Apple is typically keeping the market guessing on the launch date for its next-generation Mac OS X, code-named "Leopard" -- software that is still being beta tested even though it has now reached the month, October, when executives in Cupertino have said it will go public.
After a delay from the Spring launch that was initially promised by CEO Steve Jobs, the company is holding fast to its policy for not commenting on any aspect of its forthcoming product. But Apple rumor Web sites have begun discussing bugs that still remain in the Leopard OS as the clock counts down to the end of the month. None of the remaining issues are described as showstoppers, but Apple hasn"t formally said that the operating system has reached "Gold Master" status -- meaning it would be shipped to ODMs and Apple channel partners in advance of the launch.