In the coming month, Apple is set to launch a substantial update for its Mac OS X operating system. This upgrade, priced at a reasonable $29 from the existing Leopard OS X 10.5, promises a range of new features. But what exactly justifies the cost?

Personally, I’m hesitant to upgrade operating systems beyond the minor updates that are provided automatically for free. Major upgrades often come at a cost and while they typically offer enhanced functionality, they also demand more processing power and memory. Without sufficient resources, your computer’s performance can slow down significantly.

This was the downfall of Microsoft’s Vista, as most computers at the time lacked the capacity to run it smoothly. Will Snow Leopard meet the same fate? Usually, when a major upgrade is released, it’s also an opportune time to invest in a new computer with the latest OS pre-installed. However, having recently purchased a new iMac, I’m reluctant for it to become outdated so soon. So, what’s the best course of action?

Let’s examine what Apple’s Snow Leopard release offers. The company claims it enhances your Mac’s speed, reliability, and user-friendliness. This claim seems to contradict the typical pattern of operating system upgrades, which historically tend to slow down performance, introduce new bugs, and increase overall complexity. Can Apple truly deliver on these promises?

It appears so. Apple asserts that Snow Leopard boasts faster wake-up and shut-down times, as well as quicker network connectivity. They claim the wake-up speed is twice as fast, while icon refresh in Finder is reportedly 1.4 to 1.7 times faster. Additionally, Time Machine backups are expected to be 50% faster, and upgrades themselves will be up to 45% faster.

This speed improvement might seem to necessitate a much larger installation size, but that’s not the case. Snow Leopard actually occupies less than half the disk space of its predecessor, freeing up an estimated 6 GB on your hard drive.

Admittedly, my iMac is already incredibly fast compared to my previous Compaq computer, so the faster browsing speed and wake-up time may not be immediately noticeable. However, anticipating the arrival of new, demanding applications, it’s beneficial to have extra capacity to accommodate future software.

One noteworthy improvement is the enhanced iChat. Although I haven’t explored video chatting extensively yet, it seems to be gaining traction as both a social networking trend and a potential business tool. Previously, achieving the best video chat resolution required 900 Kbps upload bandwidth, which strained my cable broadband connection. Most ISPs emphasize download speeds while remaining tight-lipped about upload speeds, as the need for high upload bandwidth often goes unnoticed until users start sharing high-resolution content or engaging in activities like video chatting. Snow Leopard addresses this by reducing the upstream requirement to 300 Kbps for high-resolution 640x480 pixel video chats and improving overall connectivity.

There are additional enhancements as well. Apple’s media player, QuickTime, has been upgraded to include simplified uploading to YouTube and MobileMe. For those unfamiliar with MobileMe, it functions as a personal cloud storage solution for Mac users, offering file storage and sharing, website hosting, photo and video sharing, and other features.

So, is this Apple operating system upgrade worth the $29 price tag? It certainly appears to be a bargain. The unusually low price suggests that Apple is eager to establish Snow Leopard as the primary platform for its future innovations. Furthermore, if you purchased your Mac after June 8, 2009, you’re eligible for an even lower upgrade price of $9.95. However, users with pre-Leopard Macs will require a Mac Box Set upgrade, which is relatively expensive at $169. For those users, investing in a new computer might be the more sensible choice.