Apple to release 'Tiger' operating system in late April

Apple Computer Inc. on Tuesday said the latest version of its Mac OS X operating system will go on sale in the United States at the end of this month. Its shares rose in early trading.

The highly anticipated upgrade, code-named "Tiger," will hit shelves at Apple's retail stores and authorized resellers on April 29. An individual user license will sell for $129, while a five-user pack will be available for $199.

The server version of Tiger will also be released at the same time, Apple said. The software will retail at $499 for a 10-user license, or $999 for an unlimited-client edition.

Apple has said that Tiger will include an improved desktop search that can find anything from documents, e-mail, contacts and images, as well as a dashboard tool that provides easy access to information and applications such as weather forecasts and stock quotes.

Tiger also supports the next-generation video-compression standard H.264 and allows multiple users on the video-conferencing program iChat. Other features include a program that automates repetitive tasks and an RSS reader that merges information from the Web into a single interface, Apple said.

In December, Apple sued a North Carolina man who leaked an advanced copy of Tiger on a file-swapping Web site. The man's lawyers said he will pay Apple a monetary fine. The company is pursuing suits against two others involved in the leak.

Apple shares rose 76 cents to $42.68 in early trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

Associated Press