µTorrent has finally been released for Mac. This is the first official Mac beta for Intel Macs running OS X 10.5 Leopard. The software is free to download and use. Users are advised to exercise caution while using the still buggy-software.

TUAW notes that this first Mac version of µTorrent doesn't have all the features found on the Windows side, such as the RSS downloader, but it does offer the same clean user interface, using very few memory.

It is noted in the same report that µTorrent might have arrived a tad too late with clients like Vuze (formerly known as Azureus) and Transmission. While Transmission users are likely to stick with their original pick, Vuze users might be interested in the µTorrent beta, mostly due to the client's low-memory footprint.

For those who aren't very familiar with the software, µTorrent is a BitTorrent client. The program follows the rules of a protocol such as HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol). BitTorrent (often abbreviated to 'BT') is a protocol (a set of rules and description of how to do things) allowing you to download files quickly, by permitting the download of the file and the upload of (distribute) parts of it at the same time.

Since it is a lot cheaper, faster, and more efficient to distribute files using BitTorrent than a regular download, the method is often used for distribution of very large files, very popular files, and files available for free. Just as there are multiple HTTP clients, there are multiple BitTorrent clients, and µTorrent is one such client.

BitTorrent can be used to deliver any type of file. However, BitTorrent is purely a content distribution method, and does not incorporate any technology to differentiate between content that is legitimately shared and content that is pirated – just like a web browser.

NOTE that anybody can see your IP address when using peer to peer clients such as µTorrent. This identifies your computer on the Internet, so you'd better not break your country's laws concerning copyrighted content while using µTorrent. All this being said...

Download µTorrent for Mac Beta (Free)

Follow the editor on Twitter @FilipTruta