Apple Announces August 28th Availability of Snow Leopard

[THX1139]

So, based on all of the posts and articles I've read, I gather that the ONLY reason to boot (at this time) into 64 bit is to access more system memory? The caveat to that is that there are not many drivers that are written as 64 bit, so some 3rd party devices won't work (until they update them) while in 64 bit mode. Right?

If that's the case, then why are so many people clamoring to get into 64 bit kernel if Snow Leopard allows applications to run in both 32 and 64 bit? It seems the only advantage of booting to 64 is the extra memory space of 64 bit, but you have to have the ram to make it worthwhile. Am I overlooking something?

I have a 2006 Mac Pro that will run 64 bit, but it is not officially supported to boot into 64 bit (due to the 32 bit efi). What are the advantages to installing Snow Leopard on this machine? Will I be able to run 64 bit apps on this Mac Pro even though it is booted into 32 bit? If I run Final Cut Studio, will I have access to more than 4GB of ram if I use Snow Leopard? Or will I have to force it into 64 bit (with a hack) in order to enable FCS to use more ram? I currently have 6GB of ram and have had little reason to go with more ram due to the 32 bit limitation of previous operating systems. If Snow Leopard is going to allow more ram usage, then I'll buy more ram just to squeeze more power out of this machine.

Anyway, I would like to install Snow Leopard on my 2006 Mac Pro, but only if it will benefit from a speed increase - especially if I see a speed increase with my render times in Final Cut. Anyone know for sure if Snow Leopard is going to help my machine or not? Thanks!

 

[Steve J.]

throughout the day i've been trying to determine if those of us who have ordered Up To Date SL will receive our disks with the rest of the SL ppl. I spoke to 2 different Apple CSR's and got 2 separate answers. As of this evening my shipping date has been modified from 'September' to the following:
Jul 6, 2009 at 07:27 AM PDT - Order number W47008318
View order details Not yet shipped
Product
MAC OS X 10.6 SNOW LEOPARD FULLFIL-INT
Qty. 1

Ships: By August 28th
This is for the UP TO DATE orders!

Mine just changed to "By August 28th" too. But I'm still going to trust the Apple Reps and assume that I will get my copy on Friday. I got my UTD copy of Leopard on launch day. I'm going to assume the same thing for Snow Leopard

 

[gdhnz]

Time to throw a spanner in the works...

Is the 28th shipping/arrival date local time or Cupertino time?

Maybe I can get it a day earlier from those on the other side of the world.

 

[r.j.s]

Mine just changed to "By August 28th" too. But I'm still going to trust the Apple Reps and assume that I will get my copy on Friday. I got my UTD copy of Leopard on launch day. I'm going to assume the same thing for Snow Leopard

IIRC, there were a lot of people that didn't get their UTD copy of Leopard on release day, though. Since there have been conflicting reports on when UTD orders will arrive, I'd advise against stating that people WILL get it on Friday as fact.

 

[Steve J.]

Time to throw a spanner in the works...

Is the 28th shipping/arrival date local time or Cupertino time?

Maybe I can get it a day earlier from those on the other side of the world.

Now that would be very cool (for you). But I'm thinking its August 28th, Cupertino time. Apple would never let you buy your copy before Steve Jobs could buy his copy (not that he would actually go to an Apple Store and buy one. This was just a comical example)

 

[ziggyonice]

Because I know I'm not the only one...

Yes, the Snow Leopard disc is upgrade only. Meaning that, if you get a new hard drive for your Mac, and want Snow Leopard on it, you have to install Leopard first and then install Snow Leopard.

The only alternative is with the Mac Box Set. The disc in the set allows for clean installs -- meaning you can jump right into Snow Leopard.

[source: Apple sales]

 

[HLdan]

throughout the day i've been trying to determine if those of us who have ordered Up To Date SL will receive our disks with the rest of the SL ppl. I spoke to 2 different Apple CSR's and got 2 separate answers. As of this evening my shipping date has been modified from 'September' to the following:
Jul 6, 2009 at 07:27 AM PDT - Order number W47008318
View order details Not yet shipped
Product
MAC OS X 10.6 SNOW LEOPARD FULLFIL-INT
Qty. 1

Ships: By August 28th
This is for the UP TO DATE orders!

Thanks for that. I checked mine and it's been updated too. But I'm still not convinced that we will get it ON Friday. As I mentioned earlier, "Ships by" and "Delivers on" are two different things.

 

[appleguy123]

Build number on the final GM release is?

By the way I had the most brain dead customer service woman online from apple... Her name is Yolanda, trust me she can't distinguish her elbow from her ******.

That or she actually don't know English.

Top quality customer service seems to be failing at Apple online conversations.

Oh yes that woman is so odd.

 

[Steve J.]

IIRC, there were a lot of people that didn't get their UTD copy of Leopard on release day, though. Since there have been conflicting reports on when UTD orders will arrive, I'd advise against stating that people WILL get it on Friday as fact.

While I do see your point, I'm just relaying the information that I was given by 2 different Apple Online Store reps. There will always be those people who don't get their orders on time, I think the majority will get their on Friday, especially since this is what Apple is promising. But it is always a good idea to keep your expectations in check, because delays do happen.

 

[Chundles]

So, based on all of the posts and articles I've read, I gather that the ONLY reason to boot (at this time) into 64 bit is to access more system memory? The caveat to that is that there are not many drivers that are written as 64 bit, so some 3rd party devices won't work (until they update them) while in 64 bit mode. Right?

If that's the case, then why are so many people clamoring to get into 64 bit kernel if Snow Leopard allows applications to run in both 32 and 64 bit? It seems the only advantage of booting to 64 is the extra memory space of 64 bit, but you have to have the ram to make it worthwhile. Am I overlooking something?

I have a 2006 Mac Pro that will run 64 bit, but it is not officially supported to boot into 64 bit (due to the 32 bit efi). What are the advantages to installing Snow Leopard on this machine? Will I be able to run 64 bit apps on this Mac Pro even though it is booted into 32 bit? If I run Final Cut Studio, will I have access to more than 4GB of ram if I use Snow Leopard? Or will I have to force it into 64 bit (with a hack) in order to enable FCS to use more ram? I currently have 6GB of ram and have had little reason to go with more ram due to the 32 bit limitation of previous operating systems. If Snow Leopard is going to allow more ram usage, then I'll buy more ram just to squeeze more power out of this machine.

Anyway, I would like to install Snow Leopard on my 2006 Mac Pro, but only if it will benefit from a speed increase - especially if I see a speed increase with my render times in Final Cut. Anyone know for sure if Snow Leopard is going to help my machine or not? Thanks!

64 bit apps will run in 64 bit regardless of the underlying kernel.

Read this:

Macworld 64 bit Article

 

[gdhnz]

Now that would be very cool (for you). But I'm thinking its August 28th, Cupertino time. Apple would never let you buy your copy before Steve Jobs could buy his copy (not that he would actually go to an Apple Store and buy one. This was just a comical example)

Interestingly, the online NZ Apple Store has Estimated Ship: By August 28th.

I'm waiting on a local contact to let me know if I can grab it Friday or I have to pop back on Saturday.

 

[ItsGavinC]

I hate to break your little bubble world you live in but honestly I don't think people are spending 20 more for a box that says "family pack" on it and a "license for up to 5 computers". There's no serial key. You can install the "single user" disc on infinitely many computers. EULAs have never been tested in court and it's highly likely that you will not get in any sort of trouble for installing the single user disc on multiple machines unless by trouble you mean getting chewed out by high-horse riding mac users on this site.

I will buy the single user disc and install it on whatever the hell I want, thanks.

I bought the family pack. I hate to break your bubble world, but I'm sure there are many people that take advantage of that offer. I'm installing it on 2 machines. My father will be installing it on one machine.

You can bitch and moan about EULAs all day long, but it doesn't matter to me. Rationalize it how you want. Apple has asked that you spend $49 to install it on more than one machine.

 

[percival504]

I think you are probably the rare user who would see a real improvement.

So, based on all of the posts and articles I've read, I gather that the ONLY reason to boot (at this time) into 64 bit is to access more system memory? The caveat to that is that there are not many drivers that are written as 64 bit, so some 3rd party devices won't work (until they update them) while in 64 bit mode. Right?

If that's the case, then why are so many people clamoring to get into 64 bit kernel if Snow Leopard allows applications to run in both 32 and 64 bit? It seems the only advantage of booting to 64 is the extra memory space of 64 bit, but you have to have the ram to make it worthwhile. Am I overlooking something?

I have a 2006 Mac Pro that will run 64 bit, but it is not officially supported to boot into 64 bit (due to the 32 bit efi). What are the advantages to installing Snow Leopard on this machine? Will I be able to run 64 bit apps on this Mac Pro even though it is booted into 32 bit? If I run Final Cut Studio, will I have access to more than 4GB of ram if I use Snow Leopard? Or will I have to force it into 64 bit (with a hack) in order to enable FCS to use more ram? I currently have 6GB of ram and have had little reason to go with more ram due to the 32 bit limitation of previous operating systems. If Snow Leopard is going to allow more ram usage, then I'll buy more ram just to squeeze more power out of this machine.

Anyway, I would like to install Snow Leopard on my 2006 Mac Pro, but only if it will benefit from a speed increase - especially if I see a speed increase with my render times in Final Cut. Anyone know for sure if Snow Leopard is going to help my machine or not? Thanks!

I'm not an expert, but I believe the kind of work you're doing (e.g., rendering) is intensive enough to benefit from the speed (if not RAM availability) of 64-bit mode. I could be wrong in my understanding of this though.

 

[bc008]

The snow leopard release date really snuck up on me. I am going to invest some money into my laptop in a couple months. What do you think would provide the most upgrades in power for the money: 4GB of RAM or snow leopard?

 

[gdhnz]

I bought the family pack. I hate to break your bubble world, but I'm sure there are many people that take advantage of that offer. I'm installing it on 2 machines. My father will be installing it on one machine.

Your father lives in the same house as you? From memory, the EULA for the family pack is for up to 5 machines under the same roof.

 

[Steve J.]

Interestingly, the online NZ Apple Store has Estimated Ship: By August 28th.

I'm waiting on a local contact to let me know if I can grab it Friday or I have to pop back on Saturday.

Do let us know once you get your question answered. I'd be very interested to know

 

[Krafty]

What do you mean 'you people'?
View attachment 190060

touché

 

[r.j.s]

The snow leopard release date really snuck up on me. I am going to invest some money into my laptop in a couple months. What do you think would provide the most upgrades in power for the money: 4GB of RAM or snow leopard?

You should start a new thread on this ... no one here knows what machine you have.

 

[brad.c]

I hate to break your little bubble world you live in but honestly I don't think people are spending 20 more for a box that says "family pack" on it and a "license for up to 5 computers". There's no serial key. You can install the "single user" disc on infinitely many computers. EULAs have never been tested in court and it's highly likely that you will not get in any sort of trouble for installing the single user disc on multiple machines unless by trouble you mean getting chewed out by high-horse riding mac users on this site.

I will buy the single user disc and install it on whatever the hell I want, thanks.

I love bubble wrap.

throughout the day i've been trying to determine if those of us who have ordered Up To Date SL will receive our disks with the rest of the SL ppl. I spoke to 2 different Apple CSR's and got 2 separate answers. As of this evening my shipping date has been modified from 'September' to the following:
Jul 6, 2009 at 07:27 AM PDT - Order number W47008318
View order details Not yet shipped
Product
MAC OS X 10.6 SNOW LEOPARD FULLFIL-INT
Qty. 1

Ships: By August 28th
This is for the UP TO DATE orders!

I just checked my Family Pack order, placed this morning, and the order status has now changed from "Not yet shipped" to "Prepared for Shipment", but the shipping date is still listed as "Ships: By August 28th".

Not quite as exciting as following NORADs Santa Sleigh tracker, but it's something to do.

 

[bc008]

You should start a new thread on this ... no one here knows what machine you have.

good thinking. Its in the buying tips section.

Wasn't SL supposed to be released in September? Kudos for apple getting it out that much sooner.

 

[AidenShaw]

It's also pretty annoying when you have to put in an activation code and then activate your OS copy, which is something Apple DOESN'T make you do. Sheesh no matter which way you have to install SL it's much easier and more convenient than Windows.

It's that difficult to type in 16 characters?

Quick question: Is there any benefit in booting the 64 bit kernel on a machine that is 64 bit capable, but not supported by default liuke a late 2009 MBP (13")?

Better performance, and better security.

I thought the Core 2 Duos were all 64 bit capable.

They are 64-bit capable - if you install Windows 7 x64 or Vista x64. With OSX 10.6, some of the systems will refuse to boot the x64 kernel.

according to apple, 64 bit improves application speed by 1-1.5x. The 64bit kernels will likely help the boot process and the speed of some under-the-hood processes but NOT help any applications that apple ships 64bit with SL.

On the contrary, running a 64-bit application on a 32-bit kernel requires significant overhead on every transition from userland to kernel, and kernel to userland.

It's still weird that they advertize the 64 bit kernel so much if it's only relevant for XServes.

They aren't specifically advertising the 64 bit kernel. They're advertising a 64 bit OS. Almost everything they've done on top of the kernel is 64 bit. You can run a 32 bit kernel and still take advantage of 64 bit apps etc.

Except at lower performance, and missing some security enhancements.

Going 64 bit now will break a lot of kernel extensions and degrade peoples experiences and will generate a lot of bad press for Apple.

You mean, it will make people realize that Apple's 64-bit support has exactly the same tradeoffs that they've been saying is bad about x64 Windows?

When Apple copies the Windows x64 implementation, it seems that Apple gets the good with the not so good.

 

[gdhnz]

When Apple copies the Windows x64 implementation, it seems that Apple gets the good with the not so good.

Windows i386 and x84_64 are installed together on the same disk and it's a simple matter of changing a preference to flick between the 2 kernels?

64 bit apps work on Windows with a 32 bit kernel?

I never knew.

 

[MarkCooz]

what do guys think the actual build number for this?

i'm on 10a432 and should this be 10a435?

 

[Wie Gehts]

got email from macmall for all the SL packages...for 28th delivery

 

[r.j.s]

what do guys think the actual build number for this?

i'm on 10a432 and should this be 10a435?

We'll find out Friday.