Wilson Rothman gives Apple’s Power Mac G5 with Mac OS X v10.3 “Panther” his approval as Time magazine’s Gadget of the Week. While the recognition is ostensibly for the combination of the G5 and the operating system, Rothman’s observations were wholly limited to Panther itself.
Rothman recognized that Panther makes it even easier for Macs and Windows PCs to co-exist, thanks to its Windows Printing feature, which enables the Mac user to locate printers connected to neighboring Windows-based PCs. He’s also impressed with Panther’s other networking capabilities, and the ability to share iTunes playlists between PCs and Macs, though this capability isn’t strictly related to Panther but is instead a function of iTunes.
Rothman also gives a thumbs up to Mac OS X’s Exposé feature, which allows users to easily navigate open windows between different applications; the improved Preview application and its speedier PDF rendering; FileVault file encryption and more.
“Bottom line for the Mac users: it only gets better from here on in. Bottom line for Windows people: getting a Mac doesn’t mean switching. It just means having a little more fun,” Rothman concluded.