OS X Snow Leopard Available Friday 8/28/2009

[The Computer Audiophile]

Just announced http://www.apple.com/

 

[cfmsp]

 

You can pre-order on the Apple site for delivery on Friday, the 28th.

 

If you've bought a Mac computer since June 8th, you can visit the Apple site for information on claiming your copy of Snow Leopard for the $9.95 handling charge, which is also good for pre-orders.

 

There does seem to be some confusion about the price. As I understand it, the cost will be $29 IF you've bought a Mac computer with Intel & Leopard (10.5) installed - which includes every computer since Oct 2007 - OR paid the $129 for a Leopard license.

 

If neither, i.e., you're trying to upgrade from Tiger to Snow Leopard, you have to pay the piper - basically in the price range of the Leopard cost PLUS the snow Leopard upgrade cost.

 

Only those with Intel processors need apply - Snow Leopard will NOT run on PowerPC processors, due to requiring chips that support 64-bit processing.

 

clay

 

 

[Ear]

That's good news. I am really curious what impact this upgrade will have on the audio quality of apple products.

 

[DanRubin]

Is there reason to think Snow Leopard will have any impact on the computer audio issues we care about around here? Or on Amarra?

 

I have also pre-ordered, but may put it on my work MacBook before I upgrade the music server, just to be safe. I think the whole idea of Snow Leopard -- shrinking the footprint, improving performance and readying for the future, with few new features -- is quite remarkable. And $29, $49 for the Family Pack!

 

[Audio_ELF]

SnowLeopard includes rewritten QuickTime and (I think) Core Audio components which may affect audio qualty. Only time will tell how it affects quality. Also general performance improvements may affect SQ.

 

Eloise

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

I was really hoping for 64-bit iTunes with Snow Leopard, but this isn't the case. No indication of a new iTunes version either (i.e. version 9).

 

[Audio_ELF]

Chris, there's been a few mentions of iTunes 9 on MacRumors and elsewhere I've notice - possibly a September keynote adress. Looks like they are more interested in social networking than improved SQ though.

 

[jtwrace]

Does anyone really think that Snow Leopard will impact the sound for the worse? Now I'm hesistant to pre-order and install and be unhappy....

 

Mac Mini > itunes > Amarra

 

[audiozorro]

that 24/192 digital output via the Mac toslink connection is possible under the Windows OS but not the Mac OS. And from what I have heard booting up into Windows on your Mac may solve one limit only to face others, like no eSATA external support under the Windows OS.

 

[cfmsp]

 

I certainly don't think it will make things worse, but I guess it's possible.

 

Speculation is that it will improve the sound, if, for example, CoreAudio functions (which are utilized by Quicktime & Itunes) are re-written to take advantage of the 64 bit architecture.

 

This speculation is based, at least in part, on some of the claims Sonic made with respect to Amarra sounding better, i.e., Jon Reichbach claimed better precision was used (e.g., 64 bit double precision floating point, as I recall) in Amarra algorithms, and that this was a reason for improved sound.

 

Different camps seem to think differently about the possible improvements of Snow Leoard vis-a-vis iTunes/Amarra Some feel that if CoreAudio does take advantage of 64 bit architecture, then the difference between Amarra and iTunes might diminish. This seems logical if Jon's statement (about increased precision in Amarra) is true.

 

A couple of strong, early Amarra supporters guffawed (on another forum) at this suggestion, claiming that if Snow Leopard increased the sound in iTunes it would be due to 'increased efficiency', and that therefore both iTunes AND Amarra would improve.

 

Perhaps we'll know more in a few days.

....or perhaps we'll be as confused as ever, as no doubt there will be conflicting opinions as to any 'improvements' being made (or not).

 

Whatever the case, we should have much more information within the week.

 

clay

 

 

 

[jtwrace]

Hmm. Guess I'll wait and see what the concensus (for the most part) is.

 

[DavidL]

If you are using an audio interface you will need to check that the necessary drivers have been updated. I'm going to wait until the dust settles and have evidence that my RME Fireface 400 will operate OK.

 

David

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Is this a worldwide release date?

 

Those of you in the UK may have an early jump on us over here in the States. For all I know you'll be posting updates before I get my hands on the disc :~)

 

[Abstraction]

and, if they did, they would not care. The high-rez music crowd is not a significant market. Even though Apples are the machines for the rest of us, the Macs are still fundamentally machines for secretaries--perhaps secretaries on Madison Avenue, rather than on Wall St (because the graphics and sound people use Macs).

 

The Itunes Store does not sell lossless files--to say nothing of hi-rez. Apple has no reason to put a lot of effort into satisfying our needs. This is okay. No matter what th next OS looks like, our place is out beyond it, on th edge, where all of the creativity takes place.

 

I just put an 80gb Intel SSD in my G5. Man, the best $330 I ever spent on an upgrade. I was up until 3 a.m. listening to music. But Intel doesn't care. Look to people in the community for the advances--like async USB DACs.

 

[Audio_ELF]

To give Apple their dues, I think they are very much selling to studios, etc. for music production (there are several DAW for MacOS only) and good audiophile usage is a byproduct of this...

 

Eloise

 

[Lars]

I hope Amarra works with Snow Leopard.

 

[DanRubin]

I assume Sonic Studio is part of the Apple developer program and has had beta releases of Snow Leopard for months.

 

[Abstraction]

However, we see the problem on this board. Most of the (unintentional) comedy derives from audiophiles trying to figure out Pro Audio. I wonder how many studios have installed SSDs for the sake of improving sound quality?

 

The audiophile tradition is still quite Luddite. For anyone over 40, vinyl and pure analog are the tests of sound (and there are a lot of younger people who have picked up on the excitement of looking for lps at garage sales).

 

Most audiophile discussions assume vinyl an tubes as the touchstone. I can only imagine Apple engineers saying, "So you want pops and cracks and tube noise?" (Don't get me wrong: I have a couple of thousand lps and some hundred 78s).

 

[jtwrace]

We'll find out if it works in two days....

 

 

Abstraction-

(I'm under 35 and LOVE vinyl and R2R)

 

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

I'm not so sure how niche Pro Audio is for Apple. Apple has some well publicized and used application for that market. Hence the new Logic Studio. In fact the Pro Audio market almost relies on Apple.

 

http://www.apple.com/logicstudio/

 

Audiophile market = niche for Apple, certainly.

 

Many in Pro Audio are asking about music servers now as well. You should have seen all the pro audio engineers at the Computer Audiophile Symposium in Berkeley.

 

[cfmsp]

 

"I assume Sonic Studio is part of the Apple developer program and has had beta releases of Snow Leopard for months."

 

I would assume the same.

 

As an example Metric Halo has indicated that their existing Firewire drivers will work with the 32-bit kernel unmodified, and also that they will have a release of new drivers that will work with the new 64-bit kernel on Friday.

 

 

clay

 

 

[Abstraction]

Graphic arts also is a Mac niche.

 

I work in a university, and you can walk around campus and get the picture: there are Macs in the Art Department and the Music Department, and PCs everywhere else. I don't have figures, but I'd guess those departments account for 1% of the classes.

 

Don't get me wrong. The PC makers certainly have far less interested in what we are doing here.

 

Of course, there are going to be audio engineers interested in audio. They are more likely to be interested in audio toys than civil engineers.

 

 

 

 

 

[audiozorro]

I don't know if Apple is catering to the likes of Reference Recordings, Chesky, 2L, Linn Records, etc. I consider these studios to be a part of Pro Audio and I don't consider them Luddites even though some of them have made some of the finest vinyl albums in the world.

 

I assume that there are audiophiles working at Apple in engineering and marketing but I don't know what influence they have. Apple clearly does not seem to be interested in distributing high rez music. The very need for Amarra only reinforces impressions of the lower sound qualities in iTunes.

 

Apple is clearly focused on the mass market as evidenced by the 100 million plus sales of iPods. I believe they may also be the leader is lossy download sales.

 

[Tog]

It would seem that most of the effort in Snow Leopard has gone into ensuring that the OS is as efficient and secure as possible rather than adding too many new gadgets or adding to the usual upgrade bloat that you get with most software. Indeed the post installation footprint is said to be far smaller - I will know more after I've installed my copies on Friday.

 

Apple products are not yet perfect but I would stick my small furry neck out some distance to say that in the world of IT I can't think of a single competitor that offers anything close in terms of quality and aesthetics. In terms of sound I doubt very much if many of us would be posting here had it not been for Itunes and the original Imac's ability to rip from CD. ..so lets not get too self righteous about Apple's lack of obsessive interest in audio. Very few musicians or pro studios use anything other than Macs and a whole generation of children are being nspired by Garageband and Logic Express.

 

If you want to hot rod itunes ... you have Ammara ... you have the Naim Dac .. and you have the Apple hardware that works with remarkable few tweaks. Oh and when you tire of audio... you have a computer that will last for years, support you in your work (only so long as you are as secretary apparently ..sigh) and still hold a good value three years later.

 

My HP work Laptop will be landfill in less that 6 months or sooner if it keeps on annoying me.

 

What did the Romans ever do for us?

 

 

yours, "thank you for the music", tog

 

 

[Audio_ELF]

Why have Apple stopped doing a black MacBook, just as Naim release a black DAC???

 

Okay not really a grumble.

 

I think the whole purpose of Snow Leopard is a stepping stone from Leopard which is backwards compatible, getting people used to Intel only releases. Thats why they are charging a (reasonable to me) $29.99 for it not the several hundred MS want for Windows 7.

 

For features see next release...

 

Eloise