Editor’s Note: The following article is reprinted from the BizFeed blog at PCWorld.com.
Apple announced a variety of improvements to its OS X operating system during Monday’s Worldwide Developers Conference, though one feature in particular should pique the interest business users in Snow Leopard. In the forthcoming OS X update, users will at last be able to use Microsoft Exchange without requiring the aid of outside software such as Microsoft Entourage.
In a demo of the new features, Apple senior vice president of software engineering Bertrand Serlet explained that the three built-in contact, scheduling, and e-mail apps will now feature Exchange configuration as a standard option. Users can simply enter their Exchange e-mail address and password, and Snow Leopard will automatically configure all three apps at once.
Serlet went on to demonstrate the features in action, which is a sight most Exchange users are already quite familiar with. With Exchange configured, calendar entries, e-mail folders, to-do items, notes, and other data will sync automatically between users on the same server.
This is certainly a welcome move for business users and network admins who manage Macs in their business environments. Whether it signals a more serious focus on the workplace for Apple remains to be seen.
Snow Leopard will ship in September as a $29 upgrade for Leopard users.