The next generation of the two main PC OS (operating systems) are  here, Apple’s Mac OS X 10.6, aka Snow Leopard, is out now and Microsoft’s Windows 7 is due to be released on the 22nd of October. Our comparisons is based on reviews of RTM versions of the software by renowned Technology websites we monitor.

Price

Windows 7 – Not confirmed yet. Speculations are that the Home Version will be around 50-70 USD while the Professional Version will start at 100 USD.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard – Prices for Apple’s new (upgraded) OS start at 29 USD, for Leopard users, Mac users with older versions, like Tiger, are forced to buy the full box set  which includes iWork and iLife at 169 USD.  However this upgrade is for Intel Mac’s only this is the end of the line of the older Power processor based MAC’s

Storage Footprint

Windows 7 – Minimum requirements are: 16GB for the 32-bit OS and 20GB for the 64-bit OS, but footprint seem to be about 6-8GB.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard – Gives back 6 GB of storage space and only requires 5 GB of free disk space. (due mostly to being Intel only)

Hardware Support

Windows 7 – When it comes down to hardware support Windows 7 outshines Snow Leopard, reports are that a 7 year old Pentium 4 2.8Ghz with 2GB of RAM does an outstanding job.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard – Meanwhile, Snow Leopard will only run on Intel Macs, which means that high-end Macs like the Power Mac G5 will be left in the cold.

Start/Sleep/Shutdown

Windows 7 – Improved Start/Sleep/Shutdown time, with start up times under 30s.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard – Apple doesn’t say much about start up times, but promises to cut by half wakeup times and 1.75x faster shutdowns.

Media Handling

Windows 7 – Windows Media Player will handle any type of media you throw at it, H.264, Divx, Xvid or AAC, etc.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard – The new QuickTime player is also capable of handling a broader range of formats and handles H.264 and AAC even better than Windows 7. Another advantage is that QuickTime X Pro comes with Snow Leopard, no need to pay an extra for it.

Networking

Windows 7 – A real improvement when compared to Vista, with improved wireless connectivity and a smart way of finding files on your network.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard – 1.55 time faster at joining networks than Leopard and more efficient file sharing. It will also interwork better with Microsoft the exchange mail server which is a plus for larger corporate users who use exchange.

Browsers

Windows 7 – Internet Explorer 8 is by far the best browser we’ve seen by Microsoft.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard – With a real modern web standards support Safari is a good option, especially when handling JavaScript programs, where it is faster than IE 8.

Conclusion

Overall Windows 7 is a more substantial upgrade than Snow Leopard which is more akin to a service pack, though for technical/political reasons only some XP users will be able to upgrade to it. Others XP users will need to do a fresh install while Mac users are forced to have Leopard installed. Second Windows 7 can run on older machines as mentioned above, Mac users will need a fairly new Mac Book or iMac to run apple’s refined OS.

On the professional side, Apple’s OS will still lead the way thanks to its ability to handle huge amounts of RAM which will still make the Mac OS X 10.6 an indispensable tool for the printing industry though you may need to upgrade to 64 bit versions of the applications you use to get the full advantage.

Apple’s upgraded OS the Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard was due to be released in September but after Apple Store mysterious disappearance on Monday, only to return with the Mac OS 10.6 available to order.

August 28th was to be the official released date, but Mac users can buy or upgrade from older versions to the Snow Leopard via the Apple Store now, while shipping’s will start on Friday the 28th.

As most of you already know Mac OS X Snow Leopard or Mac OS X 10.6 is an upgrade for Mac OS X Leopard or if you prefer Mac OS X 10.5, according to Apple Snow Leopard is a refined OS making it the word’s most advanced operating system.

With an extensive list of “refinements” I suggest you read “Mac OS X Snow Leopard – A Refined OS by Apple” and for even further information visit the Apple Store.