Apple introduces G5, latest version of OS X

By May Wong
Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple Computer Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs unveiled the company's next-generation desktop based on the long-awaited G5 microprocessor yesterday and previewed the next version of its OS X operating system.

The showcase of Apple's new products, which also included a digital video camera, kicked off the company's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

The products wowed the nearly 4,000 developers in attendance and also were expected to help boost the company's stock.

Already enjoying an upswing with the early success of Apple's online music store, Apple's shares were trading at $18.93 on the Nasdaq Stock Market yesterday.

A key feature in version 10.3 of OS X will be an audio- and video-capable instant messaging program called iChat AV that Jobs described as "video conferencing for the rest of us."

Jobs demonstrated the program by "video-chatting" with a friend standing within view of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Early beta versions of OS X, code-named Panther, were released yesterday. Final units will be available by the end of the year for $129, the company said.

Building on the company's strategy to make the personal computer the hub of the digital lifestyle, Apple also introduced the new iSight video camera. It was immediately available for $149.

Job's keynote highlight, however, was the new Power Mac G5 — the first personal computer for consumers to sport a 64-bit microprocessor. The powerful chip, developed by International Business Machines Corp., is based on a chip architecture previously used only in servers. Until the G5, desktop computers used 32-bit chips.