Finder

Panther boasts a redesigned Finder interface aimed at simplifying file access. This version of the interface includes a number of elements initiated in Apple's iTunes music software.

Finder windows take on an appearance similar to iTunes, complete with brushed-metal motif. The left side of the new Finder window is occupied by a Places sidebar, which provides shortcuts to storage and servers, as well as iDisks, volumes on Apple's remote storage service. The lower portion of the Places sidebar serves as a customizable launcher for folders and documents and applications. When the new Finder window is resized to smaller dimensions, the sidebar scales dynamically.

While the new layout is a dramatic change, users can choose to remove the sidebar and revert to the classic format by clicking a button at the upper-right of the window. However, the new interface is consistent throughout the system, appearing in Open and Save dialog boxes.

In addition, Finder windows gain the Action button, which brings up contextual menus for files and folders, a function currently available via a key combination.

Searching performance has also been improved, offering a "live" searching behavior similar to iTunes. It begins displaying results while letters and words of the search query are entered.

Color labels, a feature of the classic Mac OS and requested by longtime Mac users, are back, and can be assigned to files and folders. Actions such as opening or closing a folder can now trigger an AppleScript, created with the operating system's built-in scripting architecture.

The Windows and dialog boxes across Panther present a metallic look, moving away from the striking Aqua stripes found in previous OS X releases. The Aqua tabs are replaced by sleek buttons. The update also offers performance improvements; for example, elements such as dialog "sheets" operate more quickly.

One new feature demonstrated to acclaim at the keynote address Monday was Exposé, which lets users better navigate through the clutter of application windows, toolbars, palettes and documents open on the screen. One function key can miniaturize and tile all open windows, letting users quickly find the exact window they seek. Another key press will tile only the windows of the front-most application, dimming the rest of the windows into the background. Yet another key will temporarily whisk all of the open windows off of the screen, revealing files and folders located on the desktop. Exposé's features can be activated from the screen corners.

During his keynote, Jobs said that Exposé comes courtesy of Quartz Extreme, a technology introduced in Mac OS X 10.2 that uses hardware acceleration to speed OS X's Quartz graphics routines. However, Exposé also ran without problems on a Mac unsupported by Quartz Extreme.

Panther now employs "fast user switching," a longstanding Windows XP feature. When enabled, the computer can switch users without them having to finish work and quit applications. A new menu at the far right of the menu bar shows which user accounts are still active in the background. Panther switches users with a striking visual effect, rotating the desktops on a 3D box, if the Mac has the graphics muscle to handle the animation.

Panther includes several security improvements that should prove attractive to users. The most basic is secure file deletion, now built into the Finder. Users can set Panther to overwrite files once, or 7, or 35 times, after it's emptied from the Trash.

A new feature called FileVault secures the entire Home folder, encrypting and decrypting files dynamically, in the background. Apple said that when users log off, files will remain encrypted with 128-bit keys, providing protection for personal files in case of computer theft.

Panther's System Preferences also provides a new option for requiring a password when the Mac wakes up from sleep.

Mail

Mac OS X's built-in Mail application sports improved performance in Panther, and can take advantage of the HTML rendering engine provided by Apple's Safari web browser. When composing new messages, Panther's Mail formats e-mail addresses as button objects that can be dragged between To, CC, and BCC fields. Mail can also be set to highlight addresses in the To field that are outside a defined "safe" domain, which prevent a user from accidentally sending a sensitive message outside a company.

The ability to view e-mail by thread will be a welcome addition for anyone who deals with long strings of e-mail with the same subject, or who subscribes to e-mail discussion lists. When e-mail is organized by thread, clicking on the thread displays a list of the messages in Mail's preview pane, as well as the messages' senders and attachments. The thread can then be expanded to view specific messages.

The revised Mail client also includes new options for junk e-mail filtering, such as "trusting" junk mail headers set by an ISP, and exempting messages that have been sent to your full name from the filter. Apple also said that it's filter technology is more accurate than that found in past iterations.

A user can now instruct the Address Book to automatically notify group contacts whenever a change is made to his or her own Address Book card. After receiving user confirmation, Address Book launches Mail and e-mails a .vcf file with the updated contact info to the designated recipients.

Address Book can also be used to print mailing labels, thanks to an updated print dialog that simplifies the process. It can also print out a list of contacts, providing a hard copy to take on the road.

Every print panel in Panther comes equipped with a Fax button -- any document can be faxed to a recipient listed in the Address Book. Apple's fax solution provides cover page options, and settings for handling received faxes. After a pre-determined number of rings, the Mac can answer the phone, receive the fax, and then save it to a folder, e-mail it, or print it.

iChat

The upgrade to iChat, OS X's instant-messaging application, is currently available for beta testing with Mac OS 10.2, aka Jaguar at Apple's Web site. Apple will include a final version with Panther when it ships later this year, with a separate purchase available for Jaguar customers.

iChat AV's key features are support for full-motion videoconferencing, compatible with any FireWire-based video camera, as well as audio chat. The iChat buddy list now presents icons indicating if a user has iChat AV installed and whether video or audio is available. Users can choose between text, audio or video connections when initiating a message.

The new iChat also tweaks the text-entry area, which now will automatically enlarges if necessary, when typing an instant message. iChat AV also maintains a palette of a user's buddy icons that can be switched on a whim.

Panther also beefs up font management with Font Book. The new application simplifies font installation: When opening a new font, Font Book displays the font and provides a one-click installation. Within Font Book, users can preview and search for fonts, as well as quickly manage individual fonts or entire groups of fonts.

System Profiler has a new interface, making it easier to view a system's vital statistics. Instead of a tabbed structure, categories are presented on the left, with system information and a preview pane at the right.

Internet Connect, which serves as the jumping-off point for Panther's expanded VPN support, has also received an overhaul.

DVD Player includes a redesigned controller and expanded set of preferences. With one new setting, a user can instruct DVD Player to start playing a disc from the beginning, from a bookmark, or from the spot the disc was previously played to. Another preference enables closed captioning whenever the player is muted. Other preferences include language audio, full-screen playback, and audio output.

Preview also boasts faster PDF rendering and offers a speedy integrated search feature. The update also provides text selection and copying capabilities for PDFs.

According to its About Box, the version of QuickTime Player included with Panther is an early version of QuickTime 6.4. (The current version in release is QuickTime 6.3.)

Panther's TextEdit can open and save Microsoft Word documents.

Panther replaces Mac OS X's Process Viewer with the Activity Monitor, which provides a summary list of the computer's processes along with statistics and graphs related to CPU load, memory use, disk activity, and more. Activity Monitor also includes new options for displaying processes.

Apple is taking a new approach to iDisk, the online storage portion of the company's .Mac service. In Panther, the iDisk is a local folder that's always available that synchronizes automatically with .Mac when there's an Internet connection. This way, the iDisk can function as a central repository for files that can be accessed by multiple computers. This feature is called "Local iDisk," but Panther also still allows the older method, where the iDisk acted as a remote volume.

UNIX, Networking, and more

Panther will ship with the final version of X11 for Mac OS X, a ports manager for open source projects, improved support for Kerberos authentication, IPv6 and FreeBSD 5.0. The update will also include the latest version of Samba, support SMB printing, improve VPN capabilities, and improve integration with Window's Active Directory.

Matthew Rothenberg contributed to this report.