Review: Apple Mac OS X Leopard operating system

This new version of the operating system for Apple Mac computers combines eye candy with real improvements.

There are clever visual effects such as the translucent, reflective Dock (the Mac equivalent of the Windows Taskbar and Start menu) that runs along the bottom of the screen.

But the most eye-catching new feature in Leopard also turns out to be one of the most useful. In addition to the standard icon and list views of files, there's a new option called Coverflow, which is directly inspired by the feature of the same name in iTunes.

Just as iTunes allows the user to browse album artwork, Coverflow in Leopard allows the user to quickly browse files by showing a large preview of the contents of each file.

Selecting a file and then hitting the space bar opens up a full-size preview in a separate window, so you can see the entire file quickly. That means it's possible to preview a video clip or even scroll through a long Word document without actually needing to open the video player or Word. This is a real time-saver as it allows for being able to quickly examine all sorts of files without having to keep switching between programs.

Another feature that combines eye-catching graphics and practical use is the new backup program known as Time Machine. Windows users have had access to System Restore, which does something similar, since Windows XP was released in 2001.

While System Restore can put the computer back to a previous state if anything goes wrong, Time Machine goes a step further, allowing the user to locate individual files that they have deleted or that have been lost. It even integrates with the Spotlight desktop search tool: look for a file and as well as showing the current version it will tell you if there’s a backup copy of the file available in Time Machine.

Apple is often - rightly - criticised for putting style ahead of substance, but features such as Coverflow and Time Machine manage to combine style and substance, making this a welcome upgrade for any Mac owner

Vista compatible: No (Mac only)