Apple has been very aggressive in making it known that this latest OS will include everything Microsoft is aiming to bring to the table with Longhorn almost two years in advance.

This next version of OS X has enough features that could either lure hardcore windows users to the Mac side, or if they are willing to wait, they could see all these new features integrated in Windows OS by the end of the decade.

Tiger has more than 200 new features and innovations including Dashboard, a new way to quickly access important information like weather forecasts and stock quotes, using a new class of applications called widgets.

Mac OS X Server v10.4 “Tiger” will also ship on Friday. The next major release of Apple’s, UNIX-based server operating system, Tiger Server integrates 100+ leading open source projects and standards-based software applications and more than 200 new features including native support for 64-bit applications, ideal for high performance computing; iChat Server to deploy secure instant messaging within an organization; Weblog Server to publish and share weblogs (blogs); and Xgrid to turn a group of Macs into a virtual supercomputer.

Features of "Tiger" include
 
Spotlight technology that lets you search your Mac instantly: files, emails, contacts, images, movies, calendars and applications. Even save results as Smart Folders that update automatically.

Mini-applications called widgets for checking stocks and weather, looking up phone numbers, performing calculations, finding dictionary definitions and more with one click right from your personal Dashboard.

A personal assistant for automating repetitive manual tasks. This feature makes it simple to create custom Workflows just by dragging items, pointing and clicking.

Safari RSS technology that delivers the latest news, information and articles from thousands of web sites in one simple-to-read, searchable article list right to your Mac.

The latest iChat AV delivering multi-way video and audio conferencing with true-to-life picture and sound quality.