Apple Inc said on Tuesday the newest version of its Macintosh operating system will go on sale on October 26, finally hitting the market after a four-month delay due to the company's work on the iPhone.
The new operating system, which is called Leopard, is the sixth update to Apple's OS X software and will cost $129 (63 pounds) for a single user and $199 for a family pack, which can be installed on up to five computers in a single household.
New features include a file back-up feature called "Time Machine," improvements to e-mail and instant messaging, the ability to preview documents or files without launching a separate program, and quick access to other computers on a home or office network.
"This is going to be great for Mac momentum, which has already been strong for the past few year years. This is just one more thing on top of that," Apple's vice president of marketing, Phil Schiller, told Reuters in an interview.
In its fiscal third quarter that ended June 30, Apple sold nearly 1.8 million Mac computers, up 33 percent from a year earlier, a growth rate that is about triple that of the broader PC market.
Back in April, Apple delayed the release of Leopard to October from its original June target, citing the need to divert software development resources to the iPhone, which was launched in late June.
Apple shares rose 0.45 percent to $167.73 in morning trading on the Nasdaq, which was down 0.6 percent.
The company, which also makes the popular iPod digital media player, said its online store is now accepting pre-orders for Leopard. ( Reuters )