Release record
Leopard
Release notes
Editorial synthesis with inline references and a source ledger when citations are available.
Mac OS X Leopard 10.5 went on sale on October 26, 2007. The release joined a redesigned desktop and Finder with Stacks, Quick Look, Spaces, Time Machine, remote file access, new Mail and iChat workflows, refreshed bundled applications, a dual-architecture platform baseline, and a revised developer toolchain.[1][2]
Apple presented a near-final Leopard build on June 11 with an October target. Its October 16 announcement set public sales for Friday, October 26 at 6:00 p.m. through Apple retail stores and authorized resellers, while accepting online pre-orders before release.[3][4]
Stacks and a more consistent window design reshaped the desktop, while Finder added Cover Flow, a redesigned sidebar, network browsing and search, and Back to My Mac. Quick Look reduced the need to open files just to inspect them; Spaces separated work into multiple desktops; and Time Machine added automated history plus file and full-system recovery.[5][6]
Mail gained stationery, Notes, To Dos, data detectors, and RSS. iChat added presentations, screen sharing, and effects. Parental Controls, Boot Camp, Web Clip, Photo Booth, Dictionary, iCal, and Front Row broadened the rest of the client release.[7]
Apple documented 64-bit application support alongside 32-bit software, Core Animation, and a final developer suite that included Xcode 3, Interface Builder 3, Instruments, Dashcode, and DTrace. These entries describe Apple's shipped platform record; they do not adopt the near-final Xray product name where the final technical specification instead lists Instruments.[8][9]
The single-user US retail price was $129. Apple's final specification supports listed Intel and PowerPC Macs with at least 512MB of memory, a DVD drive, and 9GB of free storage. The included guide describes upgrade, Archive and Install, and Erase and Install workflows from the installation disc.[10][11][12]
On October 30, Apple reported more than two million Leopard copies sold or delivered under maintenance agreements during the first weekend, including retail, reseller, online, maintenance, and new-Mac channels. This is an Apple-supplied shipment and sales claim, retained as launch-history context rather than an independently audited adoption measure.[13]
This article records the initial 10.5 public package only. Apple's archived security chronology contains no initial Leopard 10.5 entry and separately lists 10.5.1 on November 15. The retained 10.5.1 advisory describes later firewall repairs, so none are projected back to October 26. June-only claims that final sources do not confirm—including Time Machine backup to an AirPort Extreme attached disk—are excluded, and no undocumented behavior or build number is inferred.[14][15][16][17]
Source ledger
Sources are linked to the claims they support. Publication and access dates are shown when available.
Apple Support · Apple · 2026-07-30 · Applications, technologies, and development lists
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2007-10-16T00:00:00.000Z · October 26 availability and launch feature descriptions
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2007-06-11T00:00:00.000Z · June 11 near-final status and October target
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2007-10-16T00:00:00.000Z · October 16 announcement and October 26 availability
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2007-10-16T00:00:00.000Z · Desktop through Time Machine paragraphs
Apple Support · Apple · 2026-07-30 · Time Machine and screen-sharing requirements
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2007-10-16T00:00:00.000Z · Mail, iChat, and other new features
Apple Support · Apple · 2026-07-30 · Key Technologies and Development
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2007-06-11T00:00:00.000Z · Processor technologies and development tools
Apple Support · Apple · 2026-07-30 · General requirements and What's in the Box
Apple · Apple · 2026-07-30 · Pages 4–8; installation workflows
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2007-10-16T00:00:00.000Z · Pricing & Availability
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2007-10-30T00:00:00.000Z · October 30 first-weekend sales report
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2007-06-11T00:00:00.000Z · June near-final Time Machine description
Apple Support · Apple · 2026-07-30 · Mac OS X 10.5.1 — 15 Nov 2007
Apple Support · Apple · 2026-07-30 · Mac OS X v10.5.1 security content
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2007-10-16T00:00:00.000Z · October public Time Machine description and footnote
Apple Support · Apple · 2026-07-30 · 2007 security chronology
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2007-06-11T00:00:00.000Z · June 11, 2007
Apple Support · Apple · 2026-07-30 · Mac OS X 10.5 final technical specifications
Apple Support · Apple · 2026-07-30 · Mac OS X v10.5.1 later-version boundary
Apple · Apple · 2026-07-30 · October 2007 installation guide
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2007-10-16T00:00:00.000Z · October 26, 2007 availability
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2007-10-30T00:00:00.000Z · October 30, 2007
Documented & observed
Source-linked features, fixes, known issues, removals, and community-observed behavior recorded across this version’s appearances and verified builds.
Release changes
Features, fixes, removals, and regressions first observed in this release record.
feature · introduced
The updated client provided reusable visual layouts for composing graphic-rich email while retaining cross-platform viewing as an explicit launch goal.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
Leopard placed lightweight note-taking and task management inside the email application so those records could participate in familiar mailbox and calendar workflows.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
Leopard added one-click backup setup, maintained an up-to-date history on additional storage, and provided search-and-restore workflows for deleted data plus full-system recovery.
Recorded at Public
developerApi · introduced
The framework exposed animation capabilities related to effects used in Leopard's own interface, and Apple's final specifications list it as a key 10.5 technology.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
Data detectors offered shortcuts from detected phone numbers, addresses, and dates into Address Book or iCal, while feed subscriptions appeared alongside email.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
Stacks exposed a folder's contents directly from the Dock and automatically gave common downloads a dedicated location, while allowing users to create additional stacks for frequently used material.
Recorded at Public
enhancement · changed
Leopard brought shared computers into the main Finder workflow and extended Spotlight and drag-and-drop operations to supported network content.
Recorded at Public
enhancement · changed
The redesigned file browser added a visual way to move through files and applications while simplifying access to folders and computers exposed on a local network.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
The communication app gained a presentation surface for sharing supported media and documents with call participants without replacing the conference context.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
Leopard added high-resolution and full-screen previews from Finder so users could inspect many files, including playable media, before opening an editor or viewer.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
Leopard let users monitor a chosen region of a site from Dashboard without requiring a separately authored widget.
Recorded at Public
compatibility · changed
The retail release maintained support across two processor architectures and used installation media that offered upgrade, Archive and Install, or Erase and Install paths, subject to the documented storage and memory requirements.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
Video chats could apply visual distortions or color treatments and replace the apparent background with compatible still or moving media.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
The service extended Finder-style access beyond the local network for users with the required .Mac membership and compatible remote setup.
Recorded at Public
enhancement · changed
The public release applied a common window theme across applications and used stronger visual emphasis to distinguish the focused window.
Recorded at Public
developerApi · introduced
Apple's near-final announcement described a mixed-width runtime model intended to let developers use 64-bit processing without abandoning the installed 32-bit software and driver ecosystem; the final 10.5 specification lists 64-bit computing among the shipped technologies.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
The operating system shipped the completed Boot Camp utility for compatible Intel hardware, with a separately licensed supported Windows version still required.
Recorded at Public
enhancement · changed
The bundled camera app broadened its output beyond still images, while some effects remained dependent on the processor and camera capabilities listed in Apple's specifications.
Recorded at Public
enhancement · changed
The media-browsing experience received an update while retaining an Apple Remote and compatible built-in infrared hardware as its documented baseline.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
Leopard expanded the calendar from personal scheduling toward standards-based shared and group calendars.
Recorded at Public
enhancement · changed
The update combined content restrictions and scheduled-use controls with reporting that could be reviewed from another Mac on the home network.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
Leopard extended a conversation into an interactive remote-desktop session, subject to the network requirements documented for iChat and Finder screen sharing.
Recorded at Public
enhancement · changed
The reference application gained a web-backed encyclopedia view alongside its existing language resources.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
Users could separate projects into distinct workspaces and switch among them with mouse or keyboard controls rather than keeping every window in one desktop.
Recorded at Public
developerApi · changed
Apple paired a revised IDE and interface-design workflow with language, widget, tracing, and performance-analysis tools. The June near-final announcement used the provisional name Xray for its performance application; the final specification lists Instruments instead.
Recorded at Public
Milestones
Every recorded channel appearance in chronological order. Open an appearance for any available build, scope, notes, and sources.
Public release
Mac OS X Leopard 10.5 reached the public channel on October 26, 2007 with a redesigned desktop and Finder, Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, expanded communications and bundled apps, new platform technologies, and broad PowerPC and Intel support.
Historical context
Pace, intervals, and duration compared with earlier releases on the same platform.
Historical avg for .5 releases
41 days, 6.0 milestones
Based on 2 previous macOS .5 releases
| Version | Year | Cycle | Milestones | Avg. Interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| macOS 26.5 | 2026 | 42d | 6 | 8d |
| macOS 15.5 | 2025 | 40d | 6 | 8d |
Scroll horizontally to compare every historical field.