Apple has shipped the latest update to its flagship product, Mac OS Tiger, and has included several useful new features, such as Spotlight desktop search, Smart Folders (which add new items to saved searches), and Safari RSS -- all features that Microsoft has promised its Windows users in Longhorn, yet so far hasn't delivered. We think the new Mac OS Tiger is a solid release that's worthwhile for those who skipped Panther or have waited until Tiger's release to purchase their new Apple hardware. Even casual Mac users will immediately see the difference between 10.4 Tiger and 2003's 10.3 Panther because of flashy new native utilities, such as Dashboard.
In addition to the visible new features, Tiger includes significant overhauls under the surface, debuting a 64-bit architecture to take advantage of more addressable memory space and several core technologies that range from accelerating on-screen graphics to offering new programming interfaces that, if developers take advantage of them, could significantly change how we use computers. If you're tired of Microsoft's many promises, or if you've been thinking of replacing your PC with a new Mac, Tiger may well be your best incentive to switch. But we're holding back on our highest honour, an Editors' Choice award, until we complete our formal testing. Early indications suggest that Tiger's a winner, but check back next week for the full story. Also, check out our Tiger screenshot gallery to get a sense of the look and feel of Apple's new OS.Setup & interface
Mac Tiger OS ships by default on DVD, although those with older Macs that lack a DVD drive can get a set of CD-ROM install discs for £11.99 (inc. VAT) through Apple's Media Exchange program. Installing Mac Tiger OS is easy: load the Tiger disc, click an installer icon, and, with the disc still in the drive, the computer automatically reboots into the Tiger installer. As with previous versions of Mac OS X, the installer offers three options: upgrade from a previous version of Mac OS X (this saves all your data and settings); erase and install if you want to eradicate all data on the computer's hard drive; or archive and install, which saves all of your system data to a special folder and puts a clean install of Tiger on your computer (you can copy all of your settings and data from that folder into the new system). After another reboot, Tiger presents a professionally produced welcoming video that leads you through an optional registration process, and then you're done. It's at this point that Tiger starts indexing all of the file data and metadata on your hard drive for later use in Spotlight searches. The whole process takes between 15 and 30 minutes, depending on the contents of your hard drive. If you're not only migrating to Mac Tiger OS but also moving to a new Mac, the Mac OS X Tiger Setup Assistant makes this task, thankfully, much easier than it was in the past. Simply connect the two Macs with a FireWire cable, and the Assistant will transfer all of your personal data, settings and files.
Features
Apple lists more than 200 new features for Tiger, but the list includes many items that aren't really that new, in our opinion. The truly notable changes fall into two distinct categories: user enhancements and technological changes. The former is what most users will notice, and with good reason. Spotlight, an embedded desktop search feature, indexes your entire hard drive for file data and metadata. This means that you can search for content, editing history, format, size and more -- and not just search text files but also images, calendar events, contacts, email, images and PDFs. An even more powerful feature enabled by Spotlight is Smart Folders. These are basically saved Spotlight searches; that is, you can create a folder that lists all of the elements on your computer that meet certain criteria, and this folder updates automatically whenever you make changes to the file system. For example, you can have a Smart Folder that shows all items related to Tiger, and when new email arrives that mentions Tiger, the Smart Folder displays a link to that email. Also new and prominent is Dashboard, a flashy interface accessed via hot key and populated by widgets, which are single-purpose mini-applications, such as a dictionary or a weather chart. Seizing Apple's command of desktop graphics, the widgets appear to fly onto the screen with the touch of a hot key, and then they fly off when you tap the key again or click elsewhere on-screen. Widgets can be useful for quick glances at utilities, but long-time Apple users will note that almost every element of this feature clashes with the standardised UI guidelines Apple so carefully built up over the years. Tiger also includes updated versions of iChat AV, which gains support for the Jabber instant-message protocol and expands iChat's videoconferencing and audioconferencing capabilities. QuickTime 7.0 gains the support for the H.264 video codec for high-definition video. However, current owners of QuickTime Pro licence keys will have to pay for the new version, which doesn't seem fair. Safari RSS adds a built-in Really Simple Syndication (RSS) reader to the Web browsing application. This one change makes Safari stand out in the field of Web browsers; that it works well and is elegantly implemented is icing on the cake. Safari RSS also gains a new JavaScript engine and renders pages much faster than the previous version. New is Automator, a standalone application targeted at software developers that offers visual scripting of almost any application and of the OS itself. To use it, you must have a grasp of how to manage a step-by-step process that lends itself to automation, but the drag-and-drop process offered by Automator will probably open up scripting to millions of new users. Even more powerful is the fact that these scripts, called Workflows, can be saved and shared, potentially opening up a new cottage industry. However, the market will be made up of only Tiger owners; Automator is not compatible with prior versions of Mac OS X. What's under the Mac Tiger OS surface, however, is potentially even more powerful. Tiger has been called by some a 'developer's release', and that's especially evident in two new central technologies: Core Image and Core Data. Core Image is a framework open to all developers; it gives all applications easy access to fast, OpenGL-based visual effects, such as sharpening, blurs and more. As a result, it could be easy to incorporate Photoshop-like capabilities in every shareware application. In addition, Core Image takes advantage of your computer's graphics card (if it is modern enough), serving to accelerate user interface effects. Core Data, another framework, allows developers to let the operating system manage data objects and models. This means that instead of every application requiring the developer to build a data model from scratch (and all applications need a data model), developers can have Core Data do the work for them and rapidly design and test applications for the Mac Tiger OS. Together, these developments, plus a similar Core Audio framework, can help deliver the promise of rapid application deployment on this and future versions of Mac OS X.
Performance
At this time, we are still benchmarking the latest version of Mac OS X Tiger. Check back soon to see how Tiger compares to the previous Panther version.
Service & support
With the purchase of Mac OS X Tiger, you get 90 days of free telephone support, which is standard for all Apple software products. Apple's technical support staff are well informed on most issues and have the advantage of being versed in your hardware in addition to your operating system. After the 90-day period, phone support is £35 per question. Mac Tiger OS is also covered under any existing support policy, known as AppleCare, that you may already have on your Mac. The standard duration for AppleCare is one year from the date of purchase, although extended warranties are available, and we recommend them. Tiger ships with an extensive built-in help system, which offers a thorough set of answers to questions; you can search using a keyword or natural-language query. The system is extensible, and developers of Mac applications usually include help functionality. However, the system doesn't always offer useful answers, and some areas seem to require an active Internet connection; when you're offline, some answers aren't available. If you are online, Apple's own Web site contains exhaustive message boards and Apple's own well-stocked knowledge base.
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Member reviews
Much better features than previous version, Much stable product than Windows or Linux hope more apps will support the OS X in the near future.
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8.50 out of 10Dashboard, Spotlight, what else could you want? No viruses? you got it!
- 9.00 out of 10
9.00 out of 10Mac OS was already the best OS on the market, and it just got better. In late 2006, when Windows users are first trying out Longhorn's new features, I'll look at them like, whats the big deal and casually mention I've been able to do all of that for over a year and a half. :)
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9.00 out of 10I think its amusing that the reviewer gave Tiger's performance a 7 even though the review says "we haven't run the benchmark tests yet... check back for Tiger's score on performance."
Kinda lame.
This new OS really rocks... though the features (such as spotlight) will need some fine tuning before they really shine.
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10.00 out of 10This is the best OS on the market!
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10.00 out of 10Awesome!
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8.00 out of 10Speed boost, spotlight, dashboard, XCode 2, what an amazing upgrade! Would be a great time to be a switcher too (and I would be now if I hadn't a few years ago)
- 10.00 out of 10
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10.00 out of 10Tiger met and then exceeded my expectations, as usual with any Apple product. System is faster, more responsive, and the new, included, and updated apps are more than useful, not to mention beautifully constructed.
- 10.00 out of 10
10.00 out of 10Okay for what you pay, you get an amazing OS. Dashboard alone brings such a new idea of computing and so many new possibilities to make using your computer easier.
- 9.50 out of 10
9.50 out of 10Apple has managed to make an operating system that is not only stable and secure, but is also genuinely fun to use.
If your computer is filled with years of data, Spotlight will uncover those great little files you forgot you had. What starts as a search for that file your friend emailed you last week may lead you to an hysterical forward you filed away last year.
Dashboard is not only useful, it is immensely entertaining. The simple act of generating a sticky note creates a breathtaking ripple that spreads across the screen. As my British friend exclaimed when he first saw Dashboard, it is "well-sexed-up."
Although I've only had it for 48 hours, it already qualifies as the best 130 bucks I've spent in ages.
- 10.00 out of 10
10.00 out of 10Huge potential in technical computing because of its UNIX underpinnings and the advanced services provided, such as CoreData. Sophisticated and yet child's play to use. Mac OS's are often criticized because of small market share (that's OK by me) and (falsely) the cost and performance of hardware. However, some benefits are long service life as a productive tool, ease of configuring and reliability. I personally use OS X and XP.
- 8.50 out of 10
8.50 out of 10Lots of features that sound good on paper--but then when you use them, you don't know how you ever lived with another OS. Like expose and colored file labels. And no viruses! Plus QuickTime 7 is great. You can even find Tiger on sale for under $100, pretty good for a brand-new product.
A great step up from Panther or Windows XP. Mail is especially better than Panther.
- 10.00 out of 10
10.00 out of 10Dashboard is more useful than one would think, Safari RSS is incredibly useful.
Speed increases are nice.
Spotlight is a bit slow on my comp but my comp is 5 years old!
- 8.00 out of 10
8.00 out of 10Much more stable than Panther, not that it was terribly unstable; great new features; love Dashboard; takes full advantage of every bit of the processor (pun intended).
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10.00 out of 10Whilst Longhorn is another 18 months away, Apple continue to deliver an outstanding operating system. Whilst this may not be as radical as previous years releases, you will find a lot of great stuff in this release - notably Spotlight (OS integrated searching - brill!), Dashboard/Widgets (the cool/show off bit!), and Automator (who needs scripting?). However, the subtle bit is that on my system this OS is faster than the previous - it's cleaner, smoother and just gets better and better! If you want to avoid viruses, service packs and continual re-boots, this is the OS for you. Some doubt it's value (£89), but to have an OS that let's you get on with life, this can't be beaten! Well done Apple and shame on you Microsoft!
- 9.50 out of 10
9.50 out of 10With built in core graphics and sound features, I can't wait to get the new Final Cut Studio to take advantage of them. I love Spotlight and Dashboard and I think the new Mail is excellent. A long overdue overhaul. Overall 9.9 out of 10 so far. I installed it on Friday night, so I have some more testing to do.
- 10.00 out of 10
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9.50 out of 10Put a Tiger in your Mac :)
The GUI speed increases + Spotlight and the other 'little' things make this a v. good upgrade.
- 10.00 out of 10
10.00 out of 10My first observation after booting into Tiger was a noticable increase in UI performance. Although I have not performed any benchmarks yet, many applications seem to be running with a bit more zest. I have not encountered any stability issues with any Apple or non-Apple applications such as Quark 6.5, Adobe CS1, MS Office, or font managment apps. So far I am very pleased, however, I will be keeping my fingers crossed and reading the Tiger forums daily over the next couple weeks.
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10.00 out of 10Made my iBook feel faster, the interface is far more fluid, Spotlight and the Dashboard grow more and more useful every day.
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10.00 out of 10Once it becomes second nature for me to call up the Dashboard and Spotlight like it did to use F-keys for Exposé, my life will be that much more efficient. Tiger's great!
- 8.50 out of 10
8.50 out of 10Excellent selection of speed tweaks and improved functionality, specifically in Mail, Safari, and the Spotlight search system is as good, if not better, than the pre-launch hype.
Quicktime 7 is most definately worth the Pro upgrade cost as well.
- 9.50 out of 10
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10.00 out of 10My only reeal gripe is my Maxtor external HD doesn't mount, on either of my Tiger installed machines. the widgets are great, I've actualy been able to quit using a few normal apps and if the good service continues I will delete them. Spotlight is cool, but feels almost intruceive as I do hide things on my computer (being a college student i don't want friends to access every thing if they need a quick use of the computer). Even though you can limit the search areas you limit it can be seen in a prefrence pannel (it would be nice if it could hide those untill password verified). The system seems so much faster (I have an original duel 2 ); I ran a few tests to see and on average it is 15-20% faster on video compresion, Photoshop comes in at 10% faster when hauling around decent sized files. General tasks seem much faster. The new iChat clears up all the nagging little things with AIM (occasionally AIM would be able to peg a processor indefinitely after certain animated buddy icons apeared).
- 8.00 out of 10
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9.50 out of 10The heat is generated by Mac enthusiasts rather than by the content. It seems that widgets and Spotlight are the best thing ever when inter-user security options and the over-reliance on unix knowledge at the low level remain unaddressed. If in doubt, check out forums that solve tech problems. They full of Unix commands which are gibberish to all but die-hard techies.
A welcome point release of an operating system but over-priced and over-hyped.
- 6.50 out of 10
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10.00 out of 10I've been working with Tiger betas for a couple of months now and I can tell this is one amazing OS... Even my old g4 450 is growling like a Tiger;)
- 9.00 out of 10
9.00 out of 10Added features are must have, plus performance, at least on my G5, seems to be much better than Panther.
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8.00 out of 10This is an awesome product (OS)! My dual G4 has never been so fast :) Everything is faster , UI , games , OpenGL ,etc. The best OS X version ever . (period)
I love the widgets , the new Safari and Spotlight ;)
- 10.00 out of 10
10.00 out of 10Soooo good
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10.00 out of 10NO VIRUSES, TROJANS,WORMS, SPYWARE
TONS OF FEATURES
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10.00 out of 10Another significant improvemnt in the evolution of a superb, powerful operating system.
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8.00 out of 10I'm running Tiger on a single 1.8 G5 with a gig of ram and a 9600XT 128mb graphics card. It feels like I bought a new computer. I just performed the Install with restoring my personal files. Total process, for 18 gigs of information, was 50 minutes including the install, and everything works fine. The UI is the largest improvement - warp speed Mr. Scott. Everything is fluid and smooth. While there are some things (video plays and stretches at the same time while you resize videos in DVD Player) are clearly just bells and whistles, it really shows the finesse the Apple engineers have when it comes to even just the details of the OS. They obviously know what they're doing.
- 9.00 out of 10
9.00 out of 10My PowerBook "1Ghz TI" runs smoothly and NEVER crashes. The upgrade was quick and easy.
This also runs circles around my Win XP Dell D600 that constantly crashes and routinely gets infections of spyware.
- 10.00 out of 10
10.00 out of 10Tiger includes numerous features, behind the scenes and in your face that make using Tiger the best computer experience you will ever have!
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10.00 out of 10Speed improvements new gadgets to play with and they can make you more productive to boot. This is the next generation today! I have not stopped fiddling with it.
- 9.50 out of 10
9.50 out of 10I'm a switcher...I did a clean install on one partition and an upgrade install on another on my new Powerbook 17".
Both worked flawlessly ! Wouldn't look back... Adios forever Windows ;)
- 10.00 out of 10
10.00 out of 10Apple's OS team has put in an amazing amount of work over the course of the past eighteen months, since the initial release of Panther, Tiger's predecessor. I am absolutely amazed at how advanced Tiger is: some of the most incredible features (arbitrarily extensible metadata in the file system) don't even get a mention in the mass media. Spotlight and Dashboard are great, but there is so much more here!
- 10.00 out of 10
10.00 out of 10Spotlight is the main highlight, breaking completely nerw ground: a revolution!Dashboard and Safari RSS offer neater solutions than others already on offer, and most other apps have been tweeked too: all are just evolutionary.
In summary, I feel that I'm paying for 1. Spotlight and 2. R&D for the next 2 years so Apple keeps the momentum of an excellent OS moving in the right direction.
- 8.50 out of 10
8.50 out of 10Another proof of the fact that the majority is mostly wrong!! the 5% reasonable members of the computer community enjoy the benefits of their loyalty to people who really know how to build computers. I just hope their inevitable transition into a larger market doesn't change the wonderful culture at Apple Land!!
My suggestion to the WinMisery gang...go to Apple's discussion boards and see the "knights of the order of St. Jobs" at work...
- 9.50 out of 10
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8.50 out of 10For a very smooth, polished, stable OS, this is it. It is hard to image what Longhorn will be like, but this blows Win XP out of the water. No Comparison. 5 stars
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9.50 out of 10Tiger is the best update to Mac OS X yet. I am glad I installed it on a Friday evening because if it was a Monday morning I would have gotten nothing done all week because I would have spent all my time playing with it.
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10.00 out of 10Runs faster than the previous OS on all 5 computers in my house, from an 800mHz G3 to a G5 PowerMac. The features all work as advertised and the install was up to Apple's usual standards.
- 10.00 out of 10
10.00 out of 10After using OS 10.4 you won't want to use a Windows machine again.
- 9.50 out of 10
9.50 out of 10I would compare Mac OS X 10.4 as a teenager in the OS world, compared to Windows, whose vitality is growing quite weak. While I feel that OS X has been a very viable OS since 10.2, it has enough unique features that distinguish it from all other OS on the market. Performing many tasks (such as printer and network configuration) has become even easier, and Spotlight makes finding things a breeze. It really changes he way you interact with your computer. However, I should mention that OS X's rich set of graphical implementation of new features in some ways appear more hacky than previous versions. For example, the buttons in Mail.app, the 'Menu Button' in the Print window, and the iChat group selection seems less elegant than what you would expect with Apple. Also, Spotlight does not seem to 'learn' what applications, folders, or documents you use most and give them extra precedence. I am confident that Apple will address these issues in their next release, which will probably see the light of day by the time Longhorn rolls out. In the meantime, I am very happy with Tiger, and it is definitely a big step up from 10.3, and blows the competition out of the water.
- 9.50 out of 10
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8.50 out of 10Tiger is an extremely good upgrade. Spotlight has already changed the way I use my computer, and it's extremely helpful when I need to find an obscure file because i have 164 gigs of data on my hard drives. Dashboard is something I've been waiting for for a very long time -- it's absolutely great. I can finally have quick access so I can do all the little tasks I constantly have to do. The features not advertised are also important. For example the new application "Grapher" is a very powerful graphing calculator that is not to be scoffed at. <any of the improvements are under the surface: they make Tiger fast and responsive. Definitely upgrade.
- 10.00 out of 10
10.00 out of 10Unbelievably smooth installation. he Apple Store even has a program to install it for you -- though it is hardly necessary. Great features. I have not encountered any bugs or problems yet. I love spotlight. Its going to be hard to go to work (and use Windows) on Monday.
- 10.00 out of 10
10.00 out of 10Tiger is a good upgrade, its not as going from Jaquar to Panther. Dashboard is excellent, as is Automater.
No problems so far.
- 8.50 out of 10
8.50 out of 10I've used the most recent versions of XP and many Linux variants and found OS X "Tiger" to be the most solid, productive, intuitive, connective, and useful system I have ever used.
- 10.00 out of 10
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10.00 out of 10Automator is of limited use. Would like a widget for bytes Kb Mb Gb Tb Spot light is impressive. No noticeable improvement in Open GL
- 8.00 out of 10
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8.00 out of 10Spotlight has already change the way I use my desktop. Way Cool! Dashboard Widgets are extremely useful. Automator finally allows me to easily automate things that were previously very difficult.
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9.50 out of 10Feels snappier. Spotlight and Mail 2.0 are very nice.
- 9.00 out of 10
9.00 out of 10Spotlight alone is worth the upgrade. Add the value of smart-folders on the desktop and in Mail, and Dashboard and you have one sleek, powerful cat. Its not just about beauty and eye-appeal, whats under the hood is powerful, reliable, and fast. Its easy to dismiss an upgrade as hype to grub money (the Microsoft way), this is neither hype or grubbing. Tiger delivers solid value and performance, even on a G3!
- 10.00 out of 10
10.00 out of 10It's the most beautiful, most feature-filled, most easy-to-use operating system Earth has ever seen! One small step for Apple, one giant leap for Mac Users!
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7.00 out of 10After using 10.3, I can say that 10.4 Tiger has actually made my system faster. There are less crashes from Safari (not terribly many before, but even less now on "trouble" web sites), booting up is faster, and the features - from RSS built into the browser, Dashboard, and especially Spotlight (which I'm using to organize my tons of reference documents) are all worth the price.
- 9.50 out of 10
9.50 out of 10Speed: did I mention fast?
Spotlight: very good, too bad it will only do start-up drive, however it did index my second partition!
All other tweaks: very appreciated, but not earthshocking
Dashboard: some programs should run outside of Dashboard also, because its a pain to have to activate Dashboard every time you want to check something...
- 9.50 out of 10
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10.00 out of 10The install took 20 minutes.
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10.00 out of 10Best and breathtaking interface I have ever seen. Makes Windows looks like its 10 yr old. No viruses and bugs!!! Doesn't crash! 11 and of 10!
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10.00 out of 10Tiger is a great revision to Mac OS X, however, it is not yet complete, so I would recommend that people looking to place it into production use wait until at least 10.4.1, which Apple requires to use the upcoming HD Production Suite.
- 8.50 out of 10
8.50 out of 10It simply is the best Operating System out at this time (vs XP and 10.3). Excellent implementation of functional enhancements and new features too.
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10.00 out of 10Having just purchased a Powerbook 15.2" about six weeks ago, I took the plunge and got Tiger on the day it was released.
Features details are everywhere, so I'm not going to repeat them here, but suffice it to say that after only 2 days of use, I can see myself migrating almost completely to the Mac within the next month. The OS just rocks!
- 10.00 out of 10
10.00 out of 10From development point of view, application projects carried forward seamlessly. Apple gets it right releasing every 12-18 months for a smooth upgrade path, contrast this to MS Windows where people must make a quantum leap... often requiring new hardware.
- 10.00 out of 10
10.00 out of 10Sure some day Micro$oft will develop a version of Windows with all these capabilities -- they promise something for 2006, we'll wait.
Something you didn't talk about is security -- how does it work in Tiger?, Good, bad, or what?...
- 9.50 out of 10
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8.50 out of 10I'm a Windows developer who bought a iBook about 5 weeks ago. Apart from no right mouse button :-( everyting rocks! It works, does not crash, does not slow down when you install more than a few programs and does everything is says on the box and more. Tiger is a joy to use and looks great. Old Mac users will complain it does not have the old boring and out of date GUI, but they can go live in the land of Retro and let the rest of us enjoy Steve Job's vision of ART.
- 10.00 out of 10
10.00 out of 10I use both a PC and a MAC for work and I am a MAC person. Apple was the first, then was copied and improved by Microsoft. Yet this has not stopped Apple from fighting back and now they have the upper hand. With the most advance OS there is. They have the best mp3 player, the iPod and junk box, iTunes which is also available on a PC as they could not compete. But with over 200 new features on Tiger I could write a book with such things as iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, Dashboard, Spotlight, etc... Plus the look and feel of the layout is pure guineas. Longhorn has a lot to live up to! The ironic thing is that most people are so brain washed with Microsoft PC that they don't even know what they are missing.
- 10.00 out of 10
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9.50 out of 10Apple is a innovating company, and Micro$oft is just a bunch of RIPOFFS. Longhorn is 18 months away, and by then, OS X will be years ahead of it.
- 10.00 out of 10
10.00 out of 10Why fix things if they haven't broken? Apple have made a huge mistake releasing Tiger so soon. I have just upgraded from the reliable Panther and to my surprise my adsl modem was not supported by Tiger. I then had to reinstall Panther just to get back online. Apple have made many Unix-based changes to the OS and many third-party hardware vendors have been caught out by Apple's haste to rush-release Tiger. it's best to wait until Apple releases a patch (10.4.1) scheduled for the end of May.
In spite of the hardware glitches there are a few good features. Spotlight is very good but it has problems searching partioned volumes, even when that volume is selected for searching. The Dashboard was pretty lame compared to the user screenshots Apple has been touting to users in the US.
Don't waste your money yet - wait until Tiger becomes compatible with many more devices.
- 5.50 out of 10
5.50 out of 10Three words that are often used to sum up Mac - "It Just Works". Panther always seemed to intuitively know what I wanted it to do. Tiger goes further, fills in the gaps that Panther missed, and is even easier to use.
It's faster, looks better, and the new features are icing on the cake.
Panther was already ten steps ahead of XP, Tiger's in another league.
-A Windows & Apple User-
- 9.50 out of 10
9.50 out of 10Hard to find a internet provider that support OS X tiger in London. When you find it's more expensive than if you had a pc and they are not sure if they can really support it. I regret already of buying it. Pity because I liked the design.
- 6.50 out of 10
6.50 out of 10This thing has more features than you can poke a stick at, but what do you care if it can tell you the weather on your desktop? Who cares if it can have a hula girl dancing on it. 10.3.x worked well. I understand the whole 64 bit power we now have, but most of it is being eaten up by usless tasks that do not aid my productivity. All of my software which ran well under 10.3.8 it buggy. Particularly Quark 6.5. But are there patches for either OS X or Quark. No.
- 5.00 out of 10
5.00 out of 10- 9.50 out of 10
9.50 out of 10Tiger is truly amazing operating system. However, I feel it was relased not complete and by 10.4.2 it is where it should be.
The true strength of the system is it's ability to integrate with hardware, other applications (iLife, MS Office, Adobe) and make all this user friendly.
- 9.00 out of 10
9.00 out of 10- 8.00 out of 10
8.00 out of 10I am one of those people who moved from a Wintel platform to the Mac and OS X. Compared to Windows XP, OS X is far more stable and intuitive. My biggest complaint is that the Finder (rough equivalent to the Windows Explorer) is still quite basic and in not nearly as good as the XP counterpart. However with the OS X spotlight searching, you find yourself using Finder less and less anyway but Apple still need to revamp it to make it better at moving files around.
- 9.50 out of 10
9.50 out of 10