This is hot news. Apple Snow Leopard is available for pre-order today, the next iteration of the Mac OS will ship Aug. 28 as a $29 upgrade. Snow Leopard is Apple Inc.’s latest operating system software. The Mac OS X version 10.6 software will debut at Apple’s retail stores and authorized resellers nationwide. Apple’s online store is now taking pre-orders. Snow Leopard’s release comes days before its promised September launch. It precedes by two months the launch of Microsoft Corp.’s next operating system, Windows 7.

Among Snow Leopard’s improvements is built-in support for Microsoft’s Exchange Server software, so Apple programs for e-mail, calendars and contacts could become more useful in corporate settings.
Apple said Snow Leopard is half the size of the previous version, freeing up to 7 gigabytes of storage space when installed. It requires a minimum of 1 gigabyte of RAM and runs on Macs using an Intel processor.

Users of Mac OS X Leopard, or version 10.5, can upgrade to the latest version for $29 for single users and $49 for a family pack of five users. For Apple owners using the Tiger operating system, or version 10.4, on an Intel-based Mac, switching to Snow Leopard costs $169 for single users and $229 for a family pack.

Consumers who buy a qualifying Mac from June 8 to Dec. 26 can purchase the Snow Leopard upgrade for $9.95. Users must request an upgrade within 90 days of purchase or Dec. 26, whichever comes first.

JkonTheRun put up a single shot of the OLPC XO running the customized XP (see an enlarged picture below). We don’t have many details at the moment on how the XP interface has been tweaked but we do know that it will run many of the programs that were designed for the Sugar operating system. The system hardware has also had to be changed to run the Microsoft OS and now includes more RAM. But rest assured, we will be getting a peek at the new XP for the green system in the coming weeks.

Foley of ZDNet reported that Microsoft has no plans to make Windows available for individuals who bought an XO in last year’s Give 1 Get 1 program. The program allowed U.S. and Canadian consumers to buy the XO laptop, but only if they bought one to donate to a developing nation.