Snow Leopard Versus Windows 7

Neither Windows 7 or Snow Leopard tries to reinvent the wheel, but both pack notable new features, large and small.

 

This is shaping up to be the autumn of new operating systems. The latest version of Mac OS X, Snow Leopard, shipped to customers Aug. 28. Windows 7, the follow-up to the much-maligned Windows Vista, hits store shelves in late October. Neither operating system will drastically change the way you work.

Windows 7 builds on Windows Vista, smoothing out Vista’s rough spots and bringing a number of new end-user features (such as the reworked taskbar) to the table. Meanwhile, with Snow Leopard, Apple focuses on new under-the-hood technologies that offer subtle refinements and fixes. Still, there is plenty to say about how Apple’s next big cat and Microsoft’s lucky number stack up against each other.