Apple today announced that Mac OS X version 10.3 “Panther,” the next major release of the world’s most advanced operating system, will be available on Friday, October 24, beginning at 8:00 p.m.

Here's more from the PR:

Panther delivers more than 150 breakthrough new features including a completely new Finder™ that provides one-click access to a user’s favorite files and folders; Exposé, a revolutionary new way to instantly see all open windows at once; and iChat AV, a complete desktop video conferencing solution for business, education and consumers.

“Panther sets the new gold standard for operating systems,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “With more than 150 new features, we’re delivering innovations today that will not be seen in any other operating system for years to come.”

Panther features a completely redesigned Finder with lightning-fast file searching that is up to six times faster than Mac OS X version 10.2 “Jaguar.” The new Finder provides one-click access by putting a user’s favorite folders, storage, servers and iDisk in one convenient location. The new Finder also offers dynamic browsing of the network for Mac, Windows and UNIX file servers.

Panther also introduces Exposé, a revolutionary new way to instantly view all open windows and choose any of them to be on top. Exposé visually unshuffles overlapping windows on the desktop into an organized thumbnail view so a user can instantly locate and switch to any open window or get to any file on the desktop. Powered by the Mac OS X Quartz™ graphic engine, Exposé is a breakthrough in working with multiple files, applications and projects.

Panther extends instant messaging to the next level with iChat AV, the world’s easiest to use desktop video conferencing solution, offering full-screen, full-motion video over broadband, crystal-clear audio and a familiar easy-to-use interface. iChat makes natural conversations over the Internet immediate and effortless, and has been enjoyed by over half a million beta users since its introduction in June.

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