Apple's Tiger OS roars.

With the release of Mac OS X Tiger (10.4), Apple's newest operating system includes powerful tools that complement the way most of us work. For many users, the most valuable feature may be Spotlight, a system-wide search function that can find text strings anywhere, including documents, images, music files, contact lists, and e-mail. Forget what you called that fundraising letter? Just type in a few words or a phrase from the letter and Spotlight will locate every instance of those words. Apple has put a lot of effort into making the new features user-friendly so they don't obstruct workflow. Click an icon and the translucent Dashboard overlay appears, featuring a collection of tiny applications called widgets. Widgets let users locate an address or phone number, find a definition, translate a phrase, check stock prices, and more. Click again, and Dashboard vanishes just as quickly. Another feature called Automator helps users automate complex or repetitive tasks, and requires no knowledge of scripting or coding. Simply choose from a library of more than 150 actions and drag them into a step-by-step workflow window. Then dick a button to compile the automation, which can be saved to use again, or shared with others. Tiger retails for $129 (single user license). Find out more at www.apple.com.