Mac OS X 10.1 Preview

Release Date

Mac OS X version 10.1 will be available in September. An upgrade CD will be available to current Mac OS X users through the Mac OS Up-to-Date program.

Preformance

• In Mac OS X version 10.1, Apple engineers deliver vastly improved performance. You'll experience these improvements at every level of the system. Menus are visibly faster to react, drawing quickly and smoothly.
• Most applications will launch two to three times faster in Mac OS X version 10.1, meaning they'll be ready for you before you're ready for them.
• Finder windows feel more responsive when you resize them, regardless of whether you're manipulating files in icon, list or column view.
• To get windows out of your way in a hurry, you can choose a Scale option instead of the cool genie effect. Available in Dock Preferences, Scale cuts down the time it takes to minimize an active window to the Dock.
• OpenGL is 20% faster in this release, with full native support for the superfast NVIDIA GeForce 3 card allowing applications to take maximum advantage of advanced 3D applications. All in all, you'll be able to get more done, more quickly and efficiently, with Mac OS X version 10.1.

Aqua

• Aqua is more than eye candy- it's how you interact with Mac OS X. Apple received lots of suggestions for improving this area of the operating system, and Apple engineers are hard at work implementing great ideas from power users like you.
• Currently with Mac OS X, long file names are shortened in the middle with an ellipsis. Mac OS X version 10.1 adds a couple of improvements to help you read long file names in the Finder. First, you can now resize columns so you can more easily see longer file names. Using the column thumb will resize all columns the same amount. Pressing the option key while moving the column thumb will resize only that column. Not only are columns resizable, but file names in icon view now wrap to a second line.
• File extensions help Mac OS X maintain full Internet compatiblity, but they also add a layer of complexity for long-time Mac users who prefer working without them. Now you have a choice- we've improved the experience by adding system preferences to turn off the display of these extenstions.
• For Apple customers who like to customize their folder icons, using column view can also be challenging when trying to determine whether a custom icon represents a file or a folder. Fortunately these users can now tell that an icon is a folder with a handy arrow that points to the next level.

• The Dock also satisfies another popular request. You can now choose to keep it on the right or left of the screen, as well as at the bottom. So your favorite shortcuts are available wherever you want them to be.
• System Preferences are now arranged logically by use, making it even easier to find the panel you need at a glance. You set your desktop picture from System Preferences in Mac OS X version 10.1, instead of from the Finder's preferences. Use one of the default pictures from the preinstalled selection, or choose your own picture. You can automatically preview all available pictures in any folder and select the one you want instantly.
• For Apple customers who like to customize their folder icons, using column view can also be challenging when trying to determine whether a custom icon represents a file or a folder. Fortunately these users can now tell that an icon is a folder with a handy arrow that points to the next level.

• With Dock extras, you could also access some system-wide preferences from the Dock. Rather than take up valuable Dock space, the Mac OS X version 10.1 menu bar now displays icons for battery life and AirPort signal strength, as well as controls for system audio, display settings and modem connection right next to the system clock. As with the clock, you can choose to show or hide these controls from the associated System Preference. And you can also change the clock to display with analog hands with the Date and Time Preference.

Digital Hub

• With version 10.1, Apple's next-generation operating system is ready to power your digital lifestyle. In May Apple added CD burning to iTunes in the second Mac OS X software update. With Mac OS X version 10.1 you'll be able to create your own data CDs using the CD burning capabilities built right into the Finder. If you create these CDs often, you can add a burn button to your Finder toolbar.
• The new DVD Player application is the best way to watch movies at 30,000 feet. Choose to watch them in a window or full screen. The sleek new controller lets you navigate your DVD's with ease, and you can choose to arrange its controls vertically or horizontally.
• The new iDVD 2, available only for Mac OS X version 10.1, advances the tools you need to author and record your own DVD-Video discs. The enhanced MPEG encoder in iDVD 2 and the Mac OS X architecture work together to provide background encoding and to accelerate the DVD recording process. That means you can keep working while your DVD is being prepared.

Printing

• Print Center now ships with over 200 PostScript printer description files such as those from Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark and Xerox. There is also improved support for most USB printers, with automatic selection of the driver for that particular printer.

Networking

• Mac OS X version 10.1 comes with the AirPort Admin Utility that lets you configure AirPort Base Stations in your vicinity, and with the AirPort Setup Assistant to get your wireless connection up and running.
• Networking is also more compatible: Mac OS X version 10.1 now includes the ability to connect to AFP servers over AppleTalk making it easier to integrate Mac OS X into legacy networks with older AppleShare servers and Windows NT servers. We've also added support to natively connect to Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Unix-based SAMBA file servers with the built-in SMB client. These servers appear right in the Finder like any other file server. This makes Mac OS X fluent in all of today's network languages.

• Your iDisk icon is now part of the default toolbar in the Finder, providing instant, one-click access to your documents, pictures, movies and website files.
• Using iDisk is easier by default, as well. Under Mac OS X version 10.1, iDisk uses the WebDAV protocol built into the operating system as part of its state-of-the-art Internet capabilities. WebDAV uses the same language as your web browser, which means it only connects to your iDisk when it needs to. No more server disconnect messages from your iDisk for not using it often enough. And because it uses standard web protocols, you'll be able to access your iDisk at school or the office, even from behind a firewall.

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