October 25, 2003: Mac OS X Panther arrives on Macintosh computer systems, bringing a number of helpful new options and making Safari Apple’s default internet browser for the primary time.
The brand new Exposé characteristic in OS X Panther lets Mac customers immediately view all open home windows without delay. And the brand new iChat AV permits individuals to speak with audio and video in addition to textual content.
Mac OS X Panther: A minor enchancment
“Panther units the brand new gold commonplace for working programs,” stated Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a press launch saying Mac OS X model 10.3 earlier within the month. “With greater than 150 new options, we’re delivering improvements right now that won’t be seen in some other working system for years to come back.”
Panther, which adopted Mac OS X Jaguar (and preceded Mac OS X Tiger), wasn’t fairly the key “will need to have” replace that Jaguar had been. However I actually discovered Panther to be excellent, significantly with the addition of Exposé. (Exposé, Dashboard and Areas all bought rolled into Mission Management in 2011’s Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.) Better Home windows compatibility additionally made it simpler than ever to work between Macs and PCs.
So far as Safari went, Apple beforehand included the browser as an replace for Jaguar. Nevertheless, Panther marked the primary time Safari arrived because the default possibility on a brand new OS.
Why did it take so lengthy for Apple to default to its personal internet browser? When Microsoft bailed out Cupertino in 1997, the deal mandated that Apple assist Web Explorer for 5 years. That interval elapsed by the point Panther shipped.
Mac OS X Panther brings new Finder
Panther (aka Mac OS X model 10.3) additionally introduced a revamped Finder — full with a brushed-metal look — that included a sidebar to make it simpler to entry disk drives and networks.
Different smaller, however nonetheless vital, upgrades included the arrival of FileVault, which allowed customers to encrypt laborious drive knowledge with 128-bit keys. The brand new OS additionally supplied Xcode for builders and a simplified method to handle system fonts.
OS X Panther got here with a price ticket of $129. (Clients who purchased a brand new Mac within the prior two weeks bought the improve totally free.)
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