OS X Leopard to ship on the 26th?

When it comes to Apple rumors, you've got your totally-outlandish-barely-within-the-realm-of-possibility-rumors (Newton successor coming in January?), you've got your totally-reasonable-and-probably-true rumors (new iPods in time for the holidays?) and then you've got everything in between. This rumor, unfortunately, is about as close to the reasonable end of the spectrum as you're likely to get. As you'll recall, Apple pledged to release OS 10.5 aka "Leopard" by the end of October. Traditionally, Apple has always released updates to its operating system on the last Friday of the calendar month. Thus, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that October 26th is the likely date. AppleInsider's sources seem to confirm this time frame, stating that "announcements are likely to arrive any time between the 22nd and 27th of the month." Mark your calendars, Mac fans.

For more on Leopard's impending release:
- see this AppleInsider article