Some solution providers have reported that the pre-orders for Appleis Leopard are more than double for the same time prior to Tigeris release. They cite Leopardis new features and customer dissatisfaction with Vista as key drivers, according to ChannelWeb on Thursday.

"Weive probably doubled the backorders of Leopard, compared to what we did with Tiger," said Patrick Brown, CEO of Brown Computer Solutions, in Brattleboro, Vermont, a solution provider and Apple specialist. "With the Intel Macs, Apple has significantly increased the installed base. We do expect a very successful launch."

Chris gear, the marketing director for Macforce in Portland, Oregon concurred that poor reviews of Vista have created a strong sales environment. "More than anything, it has to do with the biggest growth coming from iswitchersi -- people switching from the Windows platform," Mr. Gear said. He also pointed out that since Appleis switch to Intel, many of his customers donit even have to worry about choosing between Mac OS X or Windows. However, the pent up demand for a new Mac OS has driven the market as well, he noted.

While some solution providers were having trouble ordering Leopard, an almost festive atmosphere has surrounded the launch. Mr. Gear is planning a launch party and will give away stuffed leopards.

Yukio Tezuka, an Apple specialist at MacSensei in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, said he would give away leopard-skin computer mice. "Many people are calling us," he said and reported strong interest by customers. However, he was also cautious. "When Tiger came out, there was a lot of code being re-written (afterward.)," Mr. Tezuka said. "Those are the kinds of things weire afraid of."