By AppleInsider Staff

Published: 01:10 PM EST

Apple on Monday outlined plans for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Server, a full 64-bit UNIX server operating system based on open standards that is up to twice as fast as its predecessor. It will be priced at $499 with unlimited client licensing when it ships in September 2009.

"Snow Leopard Server is our best and fastest server operating system ever, and unlimited client licenses make it an incredible value for any size business," said Bertrand Serlet, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering. "With easy to use new features like Podcast Producer 2 and Mobile Access Server, anyone can set up and manage its powerful services with just a few clicks."

Snow Leopard Server is a full 64-bit operating system designed to take advantage of multi-core processors and address massive amounts of memory, while remaining fully compatible with 32-bit applications. Up to twice as fast as its predecessor, Snow Leopard Server handles demanding server operations including web and application hosting, file sharing and mail.

Include with Snow Leopard Server is Podcast Producer 2 with its new Podcast Composer application, which automates the entire production process, making it easy to create podcasts with a customized, consistent look and feel. Podcast Composer creates a workflow to add titles, transitions and effects, save to a desired format and share to wikis, blogs, iTunes, iTunes U, Final Cut Server or the new Podcast Library.

Also include is a new Mobile Access Server, which offers a way for iPhone and Mac users to access secured network services, including corporate websites, online business applications, email, calendars and contacts. Without requiring additional software, Mobile Access Server provides strong encryption and authentication between the user's iPhone or Mac and a private network.

Additional new features in Snow Leopard Server includes the following:

-- Wiki Server 2, which improves its online collaboration with the ability to view wiki content on iPhone and preview attachments with Quick Look on any modern browser

-- The new Address Book Server, based on the CardDAV open standard, which provides a central location for users to store and access personal contacts across multiple Macs and synchronized iPhones

-- iCal Server 2, based on the CalDAV open standard, which includes web-based calendar access and the ability to view meeting invitations and details on iPhone using iPhone OS 3.0

-- A new Mail Server engine that supports push email so users receive immediate access to new messages

-- QuickTime X HTTP Live Streaming, which allows dynamic adjustment of movie playback quality to suit the available network speed

-- NetRestore, a new feature in System Image Utility, that allows easy custom image restore over a network

-- iPhone Configuration Utility, which simplifies the setup of multiple iPhones with configuration information, security policies, mail settings and certificates needed to connect to and communicate with enterprise systems.



Pricing & Availability

Mac OS X Server version 10.6 Snow Leopard will be available in September 2009 through the Apple Store, Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $499 (US), and includes unlimited licenses for Mac, Windows and Linux clients.

The Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server Up-To-Date upgrade package is available to all customers who purchased a qualifying new Xserve system from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller between June 8, 2009 and the end of the program on December 26, 2009, for a product plus shipping and handling fee of $9.95 (US).

Users must request their Up-To-Date upgrade within 90 days of purchase or by December 26, 2009, or whichever comes first.

Snow Leopard Server can run on any Mac computer with an Intel processor, a minimum 2GB of RAM and at least 10GB of available disk space.