Mac OS X 10.5 isnit due out until Friday, but that isnit stopping Apple from putting its sights on what comes next. The future of Mac OS X still has plenty of growing room, and CEO Steve Jobs expects to offer new operating system versions every 12 to 18 months using Leopard as the foundation, according to The New York Times.
"Iim quite pleased with the pace of new operating systems every 12 to 18 months for the foreseeable future. Weive put out major releases on the average of one a year, and itis given us the ability to polish and polish and improve and improve," Mr. Jobs said.
Appleis forward momentum isnit limited to itis operating system, or even its iPod line up. Mac sales appear to be strong as well, and according to analyst reports, the company is ready to move into third place behind Hewlett-Packard and Dell.
Mac OS X 10.5, or Leopard, will go on sale at 6PM local time on Friday, October 26. The launch is about a quarter behind schedule because the company temporarily shifted developers to the iPhone project. In comparison, Microsoftis Windows Vista shipped about five years late and was stripped of many of its promised features.