by David Morgenstern
January 5th, 2009 @ 5:42 pm

Behind the scenes at Macworld Expo, developers have mostly good things to say about OS X 10.6, called “Snow Leopard.” While details may emerge during Tuesday’s keynote presentation, the biggest question mark is the cost of the update.

One developer wondered about Snow Leopard’s marketing: “From a marketing point of view, if you call something ‘Leopard’ and the next version is ‘Snow Leopard,’ then that [latter version] has to be free. Maybe [Apple can charge] a slight bump, but not a $99 upgrade.” (All of the developers requested their discussion be without attribution.) Another developer agreed that Snow Leopard would be a “tough sell” as an update.

However, the cost question was important to developers’ plans and for customer support. “Will it be it free, or a $29 update? That answer will define on our end whether we can use any [new] APIs and how we will continue to support Leopard and Tiger.” A third developer at the table said that Apple’s framing of the Snow Leopard update may provide a clue.

Since 2001, Mac OS X has delivered more than a thousand innovative new features. With Snow Leopard, the next major version of the world’s most advanced operating system, Mac OS X changes more than its spots, it changes focus. Taking a break from adding new features, Snow Leopard — scheduled to ship in about a year — builds on Leopard’s enormous innovations by delivering a new generation of core software technologies that will streamline Mac OS X, enhance its performance, and set new standards for quality.