcting earlier errors, and being attentive to under-the-hood enhancements fairly than user-facing ones.
You’ll be able to watch Craig Federighi, VP of Mac OS engineering on the time, run by the software program’s refinements within the video beneath from WWDC 2009:
Did you run Mac OS X Snow Leopard?
Do you’ve got fond reminiscences of utilizing this working system in your Mac? What’s your favourite macOS replace over time? Go away your feedback beneath.
