Linked by Thom Holwerda on Wed 10th Jun 2009 22:44 UTC
With Snow Leopard finally been given a release date and a price, the comparisons with Windows 7 are starting to pop up all over the place, especially focussing on the price aspect of things. While Apple's move to price Snow Leopard at 29 USD for Leopard owners is a very welcome one, the move doesn't mean that Microsoft is getting a price beating from Apple.
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Member since:
2006-10-06
Yet again, this must be a Thom filler day. Just a plain weird article. It really does read like someone who has very little experience with computers or operating systems, no sense of perspective.
I think the most ideal observations from this whole situation as we see Windows 7 and Snow Leopard appearing in the same timeframe:
- Customers win. So far, both look to be great operating systems. Good choices abound. Great prices too.
- Snow Leopard definitely starts on stronger footing. It's not a makeup OS. Leopard is great - Snow Leopard is just going to make it better. However, this is a risk - is Snow Leopard a completely new version of Mac OS X? Is it just a new mutation that will lead to greater advancements yet to come? How long will Leopard be supported? Maybe Apple is mitigating this risk by offering the upgrade so cheap - for people happy with Leopard, it's not much of a financial risk to take the plunge.
- Windows 7 is a makeup OS. Vista was a dud. Is it really going to be a smooth transition from XP to 7? What about people just now getting on the Vista train? And is it really all about perception? Vista really is a pretty decent OS, but the perception is that it stinks. Is 7 different enough to create a new perception among more than just the geeky? Are solid upgrade prices going to be enough to entice people? Will some still be happy with XP?
- Customers win regardless.
Spending anytime talking about Tiger and upgrading from Tiger to Leopard really points out how Thom is just out of it. What kind of issue is that? Who cares? If you are running Tiger, either you are pretty happy or your machine can't be upgraded. Leopard has been out long enough as is. The PPC drop was announced years ago. It's time to move on, though Leopard is amazingly fast (especially Safari 4) on both my G4 Cube and Powermac. The only reason upgrading from XP to 7 is an issue is because Microsoft screwed the pooch on Vista. Such is not the same with Apple.
For me, Snow Leopard is the better value. Vista runs great on my work PC, no need to upgrade for a few years. (Who wants to burn the money anyway with the economy as it is?) But my wife will be getting a Snow Leopard upgrade instantly as it is released. Meanwhile, a new Mac Mini will be taking up a little chunk of space on my desk come September.
Is this the golden age of computing?