More details on "Snow Leopard"

Apple will probably announce a major update of Leopard reports on the Internet as well as our own sources indicated during the past few days. MacScoop has obtained a few more mostly unconfirmed tips on the subject.

TUAW and ArsTechnica's reports both confirmed some of the information we have heard from our own sources. In particular, our sources mentioned the "Snow Leopard" code-name.

Our sources added that this update could overhaul and open some frameworks to third-party developers and cited ImageKit as one example and possibly the addition of a new open framework for touch input. They also confirmed, as the other reports claim, that the update will bring several fixes in terms of performance and stability.

Those who already bought Leopard or had it with their new Mac should also be pleased to learn that the update has high chances to be free for them, at least that's our sources' opinion. However, it's possible that Apple has to charge the usual small fee due to accounting rules as it has already been the case for example with iPod touch major software updates.

While TUAW claimed this update to be versioned 10.6 and ArsTechnica said it wouldn't support PowerPC-base Macs, our own sources did confirm neither the exact version number nor that version will drop PowerPC. It is actually believed but unconfirmed by our sources that Apple won't abandon the PowerPC architecture so quickly.

The update is very likely to be announced on June 9. Sources told us that we're at least a few months away from its release while other reports say it will arrive in January.