Ihnatko: 'Apple Shatters Windows with Tiger'

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Andy Ihnatko, who also writes for The Mac Observer, has published his latest column, in which he reviews Mac OS X v10.4 "Tiger" for a mainstream audience. A user of the new operating system for the past four months as part of his work for an upcoming book, Ihnatko says its Spotlight search feature is so revolutionary that "youill imagine a future visit to Colonial Williamsburg where you can watch re-enactors churn butter, make candles and manually manage their files."

While many reviewers have noted the similarity between Spotlight and Google Desktop Search, Ihnatko notes that the former "is more than a search utility because itis actually a system-wide resource ... If software developers begin to understand what this new resource can do for their own apps, Spotlight could become the most transformative thing to happen to desktops since the drop-down menu." Specifically, he says that Tigeris new Smart Folders, which dynamically update according to specific search criteria, are a revelation.

You can read more, including what he thinks of Tigeris other 199 new features, on the Chicago Sun-Times Web site.