AppleInsider.com is reporting that Mac OS X 10.6, aka Snow Leopard, will be featuring Quick Look technology that allows users to preview audio and video files as part of that file’s icon.  

A source with access to the pre-release software told AppleInsider that hovering the mouse pointer over a file icon in the Finder will trigger a triangular “Play” button to appear on the file’s icon. Clicking on it begins audio or video playback. As an audio file plays, the “Play” button turns into a square “Stop” button with a ring around it. The ring fills according as the track progresses. Video files act similarly, with the icon becoming the video itself.

The source noted that this style of Quick Look could be switched back to 10.5 Leopard’s Finder window preview style with a simple whack on the spacebar.  

The icon Quick Look feature also works for other files such as those for iWork and Microsoft Office. But unless users have their icon size bumped up to the maximum, Snow Leopard testers say the feature is rather useless. Having the latest Mac OS is cool, but having to wear drugstore “readers” to use it… not so cool.

For the past seven years, cutting-edge Apple users have been spoiled by a constant stream of features and enhancements that have kept Mac OS X fresh and exciting. While putting the brakes on what once was an annual update, Apple has managed to keep rolling out significant OS upgrades worthy of their $129 price tags, and Mac devotees have become accustomed to watching Steve Jobs ceremoniously pull back the curtain on round after round of killer apps.

More headlines about the iPhone 3G, PowerPC-hater Snow Leopard, what we all learned at WWDC, and glimpses at an iSight HD and a possible iCar.

Not so fast -- the Snow Leopard that developers got is just a preview. But yes, it's a preview for Intel Macs only.

So you may have heard some rumors that the next version of OS X, code-named Snow Leopard, will work on Intel Macs only. Screenshots (and more) from the developer preview being handed out at WWDC attendees show that the current (emphasis on current) version of Snow Leopard requires "an Intel processor." Processor support for the final version, expected to ship in a year or so, is still unconfirmed.

Apple’s newest operating system was announced at the 2008 Worldwide Development Conference. Code-named Snow Leopard, the new version’s moniker implies Apple is focusing on refining the operating system more than making major changes.

There's a lot to like about Leopard - and a few things we don't like.

Apple has done their part to stoke the excitement, as well. If you’re a true MacLifer, you’ve watched the Guided Tour and have pored over the oh-so-comprehensive list of Leopard's "300+ New Features." You've also perused Leopard's system requirements and have taken note of the more-demanding requirements for iChat. If you're a tech type, you've dug into the Leopard Dev Center and have given the Leopard Technology Overview more than a passing glance.

But the question remains: What's it like to actually use Leopard for day-to-day work?