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Like many Apple products, Mac OS X is a bizarre combination of genius and insanity. It isn't simply an upgrade for the current Mac OS 9. Instead, it's an entirely new operating system that attempts to combine the technical sophistication of Unix with an easy-to-use graphical interface.
Let's get the insanity out of the way first. Any new operating system tends to struggle while it waits for drivers for third-party devices such as printers and digital cameras. Apple has sensibly included standard USB drivers that will work with many add-on peripherals.
However, it has failed to include drivers for its own CD-RW and DVD drives, which are already installed in millions of existing PowerMac and iMac models. Apple has said that it will release an update that adds CD-RW and DVD movie playback capabilities to OS X in the near future, but this omission may well deter even some of Apple's most faithful Mac fans from rushing out and upgrading.
To be fair, this initial release is still very much a work in progress and is intended as a taster, so that Mac users and software developers can familiarise themselves with the new software - and, in particular, its new interface. Hundreds of software companies, including Microsoft, are working on new software, although most of this won't appear until the end of the year.
In the meantime, you can still run most existing Mac software on OS X by using what Apple calls the 'Classic' environment. Apple includes a complete copy of OS 9.1 along with OS X, and this can run within OS X almost like an application itself.
Hey, good looking...
Although OS X is based on Unix, Apple has managed to give its new operating system a truly impressive graphical interface. It's gorgeous to look at - bright and colourful, with smoothly anti-aliased text and delightful animated icons.
The interface revolves around two key elements, the Finder and the Dock.
Many Mac users will find the Finder some controversial, for, in some ways, it bears more of a resemblance to Windows Explorer than to the Finder used in previous versions of the Mac OS. To speed things up, the Finder also has a customisable toolbar that allows you to add an 'alias' - similar to a Windows 'shortcut' - for instant access to files and folders.
Sitting on the Dock of the screen
The other way of getting at files in OS X is via the Dock. This is rather like a souped-up version of the Taskbar that runs along the bottom of the screen in Windows. Any document or application that you like to use regularly can be placed in the Dock area at the bottom of the screen and opened with a simple click of the mouse.
One really nice feature is the way documents are stored in the Dock when they're not being used. This is the equivalent of 'minimising' a document in Windows, but instead of simply displaying a little icon at the bottom of the screen, OS X creates a slick animated effect in which the document window 'pours' itself into the Dock.
And when you reopen the document, a similar effect causes it to zoom back onto the screen. It's quite mesmerising to watch, and almost worth buying the software just to see this one feature.
The future's bright, the future's X
It's a little disappointing, though, to see that Apple is charging almost £100 for an operating system that still isn't finished. However, there's no doubt that OS X does have great potential. And, for many Mac users, it will be useful to have a few months to get used to OS X before switching over to it permanently.
It needs a few months to smooth out its rough edges, but OS X looks like it has a promising future.
Contact
Apple: 0800 039 1010 www.apple.com/ukstore
See also:
Apple's 'real' update to its operating system looks superb and is very easy to use. 28 Jan 2002
All Operating Systems
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