Jobs: We Also Make Computers

Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs kicked off the company's World Wide Developer Conference with a not-so-subtle reminder that despite the success of the ubiquitous iPod and the hotly anticipated launch of its iPhone, the company still has strong roots in its computer products.

The computer maker also announced it is making its Safari Web browser available for users of Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) operating system. The company released a public beta version of Safari 3.0 that runs on Windows XP and Windows Vista, in addition Mac OS X Tiger.

The new Safari browser would be twice as fast as Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Jobs said.

The Expanding OS

Jobs opened the event by providing a final look at Mac OS X 10.5, code-named "Leopard," before the new operating system ships in October, and detailed some of its 300 new features.

"Let's move on to our big cats," Jobs told the crowd at the conference in San Francisco, referring to the company's roster of Mac operating systems named after the four big cats of the wild.

Jobs touted the continued growth of the OS, which claims 22 million active Mac OS X users, with two-thirds (15 million) of those running the Tiger OS, and 22 percent running Panther. Ten percent (2 million) are running older systems.

"We think Leopard is going to set an even higher bar," said Jobs.

New Features

Raising that bar includes adding such features as a new desktop with a translucent menu bar and a Mac OS X dock with a 3-D look, according to Jobs.

In addition, the Stacks feature will allow users to group documents or applications in the dock, with a default stack listing the latest downloads. The document automatically appears at the front of the stack.

"Apple is more focused on providing technologically advanced products and services to the end user -- be it the iPod, iPhone or the Mac -- rather than being just classified as a computer company," Zippy Aima, an analyst with Frost & Sullivan, told MacNewsWorld. "This is evident from the fact the company has been announcing newer versions and upgrades of its products on a continual basis."

Browsing Other Macs

Among the other upgrades is Finder. Its new design includes compatibility with Windows Explorer running on Apple operating systems. The Finder update makes it easier to browse other Macs -- even if they are not on the same network -- by using the feature Back to My Mac.

Of all the additions and upgrades to the upcoming OS, the new Finder function may generate the most excitement, said Bryan Chaffin, an editor with the Mac Observer who provided live blog coverage of the speech.

"This is some significant technology that may initially be overlooked by users not realizing how cool it may be," Chaffin told MacNewsWorld.

Apple's Coverflow technology is also included for quickly browsing documents in a folder.

Other Bells and Whistles

Leopard also includes three new technologies that take advantage of the latest developments in processor hardware, including full native 64-bit support to enable applications to utilize 64-bit processing while still running side by side with existing 32-bit Mac OS X applications and drivers.

A new easy multi-core optimization and scheduling program optimizes the latest Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) hardware; and Core Animation helps developers easily create animated user experiences as amazing as Leopard's Spaces and Time Machine in their own applications.

Another feature on display was Boot Camp, which has been built into the operating system and natively supports both Windows XP and Vista. Dashboard has also been updated with the ability to make part or all of a Web page into a widget.

Here Comes the iPhone

Jobs also announced that Apple has come up with a new solution for allowing developers to make apps for the iPhone while keeping the device secure.

The development environment will be based on Safari Web 2.0 and Ajax apps, according to Jobs.

"They'll be able to make calls, send e-mails, etc. Instant distribution -- just put them on your Internet server," said Jobs.

"Ajax has seen more penetration in the enterprise world versus the mobile; however, developing applications based on the two would mean a better Web experience for users," said Aima. "It would mean improved functionality as far as online services in a mobile phone are concerned."

However, enthusiasts had been hoping that Apple would deliver a third-party software developer kit for its upcoming device, said Aima.

The iPhone will hit store shelves on June 29.