Apple just officially announced that Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard has been completed and will be released on October 26 across North America. The launch will kick off at exactly 6 p.m. local time in all Apple retail stores.

For those who plan on picking up this product, Apple stores will be giving away free Leopard shirts to the first few customers. If you happen to be buying a new Mac on the day itself (or even before launch), you will be getting an OEM DVD containing the new operating system as well.

Before this, there have been rumors that Mac OS X 10.5 will be delayed, but it looks like Apple has stayed true to its word and will be launching it during the expected time frame. Hopefully, the new operating system lives up to all the hype.