蘋果將推出速度更快的新操作系統

　　Apple Inc.'s new operating system, dubbed Snow Leopard, is designed to mimic one of the big cat's prominent characteristics: speed.

　　Scheduled for release in September, Snow Leopard is expected to be the fastest operating system to date from the Cupertino, Calif., company. 

　　Macintosh computers running Snow Leopard will shut down as much as 75% faster than those running Leopard, the current Macintosh operating system, according to Apple's Web site. Computers running the software also will wake from the low-power sleep mode twice as fast as those running Leopard. The system is as much as 55% faster at joining wireless networks.

　　Snow Leopard's sprint to stores and the Internet will come as Apple positions its well-regarded operating system for a challenge to Microsoft Corp., which is preparing the latest version of its ubiquitous Windows operating system. That program, Windows 7, is getting strong reviews, though questions remain as to how quickly it will be adopted. Many viewed its predecessor, Windows Vista, as a miss with businesses and consumers.

　　Windows 7 is to be launched Oct. 22. 'We're hearing positive feedback from consumers, enterprises, reviewers and industry experts that confirms Windows 7 is on track to deliver what our customers have been asking for' in a new operating system, a Microsoft representative said. Operating systems control the key functions of computers.

　　Apple's Snow Leopard has about 100 major come-hither features or refinements. The operating system will push the boundaries of what can be done with track pads, the part of a laptop's console used to control the on-screen cursor. With Snow Leopard, any Macintosh notebook computer with multitouch track pads will support three- and four-finger gestures, as they are known in the computer industry.

　　Gestures include swiping three fingers together either left or right to advance through a series of downloaded Web pages. Four fingers swept upward on the track pad clean a crowded desktop.

　　Apple spokesmen declined to comment.

　　Snow Leopard isn't particularly pricey. It will cost $29 to upgrade a Mac to Snow Leopard from Leopard, and $49 for five computer upgrades within the same family. The software also will ship with every new Mac.

　　Because of the low price tag, Snow Leopard won't directly contribute much to Apple's top line. Apple is counting on Snow Leopard to entice people to buy more of its computers, especially its laptops.

　　Those machines have relatively large profit margins that have helped propel Apple's profit and stock price. The shares have risen 91% this year. The stock fell 1.1% to $162.83 on the Nasdaq Stock Market at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

　　Snow Leopard puts Apple in 'pole position' to capture market share for notebook computers, Collins Stewart analyst Ashok Kumar said in a recent note. The analyst has a 'buy' rating on the stock.

　　蘋果公司(Apple Inc.)名為Snow Leopard的新操作系統旨在延續這家巨頭最突出的特點之一：速度。

　　Snow Leopard預定9月推出，據信將會是蘋果迄今推出的速度最快的操作系統。

　　蘋果網站上說，運行Snow Leopard系統的Macintosh電腦關機速度比運行現有操作系統Leopard的電腦快75%。運行該系統的電腦從低耗能的睡眠模式啟動的速度是運行Leopard的兩倍。連接無線網絡的速度最多快55%。

　　蘋果趕著推出Snow Leopard并在網上發布,這給正準備推出其普及率極高的Windows操作系統最新版的微軟(Microsoft Corp.)帶來了挑戰。微軟的Windows 7操作系統獲得了好評，但對于人們能多快接受它還存在疑問。許多人認為Windows 7的前身Windows Vista對于企業和消費者來說都是個失敗之作。

　　Windows 7將于10月22日發布。微軟的一名代表說，客戶、企業、評測人士和業內專家都給出了正面反饋，證明了Windows 7將會達到客戶一直以來對新操作系統的要求。操作系統控制著電腦最重要的一些功能。

　　蘋果的Snow Leopard有大約100項主要的誘人功能或精妙設計。該操作系統將會擴展觸控板的功能，觸控板即筆記本電腦控制臺用于控制桌面指針的元件。安裝了Snow Leopard系統后，帶有多重觸控板的Macintosh筆記本電腦將會支持多點觸控。

　　可用的觸控手勢包括，同時用三個手指向左或向右挪動可以瀏覽一系列已下載的網頁。四個手指在觸控板上向上拖拽可以清理過于擁擠的桌面。

　　蘋果發言人拒絕置評。

　　Snow Leopard不算特別昂貴。Mac電腦從Leopard升級到Snow Leopard只需29美元，5組授權的家庭裝僅為49美元。新出廠的Mac電腦也會預裝Snow Leopard.

　　由于Snow Leopard價格較低，因而不會直接為蘋果的利潤做出太大貢獻。蘋果希望Snow Leopard能吸引人們購買其生產的電腦，尤其是筆記本電腦。

　　蘋果電腦的利潤率相對較高，幫助提振了蘋果的利潤和股價。蘋果股票今年已上漲91%。該股周二在納斯達克市場跌1.1%，至162.83美元。

　　Collins Stewart分析師庫馬爾(Ashok Kumar)在最近的一份報告中說，Snow Leopard令蘋果處于有利地位，可以搶奪筆記本電腦的市場份額。他給蘋果股票的評級為“買進”。