Apple - Mac OS X - Features

New Features

Overview

If you get a lot of email on a common topic or thread, you know how frustrating it can be to keep it all straight — especially when someone decides to change the email’s subject line. But Panther Mail takes all the work out of managing email threads.

Fancy threads
In fact, talk about smart, Mail can even track multiple threads with the same subject line. Let’s say you have a lively discussion going “Regarding the Jones account” with numerous emails flying back and forth, some discussing “pricing issues” while others discuss “logistics” and still others address “resource concerns.” Mail can keep the thread on “pricing” separate from the threads on “logistics” and “resources,” assigning the various emails to the appropriate thread and making it easy for you to follow (and respond to if necessary) the three separate threads or discussions. And if someone changes the subject line, Mail is smart enough to keep it grouped with the previous conversation.

Mail threads

What’s more, the Thread Summary page provides information about the emails it contains: which you’ve read, who sent them, when they were sent and which came with attachments. This makes it easy to file or delete an entire conversation. Incoming mails pop the thread to the top of your mailbox, giving you context for the new messages. Instant organization.

Performance to write home about
Not only is Mail faster than it has ever been before — a performance improvement you’ll notice when retrieving email, sending email and searching for email you’ve already downloaded — but Mail now uses the same HTML rendering engine used by Safari. As a result, HTML email loads more quickly, displays more accurately and offers better handling of cascading style sheets, animated GIFs and forms — even URLs embedded within forms.

Smart Address

Let’s address convenience
In Mac OS X v10.2, you could drag addresses from the Address Book to the To or Cc fields in Mail. Now you can also drag addresses between the “To” and “Cc” fields. (Or to the “Bcc” field, which you can now set to appear by default in preferences.)

Another convenience: Mail now automatically shortens email addresses listed in your Address Book. So you’ll see simply “Jane Doe” in the “From” or “To” field, instead of “Jane Doe <janedoe@prettylongaddress.com>.” Chalk one up for legibility. Meanwhile, unfamiliar names — those not in your Address Book — still appear in full (name and email address). Not to worry, a drop down menu associated with each address lets you easily add those unfamiliar names to your Address Book.

And if you’ve ever sent email to the wrong party, Mail has another addressing trick up its sleeve. With its new “Safe addressing” feature, Mail lets you specify “safe” Internet domains — your own company’s domain, for example. Type an address not in one of your safe domains and Mail highlights it, alerting you to a possible email faux pas.

Junk Mail icon

Cans more Spam
Widely lauded for its ability to identify and dispatch spam, Mail now packs an improved filtering engine, offers better accuracy, includes more filtering options and provides more powerful protection against spammers.

If, for example, your ISP uses Spam Assassin, Brightmail or another spam-analysis tool, Mail can now leverage that analysis. You’ll find an option for doing so in the new Junk Mail preferences panel. To further ensure your privacy, you can also direct Mail NOT to download images included in junk messages, thus circumventing a common trick used by spammers.

Becoming attached to Mail

Attachments and summary information about them now can appear in the email header (as well as inline). A convenient Save All button lets you download all attachments in one fell swoop.
Headers appear in an elegant style distinct from that used in the body of your email. What’s more, the headers are fully customizable.
Can’t remember how you responded to Randy’s outrageous request? Simply click the “replied” status icon to display your reply.
If you have a preference for how you’d like your signature to appear — above or below quoted text — Mail now can make it so.
Finally, a new status notification icon lets you know you’re offline, which you can click to go online.

Stay in contact
The perfect companion to Mail, the Panther Address Book keeps you from losing contact. Say you move, change your email address, or get a new cell number. Check a single box in Preferences and Address Book will automatically notify every one of your contacts as soon as you finish updating your personal information.

Top New Panther Features

Finder Everything you need, just a click away.

Exposé Find the window you need. Now.

iChat AV Video conferencing for the rest of us.

FileVault Safe, secure, and speedy.

Fast User Switching Share well with others.

Mail Follow the thread of any discussion.

iDisk Your online hard drive. Available offline.

Preview Tear through PDFs in no time.

Font Book Letter-perfect type management.

UNIX Mac OS X is based on rock-solid UNIX.

Xcode Ground-breaking new approach to developer productivity.

See the Video

Visit the Apple Store at the Grove, virtually, to see highlights of Panther’s new features.

New in Panther

Organize by Thread: View related emails in a single group or thread.
Drag and Drop Address Objects: Easily manage email addresses with contextual menu and simplified drag and drop.
Improved Junk Mail Filter: Ignore more junk mail with respect for ISP Junk Mail Headers and improved detection technology.
Safari HTML Rendering: View HTML email rendered using the standards-based, high quality Safari engine.
S/MIME Encryped Mail: Encrypt email via the S/MIME security standard.
S/MIME Digital Signatures: Sign and validate the authenticity of email addresses with an S/MIME certificate.
Exchange Mail: Set up Exchange email accounts simply using the IMAP protocol.
External Address Indicator: Mark addresses in red to indicate when current message will be sent outside a corporate network.
Attachment Interface: Manage attachments directly from message header.
Jump to Reply: Quickly open reply by clicking the status icon of the original email.
Always Show BCC: Choose to permanently add a BCC field for newly composed emails.
Email Signature Location Preference: Choose to place email text signatures before or after message body.
Erase All Junk Mail: Erase all accumulated Junk Mail in one fell swoop.