Apple OS X Snow Leopard review: first look

published 28 August 2009

Ironically, when in Expose I found myself looking to be able to shut down apps from that view, aka Windows 7 aero peek.

Other small touches abound such as the Airport feature that now shows the signal strength of each hotspot and when you eject USB disks from the Finder, it now tells you which app is hogging it, if it won't relinquish it in immediately.

In use, the OS does feel snappier and more responsive and the 9GB of hard disk spaced it freed up isn't to be sniffed at either. It also shut down in six seconds rather than eight, though the start up time to the login screen only improved by a second or so.

The overall impression is of a slick, nicely touched up OS that is worth the 25, including VAT upgrade fee, but we feel that greater things are still to come, once developers really get to grips with the underlying enhancements and deliver apps to match.

Verdict

A great OS upgrade, at an affordable price. The interface improvements are slick, while under the hood improvements should see further benefits further down the line as developers get to grips with them.

Processor: Intel based Mac

Memory: 1GB

Hard disk: 5GB disk space free

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Benny Har-Even is a twenty-year stalwart of technology journalism who is passionate about all areas of the industry, but telecoms and mobile and home entertainment are among his chief interests. He has written for many of the leading tech publications in the UK, such as PC Pro and Wired, and previously held the position of technology editor at ITPro before regularly contributing as a freelancer.

Known affectionately as a ‘geek’ to his friends, his passion has seen him land opportunities to speak about technology on BBC television broadcasts, as well as a number of speaking engagements at industry events.