Apple's next version of the Mac OS X is reportedly close to being a release candidate, and some analysts believe the company is on track to meet its self-imposed deadline of shipping Leopard next month. Developers received the latest pre-release of the OS, called 9A559, Friday evening, just hours after receiving two minor updates of the previous build 9A527, AppleInsider, a site for Mac enthusiasts, reported. Build 9A559 contained only a couple of known issues, and may be the first of several release candidates, AppleInsider said. The last release candidate graduates to "Gold Master," which is the version that's shipped for duplication and retail packaging. An Apple spokesman on Wednesday confirmed that 9A559 was the latest build, but could not confirm whether it was a release candidate. Leopard's official release number will be Mac OS X 10.5. For Apple to meet its promise of releasing Leopard to consumers sometime in October, the company would have to finish the current testing process within three weeks, and some analysts expect the company to meet the tight schedule.

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