Sightings of the Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard developer release build reports are trickling in and according to those who have seen it, the cool cat carries some very interesting performance numbers. The Leopard is said to be fundamentally superior to previous versions of Mac OS X. Among the features spotted were the MacLeopards user interface which has pushed the Aqua, Quartz and Finder technology further than the Jaguar and the Tiger.

Almost all "brushed metal" theme were reportedtly replaced with a sleeker, better-contrasting theme that bears some similarities to the appearance of the current Mail.app. However, several layers of the theme design and rendering engine changes create a remarkably high-resolution and a rich look. Reportedly, a quick first glance at the MacLeopard is enough to tell the user that "This OS is a big step forward."

Make that one big pounce forward.