Apple Mac HQ

One of the very first things I looked up when I first got my Macbook was how to install applications on OS X. Installing applications is incredibly easy for most users, but for new users it can sometimes be confusing. There are several different ways that applications on the Mac can be installed. We’ll discuss the main methods below.

Most Mac applications are downloaded as a .dmg file. The .dmg file is a disk image that contains the compressed application files. After downloading the dmg file, Safari will automatically open and mount the file in the finder and on your desktop unless you have changed the default preferences. If you are using another browser, just double click the file and the disk image will mount on your system.

From this point, application installation can vary a little. Some applications, like Adium, provide you with a pointer (alias) to the applications folder in the installation window. Just drag the application icon and drop it on the applications folder alias. The application will now be installed to your applications folder.

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I posted a question on Mac-Forums last week about the speed of Leopard vs. Tiger. I had heard from others that previous OS X versions actually increased the speed of machines. I was very intrigued by this concept since my pervious dealings with Windows were quite the opposite.

Of those that responded to the forum question, 75% said they experienced faster performance on their Mac after installing Leopard. A few people said they experienced slower performance with the remaining few saying they saw the same performance or couldn’t tell the difference. This is pretty amazing since Vista makes all but the fastest machines crawl.

It’s worth nothing that nearly the exact same percentage of those who saw speed increases in Leopard were running on an Intel processor. One user upgraded 4 Macs (2 PPC and 2 Intel) and saw speed increases with Leopard, but the increase was not as noticeable on PowerPC processors. Obviously your milage will vary based on system configuration. However, the majority agree that Leopard is faster. Go forth and upgrade!

I decided to stop by the Apple Store on my way home from work Friday to try to get one of those free t-shirts I wrote about the other day. I was going to make it to the store about 6:15PM so I thought I would miss any line if there was one. I was completely wrong! I forgot my camera, but Lenox Mall looked like the mall in this TUAW photo gallery from Knoxville.

I estimated there was about 150 people waiting outside the Apple Store with a number of people already in the store. The scene looked a lot like the iPhone launch but with about half as many people. I couldn’t tell from where I was standing, but I think the Apple Store was only letting in a number of people at one time and as people left, they would let more in. The Apple Store had a cop posted outside the store with Apple fans lined up and down the mall hallways (like this). I decided not to stick around since I needed to be home by 7:00PM.

I was able to make it to the store today and there was no line outside, unlike the day after the iPhone launch. Other than a little sign at the front door (far left in this picture), you couldn’t tell anything was going on until you got inside the store. I jumped on a Macbook near the front door and played around on Leopard for about 15 minutes. I liked what I saw, but I’ll probably ask for it as a Christmas or Birthday present instead of buying it. I just got a new MBP around mid September so I don’t really want to go through the hassle again of setting everything up again. I’ll be ready by December though!

If you’re curious what the Leopard t-shirt looks like, you can see it here.

The newest cat to the OS X pack will lauch this Friday at 6:00PM. If you’re one of the first 500 guests to your local Apple Store, Apple will give you a “speical edition” Leopard T-shirt. Though the Apple Retail page is sparse with details, I’m hoping the systems they have setup will all run Leopard as well. I’d really like to test drive Leopard before buying it. I’m leaning towards waiting until 10.5.1 hits, but I’ve been sucked in by the Apple marketing machine before so there’s a chance I’ll walk away with Leopard.

[Via TUAW]

Apple has announced that OS X 10.5 Leopard will be available on October 26th, 2007. Pricing for Leopard is consistent with previous OS X upgrades. Leopard is priced at $129USD for a single user license and $199USD buys a family pack, good for 5 licenses in the same household (not for business or commercial use). You can pre-order Leopard now and get free shipping with an October 26th delivery date.

This being my first OS X upgrade, I’ll probably wait a few months before I buy Leopard. I’m very excited about some of the new features though. Of the new features, Quick Look, Finder, Stacks, and Spaces are the most appealing reason for upgrading.