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Snow Leopard 10A380: Part 2 Screenshots

2009-06-10 16:34:25 | 132 Comments

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 42

As promised heres a bunch more screenshots. Click on any image for full size. Photo of blue sky with white flowers can be found at: http://sarahbethlewis.blogspot.com/. If you use twitter, feel free to
!

A transparent frame was added between the stack background and the shadow. Very pretty.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 42

Stacks in grid view now allow you to jump from folder to folder without leaving the stacks. Note the 'Applications' button at the top of the grid. Very similar to the back and forth buttons you get on the iPhone when navigating screens.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 03

Don't think these were in Leopard. Now you can easily set symbol and text substitutions.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 05

No changes to the Printer & Fax preferences. D7000 series - great printer btw. Has built in WiFi so you can print from anywhere in the house without and the printer doesn't even need to be next to the router.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 07

When changing the background only the thumbnails which are in view load, not all at once as it was before.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 09

Bouncing for the icons in the dock is now unchecked by default. Well, maybe not.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 10

Seems the 10A380 build was finalize a few weeks back as it had neither the newest Airport Utility nor iTunes.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 11

Icon for Folder Actions Setup now in the menu.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 12

Some minor updates to the Language options.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 08

The Input Sources preferences has gotten a refresh.


Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 13

Keyboard preferences. Was the option to turn it off after a period of time present in Leopard? Don't remember.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 01

The Keyboard Shortcuts have gotten a very nice update. Now a lot easier to navigate though and find what you need.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 15

Finally! Mail.app not only works properly with IMAP but it also loads within a second.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 16

Font Book loads amazingly fast compared to the old version.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 17

Don't think the 'Use secure virtual memory' option was there in Leopard. Also you can disable Location Services if you're feeling paranoid.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 18

Expose & Spaces preferences seem to have not been changed.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 14

Spaces preferences.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 19

Nothing changed under Spotlight.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 20

No changes for the Accounts preferences.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 22

Same old address book, but loads way faster.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 23

Interesting addition to the menu when you right click on any text on Safari. You can now instantly make a note out of the selected text or have it read and added to iTunes.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 21

The voiceover utility has gotten a huge overhaul.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 24

Some options for how the voice sounds.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 25

The Airport menu now shows you signal strengths. Finally!

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 26

Java Preferences (maybe updated?) Not sure because I never bothered looking at it before.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 27

Audio MIDI setup app has been updated. Much nicer now. Think the old one was the same since Panther or so.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 29

Ugly 'Service' icon. :(

In the appearance preferences, the different options for text smoothing are gone and are now replaced with just one checkbox.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 32

Few icons updated in System Preferences.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 33

Doesn't seem like anything changed here.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 34

Most of the processes now run in 64 bit.


Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 35

Dictionary app is still the same.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 36

The Software Update app now brings up a small window while checking for updates instead of the full window that it used to bring up before.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 04

You can now install the updates without even looking at what you're installing. What joy!

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 38

Image Capture app has been refreshed to match the rest of the apps.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 39

Time zone is now automatically set based on the wifi hotspots and/or I'm guessing IP.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 40

Doesn't look like anything has changed in the Trackpad preferences.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 41

Preview app in 'contact sheet' view.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 37

Preview app in 'annotations' view.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 31

Preview app in 'thumbnails' view.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 28

Preview app in 'table of contents' view.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 43

When you open a movie all you see is the movie, the window bar on top and the controls which are just like those when you're in full screen. Looks very similar to quicklook.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 44

After a few seconds everything including the top window bar fades out. If you pause the movie, everything fades back in.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 46

The movie inspector window has been slightly updated.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10A380 Part 2 Screenshots 45

In fullscreen, the controller has gotten a lot smaller and looks lots more 'crisp'.

Reader Comments

  1. ken Lee

    you're quick! i still have yet to put in 3.0 ^^. Saving it for this weekend!

    Michael Flux

    @ken Lee, Been using 3.0 since beta one :D - since I got so used to it already didn't even bother posting any screenshots/reviews :) Also an excellent release.

    With boht iPhone OS 3.0 and OS X 10.6, Apple is in quite hell of a good position both in the phone and computer markets.

    And between 10.6 and Windows 7, 2010 seems like its gonna be a very exiting year for computing. ^_^

    Jash Sayani

    @Michael Flux, Will 3.0 work with the old iPhone 2G ? I had heard that it is only for iPhone 3G and 3GS...

    By the way, great screenshots!

    Michael Flux

    @Jash Sayani, It should have absolutely no problems working with iPhone 2G as it has basically identical hardware as the 3G model except for the 3G antenna and GPS.

    Apple would be absolutely stupid to not allow first generation iPhones to upgrade as its those users which are at highest risk of leaving now as their contracts are about to expire, Apple now needs to do everything it can for them to have them stay with them instead of jumping ship to use the Palm Pre or the HTC G1.

  2. Matthew

    Quicktime got a nice makeover

    Michael Flux

    @Matthew, Yeah, back during the earlier builds the UI looked a little wonky, but in this one they really cleaned everything up and it both looks and functions great. An extremely nice make over :D

    rault

    @Matthew, Is it just me, or is the volume slider still annoying that it's horizontal? I hate that there are two identical-looking sliders (hate it on the iPhone too). Couldn't volume be vertical? Something nicer than a short stubby horizontal bar...

    Michael Flux

    @rault, Hmm, iduno, I personally don't mind it that way as I don't really use it all too much. I mean when I need to adjust the volume, I just adjust the system volume 99% of the time.

  3. Alex

    The "Use Secure Virtual Memory" option is available in Leopard. I'm looking at it right now...

    Michael Flux

    @Alex, Ah, cool. Thanks for pointing it out. Just SL is installed on the same machine and I didn't want to reboot back into Leopard just to check that one thing.

    Alex

    @Michael Flux, No problemo. :) Thanks for posting the cool shots!

  4. bob

    Are the tabs on top in Safari 4.0 under 10.6?

    Michael Flux

    @bob, Nope, just in like 10.5.7 they were moved back to the bottom. Really is a shame as I personally liked them a lot better on top. Apple could've at least given the user an option to pick where he prefers the tabs... Oh well.. maybe by the time 10.6 is released to the public they'll also release an update to Safari... I hope :)

  5. Zeke

    Did the leave in the option for video screen shots in Quicktime? And what ways to export?

    Michael Flux

    @Zeke, In this build the export options are severely limited. All you get are options to 'save' to iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, 480p and 720p with no advanced options at all.

    Could you please explain what you mean by 'video screenshots', not entirely sure what you're referring to specifically...

    Zeke

    @Michael Flux, In the earlier build, there was the option to record a video screen shot in quick time. If you go to file-new screen recording.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd-w_pmYFQQ

    Michael Flux

    @Zeke, Ah yes, that option is still there, though I still haven't played around with it myself. :)

  6. Kevin

    Hi Michael,

    i like the green wallpaper with the three, can you tell me, where i can get this picture or can you send it to my email address?

    would be happy, thanks a lot man

    greetz kevin

    Michael Flux

    @Kevin, Are you talking about the wallpaper with just the tree (first and second screenshots) or the one with the girl?

    If its the one with the girl you're talking about, you can find it at http://www.cgwallpapers.com/wallpapers.php?id=44 - middle column, row before last.

    If you're talking about the one with just the tree, then you can find it at http://sarahbethlewis.blogspot.com/2009/03/tree.html.

    Kevin

    @Michael Flux,

    i spoke about the one with the three, thank you very much!

  7. Geoff

    You can always update without checking to see what you're updating. I believe that's been there since Tiger.

    Michael Flux

    @Geoff, Hmm, I personally always got the full window, even when it launches after a fresh OS install by itself, it always brought up the full thing for me.

    Geoff

    @Michael Flux, really?
    Being a person who likes to see what's being installed, I find that I always have to click "Show Details" to see what it is installing. Oh well, just letting you know its been there, at least on Leopard.

    Michael Flux

    @Geoff, Oh of course, I always look at what is being installed, and am almost religiously installing every single update :p

    Geoff

    @Michael Flux, hahaha me too! Before I updated my iMac to iLife 09, I would install the "iLife 09" updates even if I never had the software hahaha. I believe its an OCD.

  8. Bill Hawk

    Hi Mike -

    Haven't heard or seen anything yet if the new Stacks behaviour will also drill into an aliased folder within a folder.

    Have you tried that yet?

    Bill

    Michael Flux

    @Bill Hawk, Just tried it and it works perfect with aliased folders also. Yaay! :D

    Bill Hawk

    @Michael Flux,

    Thanks be to all the Apple Gods! :-)

  9. Mr.Person

    Could you post the snow leopard default background?

  10. Carlos Fonseca

    Cool :)

    The Voice Over looks much like the Leopard one, although a little less clunkier.

    Check this screenshots:
    http://skitch.com/whatever/bu27i/voice-over-1
    http://skitch.com/whatever/bu27u/voice-over-2

    Notice that, on the second one, the labels are quite misaligned compared to your screenshot.

  11. Graham Weaver

    Address Book now has an accounts management preference panel.

  12. Dave

    Leopard (10.5) already allows for software updates without looking at what is to be installed.

  13. Stefan Arisona

    The Java settings screenshot is interesting: Finally Apple seems to come up with a 32bit Java SE 6... just a little late, I guess noone will need it anylonger...

    Peter

    @Stefan Arisona,

    I desperately need a 32 bit J2SE6 ... my Java IDE (Eclipse) still crashes constantly (3.5RC4) when started using Java 6 - 64 Bit. (It seems this is a SWT problem related to 64 bit.) So a 32 Bit Java 6 is really appreciated.

    Eclipse needs to run with Java 6 since I am using Java 6 based plugins (i.e. for checkstyle code analysis or code generation).

  14. Cubert

    Where did you find the Java preferences in Snow Leopard. I know that they aren't a system pref pane. I'm curious if this is in Leopard and I have just never seen it.

    Thanks.

    Michael Flux

    @Cubert, /Applications/Utilities/ however as far as I remember under Leopard, all the Java stuff is under /Applications/Utilities/Java/

    Cubert

    @Michael Flux,
    It is. What you have shown is new.

    Michael Flux

    @Cubert, Ah, cool, thanks for letting me know :)

  15. KSB

    Thx for sharing the screenshots, looking really forward for the new OS :)

    btw I love the design of your blog and the fade in effect of the thumbnails. Is the CMS a shareware ?

    Cheers..
    KSB...

    Michael Flux

    @KSB, Thanks, I'm using jQuery Lazyload for the image loading ^_^

  16. Carson

    Actually the only thing that has changed with Software Update is the small window when checking for new updates. My computer from the start of Leopard always asked me to install updates without looking at them.

  17. Matthew

    Thanks for the pics...

    Two things:
    [1] That “Burn This Folder to Disc…” option in the Finder contextual menu is new.
    [2] The Activity Monitor has been updated, the drop down menu in the toolbar is silver, in Leopard it is the standard white and blue aqua control.

  18. Joe

    What happened to the new Quicktime icon?

    http://images.apple.com/macosx/refinements/images/allrefine_quicktime_title20090608.jpg

    Michael Flux

    @Joe, Whatever happen, I'm glad its not in this build, that thing is horrendous.

  19. Ben

    Regarding apparently unchanged Trackpad preferences, the final version is supposed to enable all the multi-touch features for previous notebooks, meaning the new pref pane that late 2008 and 2009 MacBooks see. I guess that didn't make the preview.

    Michael Flux

    @Ben, Actually, maybe it did make it to the preview, but since I'm using a mid 2006 MacBook Pro, the multitouch gestures wouldn't show up anyways sadly.

  20. Gratis Geld

    Pictures aren't working for me...

    Michael Flux

    @Gratis Geld, How so? Everything seems to be up and running more or less.

  21. Guoliang

    Thank you for putting this up.

    Will Snow Leopard make resize windows easier? Like drag to resize window from any window border.

    Michael Flux

    @Guoliang, No, that behavior seems to be unchanged still, sorry :(

  22. Mactoids.com

    Michael, thanks for taking the time to post so many images. Much appreciated!

  23. Justin Otherguy

    Hi Michael,

    > Keyboard preferences. Was the option to turn it off after a period of time present in Leopard? Don't remember

    this is not about turning off the keyboard, but about turning off keyboard illumination ;-)

    And yes, this is present in Leopard.

    Thanks for the screenshots!

    Regards, K.

  24. Robin Hcod

    I seriously hope the final version got more then this.
    I can easily come up with more things that needs to be refined or more new functions.
    This is what they have worked on for over a year? wow..

    Michael Flux

    @Robin Hcod, Well, 90% of the work they were doing was under the hood. Apple claims that something like 90% of the code was rewritten from the ground up. Seeing how much faster this is all around, I must say, I believe them. Honestly, the speed improvements in this release are just amazing. And especially considering how much they'll charge for it... I think 90% of the Leopard users will upgrade within the first month.

    WS

    @Michael Flux, Agreed. When they decided to work under the hood, I always thought it would be one hell of a marketing nightmare for them to push SL. I think they are doing as well as can be expected. In this age of creeping featurism, everyone wants more buttons, more windows, and more things to click. What companies (Apple gets it) need to do is go back a few steps and make sure they are doing what they already do, the best way they can. There is no point adding more horsepower and bigger wheels if your car can't drive straight!

    I'm glad to see that Apple is doing this. I know their stock is down and I'm sure industry pundits will point fingers, declaring Apple is out of ideas, but they horribly askew. The industry needs a refresh...

  25. Kurtis Schmidt

    One thing that Michael missed (or left out) is that right now, quicktime doesn't have a preferences option in the latest build. Otherwise, great work Michael.

    Michael Flux

    @Kurtis Schmidt, Yeah and what intrigued me is the fact that after looking though every single component file for every single menu and every single piece of interface, I couldn't even find a single mention of either the preferences or any of the preference items that may appear there...

    I'm not sure, either something major will be added and Apple wants to keep it close to its chest for now so they're being extremely careful not to let a single thing slip out or there won't be preferences at all, which is I think unlikely and very stupid as this way you can't even set to to black out the other screens while in full screen...

  26. Gilbert Palau

    Just wanted to ask if this new build has all the features Apple demoed in the conference. Word around is that build 10380A doesnt have Expose on the Dock and other couple of issues.

    Michael Flux

    @Gilbert Palau, Yeah, expose in the dock isn't available in this build and as far as I know, Apple still hasn't released the build they were demoing at WWDC.

  27. Carlos Fonseca

    Hi again. Just installed this cat and it sure is fast!
    But I don't see the Dock-exposé nor it's bubbles… It's the same with you?
    I mean this: http://images.apple.com/macosx/refinements/images/allrefine_dockexpose20090608.jpg

    Michael Flux

    @Carlos Fonseca, Yeah, 10A380 for some reason doesn't have the new Expose features. I'm guessing thats because they were added within 1-2 weeks before WWDC and the 10A380 build was finalize around a month before WWDC.

  28. Christopher C

    Just wondering about something very small but very important in my book. I was wondering if Apple has added a "Print Selection" option in the print dialog box. This to me is a huge feature that is lacking from OS X. I don't see why I have to print a whole Wikipedia article when I just want a snippet. And I'll be honest, people suggesting that I just copy and paste it to TextEdit or Pages don't seem to realize that that's an extra step I don't have to make if this option existed.

    Just wondering. Thanks!

    Michael Flux

    @Christopher C, Just checked, and there doesn't seem to be any way to do it sadly. I agree with you, pretty stupid to leave something so basic out. A few years back however, I did see one 'print selection' service floating around the internet, where you could just select something, go to the services menu, click it and it would do just that... maybe try looking for it? I personally don't have a clue where its at right now, but if you do find it, let me know, as I too am curious.

    Christopher C

    @Michael Flux, as a matter of fact, I do have this installed currently. Its called Print Selection Service. While it does alleviate the issue somewhat, it is still an awkward solution and doesn't work on all applications (ie: doesn't work in Numbers).

    Le Son

    @Christopher C, What about Firefox? There is a "Print selection only" check box in Firefox. At least in Leopard.

    Kurtis Schmidt

    @Christopher C, While this is not an actual solution to your problem, I checked all the browsers on my computer (Safari 4.0, Firefox 3.0.10, Opera 10, Chrome 3.0) and Firefox does offer the option to print a selection. The other browsers however do not.

  29. Buddy

    Michael, do you (or anyone) know if the 10a380 build will expire after so many days or months since it's a beta? I have the 10a380 build but it says in the release notes that it's Time-Limited software. Thank you.

    Buddy

    @Buddy,

    Also, will this beta upgrade my Leopard or must it be a clean install with the beta?

    Michael Flux

    @Buddy, I highly doubt that one day it'll just stop working. As far as I know Apple didn't put any physical time limitations on this, but then again maybe I just need to re-read the fine print... But either way you have at the very least till September or October by which time the final version will come out and you'll be able to upgrade to it.

    Also its up to you if you want you want to upgrade or do a clean install, this functions just like any release beforehand :)

    Buddy

    @Michael Flux, Great. Thanks. Oh I plan to buy it when it's released. For $29 who can pass up owning a licensed copy? I just wanted to try out this beta but don't have a spare drive to use. I'll just make sure I back up my stuff first. Cheers!

    Anon

    @Buddy, Just resize your current partition and install into the new space.

  30. Daniel

    awesome post man, can you do me a favor and post the snow leopard default wallpaper i love it! thanks

  31. Shanker

    Awesome job. I always wanted to buy a mac. By looking at your screen shot, I've pulled the trigger to buy the new Macbook pro 13.3 (new pro one). My first Mac. Check with Mr. Steve Jobs whether you can get referral bonus ;)

    By the way, I was looking at your Japan pic's. Which camera/lens do you have?

    Michael Flux

    @Shanker, The earlier ones were taken with a very old Kodak, and for almost all of the more recent shots, I use a Lumix LX3.

  32. Nicolas von Rosen

    where did u get snowleopard from ?!?!?! thx
    PS: nice screenshots

    Gilbert Palau

    @Nicolas von Rosen, heprobably got it from the WWDC? Or maybe he got it from a certain website with a bay, but I think he got it from WWDC... ;)

  33. Ben HArper

    What about the new QuickTime Player? The ChildsBirthdayShareItOnYoutube Player?

    In the current QuickTime Player I can see all of the movie without a portion being hidden ba a titlebar or a controller. I have the whole screenwidth to scrub through a movie, not just a short, less accurate "timeline". I can make a selection, kepp this selection and at the same time scrub through the movie, go to the in- and out-point with alt-left/right. I can than cut, copy or delete that selection (and trim), paste or "scale and paste" it into another movie. Without being forced to switch to some kind of "trim mode".

    Did I mention that the "interface" is a staight copy of NicePlayer (http://code.google.com/p/niceplayer/)?

    Think again, Apple.

    Michael Flux

    @Ben HArper, Well, to be fair its more of a TakeVideoOfChildWithiPhoneAndTrimInChildsBirthdayShareItOnYouTube Player :p

    But yeah, I agree, any "advanced" functionality it had, went the way of the dodo bird. But to be fair, now as just a player and nothing else, its actually pretty darn nice. Been using it for 2-3 days now or so, so far am loving how it looks when playing back files.

    Ben HArper

    @Michael Flux, so you can confirm that the advanced features are really missing? I had a slight hope that they where somehow hidden, but still there.

    Then it's really a Player now, then Apple should give us a second App called Movie Editor or whatever.

    Cheers, Ben

    Michael Flux

    @Ben HArper, Well for example for scrubbing you can do it just like you could before, just with the mouse wheel up/down or the arrow keys right/left. But yeah, all of the editing/trimming etc, has been moved to that iPhone-esque trimming thing.

    Hmm... could've sworn Apple had an app like that... oh man, totally forgot its name!

    Oh yeah, iMovie! -_^

    Ben HArper

    @Michael Flux, well yeah, import some stuff into a new iMovie project and export that, which means compress it again. Sounds very easy .. not.

    I was talking putting two parts together, add the soundtrack, "save as" everything without recompressing, even as a referce movie. I'm working in the motion business, and i do that every day. Rendering parts in After Effects and putting them together at the end.

    Jeremy Brown

    @Michael Flux, can you merge two quicktime movies together? or does the trimming thing only trim.

  34. Jeremy Brown

    Hi Michael, thanks for the shots.

    Can you confirm whether Rosetta is present (optional?). Fortunately for me system profiler tells me I only have two applications on my entire system which are still solely powerpc code (one is a ancient game, and other an uninstaller, and the third is TNEF's Enough).

    Cheers.

    Jeremy Brown

    @Jeremy Brown, I mean three.

    Jeremy Brown

    @Jeremy Brown, Ahh, I see from your Install guide that Rosetta is still an optional install. Hopefully it's not dumped at the last minute.

    Michael Flux

    @Jeremy Brown, Yup, correct, its still there yet is unchecked by default, so if you don't go to the 'Advanced' options, you'll install SL without it. I highly doubt that Apple would pull it simply because they don't gain anything by pulling it. They would have only a few MB of space and beyond that, nothing at all.

    scott

    @Michael Flux, well I didn’t realize that I had any powerpc applications on my macbook...but I found out when I tired to play Zuma Deluxe from PopCap games...it told me I needed to install rossetta to play it and then it went to software update and searched the apple servers for it...downloaded it and I am now playing the game...

    so even if you don't install it automatically at installation...it will go get it for you if you need it...that is a nice touch

    just thought I would FYI this little note

    thanks

  35. Ryan Gonzalez

    Very nice work; it points out all the little details in this update, things that will create an overall upgrade in the experience. Refreshing.

  36. Andrew

    Very nice stuff, I can't wait for it to be released in September. One thing though, being able to install software updates without actually looking at what they are is not new. This feature is included in Leopard, it comes like that by default at least for me. I don't like it though, I always click show details to see what I am installing before I do it.

  37. Barry Ward

    Could you please let us know if Mail can start at login HIDDEN when the hide tickbox is checked in the login items list. This has been a big problem for me and many others in Leopard, and seperate plugins/scripts have had to be used to get it to hide, as ticking the hide box doesn't do anything in Mail's case. Thank you.

    Michael Flux

    @Barry Ward, Ah, thank you for remind me to try this, completely forgot!

    Well, I just tried it, and I am extremely happy to report that it works like a charm! Everything starts up quietly in the background without pestering you, and does it's thing as it should! Finally!!!

  38. NiLok

    'In the appearance preferences, the different options for text smoothing are gone and are now replaced with just one checkbox.'

    what?! so there's only one level of thickness? ;/ damn.

    Michael Flux

    @NiLok, Yeah, seems that way. The only level of thickness seems to be somewhere between the smallest and medium settings in Leopard, at lest thats what it looks like.

    NiLok

    @Michael Flux, well... that's good news for me, 'cause I'm using the smallest one. :) so it's not that bad, what a relief... ;)

    btw, I can't wait until they release the final version of Snow Leopard. They updated 10.5 with some really nice and helpful features. :) (and thanks for the screenshots)

  39. Rudi

    Eeeeeek, your webpage is taxing my brand new powerbook to 35% CPU. What the hell are you doing? I'll not be visiting again...

    Matthew

    @Rudi, In regard to your issue, webpages usually take a bit of processor when they first load. If you're loading ~40 images that load time is going to take a lot longer. If you notice, however, the images load as you scroll, so the initial CPU hit is shorter in exchange for a little spike in CPU every time a new image loads while scrolling. Believe me, the deferred loading is a much smoother overall experience.

    In regard to your attitude, I hope the site will not be serving you pages again. You're a waste of bandwidth and should be blacklisted.

  40. Kevin

    How exactly does Preview's "contact sheet" work? Do you have to open a bunch of images in Preview and then switch modes, or is it automatic for images within the directory of the image you're viewing? (Ala the various built-in Windows image viewers and Xee on OS X)

    Michael Flux

    @Kevin, Yeah, you can manually switch to it if you have a bunch of images (or a PDF with multiple pages) open. And when you double click on any of the thumbnails in the contact sheet view, it goes back to the standard view of big image + thumbnails on the side.

  41. Ragnar

    Ah, thanks for these great posts you rolled out for us in the last couple of days. Am looking at these pictures and can't really wait until I can get my own mac T_T.

    Michael Flux

    @Ragnar, Heh, one of these days :D

  42. Dimitry

    [Edited by Michael Flux]

    Please don't put up links to pirated software, especially rapidshare links.

    Anon

    @Dimitry, criminal twat, hope you get arrested.

  43. Barry Ward

    Do we think it will have a new GUI added for launch?

    Michael Flux

    @Barry Ward, While there may be a small chance of that, I highly doubt that we'll see anything new.

  44. Jeff

    Screw Snow Leopard... I want Toy Story 3 ;)

    Michael Flux

    @Jeff, hahah, yeah that too :p

  45. Barry Ward

    Just wanted to say thanks for posting the screenshots Michael. I am looking forward to the official launch and am definitely buying this.

  46. AudioFan

    In QuickTime X, what does the UI look like when playing an audio file? Thanks!

    Michael Flux

    @AudioFan, Thanks for reminding me, forgot about that. Take a look at http://michaelflux.com/quicktime-x-in-snow-leopard - added a screenshot of it.

    Dan Buchan

    @AudioFan, I can't attach a picture, but it's the standard window for an audio file that the current QT player uses, only it's black, and the rounded buttons aren't there, just the (gray) arrows against a black background.

  47. scott

    hey...I have a dmg of the snow leopard 10A380 but without burning it to disk...how do i install it...

    i dont have any double layer dvds right now so i cant burn more than 4 gb or so...and it is almost 6...

    is there a way to do this?

    thank you

    oh by the way a developer friend of mine sent it to me...so i could try it out..i just want to put it on an external drive to see the performance boost because i have a Macbook 2ghz that i fear is on its last legs and need better performance and dont want to spend the $29 for the SL if its not going to work well on my older macbook...since i have 32 bit and i hear all this stuff about 64 bit

    thank you again
    scott

    Michael Flux

    @scott, Lucky for you, I wrote an article specifically about that question! http://michaelflux.com/how-to-install-mac-os-x-snow-leopard-10a380. Let me know if you have any further questions.

    scott

    @Michael Flux,

    you are the best...thats so easy...i knew there would be some sort of easy way to do this

    off topic...i have a dmg file for ilife 09 with the same problem...i cant burn it to disk...and my mac mini will not install it...saying something about the codec and i tried using toast to mount the dmg and it would not work either...it opens fine on my macbook but for some reason my mac mini will not run the installer even if i get it to mount using Toast...please private email me if you can help me with this problem...i want to use my imovie 09 on my mini because i have a 23inch display for it and its easier to use than my macbook for this task...and my macbook isnt running in tip top shape these days...now4real954@aol.com
    scott

  48. afik

    hey michael,

    for quicktime X, does it support most codecs now, or still we have to rely on VLC for movies downloaded off the net?

    thanks!

    Michael Flux

    @afik, It doesn't seem like it supports any more codecs then the previous versions of Quicktime did. Luckily the Perian plugin still works perfect, minus letting QT play .MKV files.

    Kevin

    @afik, you might look into mplayer osx extended. It's very good at playing back most formats, and it has much better support for MKV files and subtitles than VLC.

  49. Alia

    I wonder if it's worth for me to 'upgrade' for $29? It doesn't seem so different as to justify the cost for a student, but if it improves stability I'm all for it because since I've had my iMac (6 months) it's cashed on me twice (black screen/restart warning)... Also any word on Divx player compatibility? I have a suspision that's the primary reason for the second black screen crash (though the first one I'm at complete loss).

    Michael Flux

    @Alia, I think its definitely worth the 29 bucks. I mean not only is the stability much improved, but also the speed improvements all around are quite exceptional. For 90% of the daily tasks, like navigating though the finder, opening files, backing things up and so on, it feels like an extra half-GHz added to your processor, so for such a nice speed boost, definitely worth it I think.

    Concerning DivX playback, I think it would be foolish to expect native support from Apple, but with that said, the Perian plugin for quicktime works wonders. It allows quicktime to play a ton of different codecs and formats and best of all its free. I would use it hands down over any of the trash players that DivX themselves offer. If you don't use it already, take a look at it over at perian.org

    Alia

    @Michael Flux, Thanks very much, I'll give it some thought :)

  50. betovarg

    @Matthew, Its really fast, but i feel it a little crippled, there are no preferences for it. Havent tested it much. Besides i think it isnt the version they showed in the keynote since the icon is not the same. (like dock expose is missing, and the expose grid aligned windows arent present in this build either, i guess, maybe michael can correct me if im wrong)

    Michael Flux

    @betovarg, Nope, nothing to correct, you're right 100%. The build that we developers got, wasn't the specific one that was shown off on stage at WWDC. This build is about a month old now it looks like.

    betovarg

    @Michael Flux, I thought so! anyway, i find it snappy and speedy. Preview's built in scanning option has some AI as well I think, it recognizes the boundaries of the images and scans them separately. nice. I don't think i can be emphatic enough about the speed.

  51. Max

    Thanks for the great preview. I was wondering if you had a graphics card that took advantage of some the new Open CL improvements? Specifically, I use iDVD a lot to encode DVD's and I was wondering if SL does speed up the process. Currently, on my new Mac Mini with the Nvidia 9400M it takes about 5 hours to encode a 2 hour video.

    Michael Flux

    @Max, As I'm using a mid-2006 MacBook Pro, my ATI X1600 isn't supported by OpenLC. However what I can tell you is that at the top there wouldn't be any improvements anyways as Apple still hasn't released any new versions of any of the iLife apps which would take advantage of all the improvements in Snow Leopard, so in turn iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD and so on, are still as slow as always I'm sad to say.

    For you, I would actually recommend getting an elgate turbo.264 HD hardware encoder. While it isn't exactly cheap, if you do alot of encoding, I think it would be an excellent investment as it can cut down your encoding times by 2x easily. :)

  52. David

    Just wondering... what does the Quicktime plugin (in Safari) look like? Same as the current build of Quicktime or does it sport a new interface also?

    Michael Flux

    @David, For now is identical to Quicktime 7 in Leopard.

  53. Johnnyboy

    Michael, does your build of Snow Leopard indicate anywhere that it has an expiry date?

    I saw on some older build, 10a96 (I think), a text under the "About" box of QuickTime saying that it would expire a certain date.

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