Apple delays Leopard release until October
Apple Inc. on Thursday conceded that it will be unable to release its next generation operating system in June as previously planned and now says it anticipates launching the software in October.
In a statement released after the close of the stock market, Apple said its highly anticipated iPhone handset has already passed several of its required certification tests and is on schedule to ship in late June as planned.
"We can't wait until customers get their hands (and fingers) on it and experience what a revolutionary and magical product it is," Apple said. "However, iPhone contains the most sophisticated software ever shipped on a mobile device, and finishing it on time has not come without a price -- we had to borrow some key software engineering and QA resources from our Mac OS X team, and as a result we will not be able to release Leopard at our Worldwide Developers Conference in early June as planned."
While Leopard's features will be complete by June, the Cupertino-based company said it cannot deliver the quality release expected by its customers within that time. Apple now plans to show its developers a near final version of Leopard at the conference, give them a beta copy to take home so they can do their final testing, and ship the software in October.
"We think it will be well worth the wait," the company added. "Life often presents tradeoffs, and in this case we're sure we've made the right ones."
The move by Apple to delay its next-generation operating system roll-out confirms suspicions first raised by AppleInsider in an early March, when we reported that the number of pending issues with the software was unusual for an Apple product nearing its release deadline. (A large portion of the report was removed from AppleInsider at the demand of Apple Legal.)
In releasing the latest developmental build of Leopard this week, Apple was seemingly unable to chip away at the majority of the critical issues affecting the software. In fact, the number of issues appeared to have swelled from the build released in early March.
Rumors that Apple would be forced to delay the release of Leopard first gained some attention in late March when Taiwanese rumor site DigiTimes reported that the company would push the release out to October. The report, however, was largely discounted when Apple issued a statement to one analyst vehemently denying any such delay.
In a statement released after the close of the stock market, Apple said its highly anticipated iPhone handset has already passed several of its required certification tests and is on schedule to ship in late June as planned.
"We can't wait until customers get their hands (and fingers) on it and experience what a revolutionary and magical product it is," Apple said. "However, iPhone contains the most sophisticated software ever shipped on a mobile device, and finishing it on time has not come without a price -- we had to borrow some key software engineering and QA resources from our Mac OS X team, and as a result we will not be able to release Leopard at our Worldwide Developers Conference in early June as planned."
While Leopard's features will be complete by June, the Cupertino-based company said it cannot deliver the quality release expected by its customers within that time. Apple now plans to show its developers a near final version of Leopard at the conference, give them a beta copy to take home so they can do their final testing, and ship the software in October.
"We think it will be well worth the wait," the company added. "Life often presents tradeoffs, and in this case we're sure we've made the right ones."
The move by Apple to delay its next-generation operating system roll-out confirms suspicions first raised by AppleInsider in an early March, when we reported that the number of pending issues with the software was unusual for an Apple product nearing its release deadline. (A large portion of the report was removed from AppleInsider at the demand of Apple Legal.)
In releasing the latest developmental build of Leopard this week, Apple was seemingly unable to chip away at the majority of the critical issues affecting the software. In fact, the number of issues appeared to have swelled from the build released in early March.
Rumors that Apple would be forced to delay the release of Leopard first gained some attention in late March when Taiwanese rumor site DigiTimes reported that the company would push the release out to October. The report, however, was largely discounted when Apple issued a statement to one analyst vehemently denying any such delay.
Comments
There's gonna be some sellin' tomorrow.
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Holy crap. :O
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I must agree. Wow. I wasn't anticipating June, but this is final I suppose.
We should offer our apologies to this other rumour site
which site was that again? i can't remember
!
At least we should know by WWDC what the super secret features are.
I hope Apple will start offering FREE Leopard upgrade coupons with all new Macs sold after WWDC.
At least the iPhone will be on time.
Tomorrow will be a good buying opportunity if the stock dips.
I must agree. Wow. I wasn't anticipating June, but this is final I suppose.
Maybe... Steve will be cracking the whip the next two months, by June Apple will miraculously be ahead of schedule, and Apple will announce an earlier ship date at WWDC. Four months sounds like a long delay to project on the front end, but I'm sure they wanted to give me markets something more definite than "it ain't ready yet."
What does this mean for iLife? Skip a year and bring out iLife '08 with Leopard in October? (Suits me.)
Will we get a Apple TV/HD/Beatles event in May? At WWDC?
http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20070322PD214.html
edit: ghstmars got it first! oh, well
The Apple that is talking to us, Atv, iPhone and yes a Leopard delay is a communicating Apple. Get the bad news out as fast as you can is a very good play.
leopard getting delayed is *not* a good thing, especially as it makes them look like microsoft, and also because it means they're shifting their priorities to the iphone, which i predict will fall on it's ass.
however, i have an ADC membership and recently installed the leopard beta. it sucks balls. it's buggy as hell, and there are absolutely no features to justify the price tag (assuming they continue to go with $129). spaces is nice, ichat is nice, time machine is nice.. but i don't think i'm gonna actually use them that often. hopefully this delay will give them time to include something worth selling.
one more thing-- why is AI the only big mac news site to report this yet? why hasn't TMO or MW gotten word?
wow, I guess digitimes was right after all! or at least right about the delay.
edit: ghstmars got it first! oh, well
Yeah, but that's not the reason.
The iPhone isn't the reason either, though they are using it that way.
They are just too far behind, as can be seen by the bugs in the various developer releases.