Apple Announces IPhone-Related Delay
Eric Fleming
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The releave of the upcoming version of the Mac OS X operating system - 10.5 - codenamed "Leopard," has been put on hold according to a statement released by the Cupertino, CA, company. The delay is apparently to make sure that the iPhone, the highly-touted phone-slash-iPod-slash-Internet-device, is 
ready by the promised June launch date.
Leopard was originally scheduled to be revealed at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco around the same time, but operating system developers were pulled off the Leopard project in order to ensure a timely release of the iPhone.
"iPhone contains the most sophisticated software ever shipped on a mobile device, and finishing it on time has not come without a price," read the Apple statement. "Life often presents tradeoffs and, in this case, we're sure we've made the right one."
In spite of the delay, it is assumed the slip will not hurt Apple's five percent market share. "It's not likely to be a big issue at all," says Michael Gertenberg of Jupiter Research. "It does tend to be a little embarrassing for them, but that is in the intrinsic nature of trying to deliver a complex operating system and the iPhone simultaneously."
Although Gertenberg is upbeat in his analysis, other industry observers weren't as sure this delay is a good thing for Apple. Samir Bhavnani, an analyst with Current Analysis, noted that this delay means Apple will miss the lucrative back-to-school season, which is the second-most profitable time, second only to the hectic Christmas season.
The iPhone will be based on the Leopard operating system, closely tying the launch dates of the two products. Apple's statement revealed that it is likely that the newest iteration of the OS X operating system will be finished, but still in testing, when June's original launch dates arrives. October will likely be the new ship date.
Apple Announces IPhone-Related Delay
Leopard was originally scheduled to be revealed at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco around the same time, but operating system developers were pulled off the Leopard project in order to ensure a timely release of the iPhone.
"iPhone contains the most sophisticated software ever shipped on a mobile device, and finishing it on time has not come without a price," read the Apple statement. "Life often presents tradeoffs and, in this case, we're sure we've made the right one."
In spite of the delay, it is assumed the slip will not hurt Apple's five percent market share. "It's not likely to be a big issue at all," says Michael Gertenberg of Jupiter Research. "It does tend to be a little embarrassing for them, but that is in the intrinsic nature of trying to deliver a complex operating system and the iPhone simultaneously."
Although Gertenberg is upbeat in his analysis, other industry observers weren't as sure this delay is a good thing for Apple. Samir Bhavnani, an analyst with Current Analysis, noted that this delay means Apple will miss the lucrative back-to-school season, which is the second-most profitable time, second only to the hectic Christmas season.
The iPhone will be based on the Leopard operating system, closely tying the launch dates of the two products. Apple's statement revealed that it is likely that the newest iteration of the OS X operating system will be finished, but still in testing, when June's original launch dates arrives. October will likely be the new ship date.