WIth all the excitement surrounding the leaked photos of the next gen. iPod Touch we almost forgot about the upcoming SNow Leopard.  According to Mac Rumors they were sent the photos of Snow Leopard retail packaging. 

The images are of the Portuguese version and may be a hoax, but we are guessing this is not the case.  Other sources have said earlier in the week that Snow Leopard could come out as early as this coming Friday as the gold master went out a little while back.  If Snow Leopard comes out this week we will be sure to grab a family pack for our own consumption and share what’s in the box and how the install goes. 

  We are only a month or so away from the release of Snow Leopard and Apple was kind enough to offer up an update for Leopard.  Update 10.5.8 addresses security issues, stability, airport and some other fixes of which are vague as usual.  If you have not so yet, you can get the update now via Software Update.

The 10.5.8 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and security of your Mac, as well as specific fixes for:

• compatibility and reliability issues when joining AirPort networks.
• an issue that could cause some monitor resolutions to no longer appear in Displays System Preferences.
• issues that may affect Bluetooth reliability.

  We all know at this point that Snow Leopard is coming in September.  Now you can pre-order it on Amazon.com.  To upgrade from Leopard one must only grab briskly at your wallet for a mere $29 for single user and $49 for a 5-license family pack.  

Snow Leopard is lacking in the visual advances part, but Apple has greatly refined the very core of the OS. Any Mac user should definitely consider the update especially at the given price.

  Using mostly Macs in my home I have found it quite nice that the cost to upgrade to a new OS is usually $129 and with the upcoming Snow Leopard we only will have to pay $29.  This is something it appears that Microsoft has been taking notice of and has begun selling pre-orders of Windows 7 for reasonable prices.  You can order Windows 7 Home Premium for $49.99 and Professional for $99.99.  The pricing is significantly cheaper than when it comes to retail and jumps back to more than double the prices I just mentioned.  We think the discounted prices should be the normal pricing and I think Microsoft would be pleasantly surprised and the lack of pirating it brings with it.  You can pre-order now and if you’re interested you will want to get them while supplies last. See the list of retailers [Here]

  The coming of Snow Leopard has been long drawn out for most of us.  Finally today, Apple revealed its refinements and release.  In September you will be able to get your upgrade for just $29 if you currently run Leopard.  There are quite a few back-end refinements which speed up install, space required and the overall feel of OSX.  

For all the specs head over to Apple’s OSX Snow Leopard Page.