Tiger
Mac OS X 10.4, known as Tiger, was released on April 29, 2005, as the fifth major version of Apple's Mac OS X operating system. It followed Mac OS X 10.3 Panther and remained Apple's desktop OS for over two years until the company released Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard in October 2007.
Tiger introduced over 200 improvements over its predecessor, Panther. Some of the most significant new features included:
- Spotlight – a powerful system-wide search tool that allowed users to quickly find files, emails, contacts, and other data stored in the system
- Dashboard – a new space or "Dashboard" for lightweight apps called widgets, that provided quick access to weather, stock updates, a calculator, and other tools
- Automator – a user-friendly automation tool that let users create workflows to streamline repetitive tasks without needing to write code
- Safari RSS – an updated version of Safari with built-in RSS feed support for streamlined web content consumption
- Core Image & Core Video – new graphics and video processing frameworks that enhanced visual effects and improved graphic processing performance
- Improved 64-bit Support – expanded 64-bit application support, enhancing performance on newer Mac hardware
Tiger continued Apple's tradition of naming releases after big cats, including Jaguar (10.2), Puma (10.1), and Cheetah (10.0). While Apple initially used these names internally, they became an official part of the branding with Jaguar (10.2).
Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger was known for its stability, speed, and advanced features, making it a compelling alternative to Windows XP at the time. Version 10.4.4 was also the first version of Mac OS X to support Intel-based Macs, marking a significant shift in Apple's hardware strategy.
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