By Sam Oliver
Published: 03:15 PM EST
An anonymous Mac mini buyer in Japan has claimed, with pictures, to have received with their purchase an install DVD of Snow Leopard, Apple's upcoming operating system release.
The pictures, sent to
Engadget Japanese, have served
further fuel speculation that Apple will release Snow Leopard this week, ahead of its announced September release. Numerous rumors and
temporary Web site listings have pointed to an Aug. 28 launch.
The person claims to have received the Mac mini on Aug. 20. The purported disc is
different than the retail disc previously shown, as is usually the case with pack-in install discs that often ship with hardware.
The tipster also sent screenshots of the disc's content when supposedly inserted into the Mac mini, including the software installer.
Rumors have surfaced that the current build of Snow Leopard, 10A432, is the Golden Master, meaning it is the
final version before the product is released for duplication on optical media.
Even if Apple doesn't ship Snow Leopard this week, its release is likely imminent as numerous information and leaks continue to grow, signaling the operating system is ready for shipment.
Snow Leopard will cost
$29 for the single user license and
$49 for the five-license family pack. The new operating system will be available only for Mac computers with Intel processors. Also available are
Mac OS X Server 10.6 Snow Leopard ($499) and two upgrade box sets:
OS, iWork and iLife ($169) and the
five-license family pack, iWork and iLife ($229).
