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"And then the reveal: Mac OS X — sorry, OS X — is going on an iOS-esque one-major-update-per-year development schedule. This year’s update is scheduled for rele
by jinushaun 15y ago
"And then the reveal: Mac OS X — sorry, OS X — is going on an iOS-esque one-major-update-per-year development schedule. This year’s update is scheduled for release in the summer, and is ready now for a developer preview release. Its name is Mountain Lion."
Yearly updates? Most exciting nugget of news in the post, IMO.
The only problem is that iOS updates are free, while OS X updates are not. With one update per year, they run the risk of version fragmentation if users have to pay to keep up with the upgrade cycle.
- sosuke 15y agoLion was 35 bucks I think? Maybe they will go the free update route, that would be awesome!
- fpgeek 15y agoAs long as Apple controls which versions of OS X iTunes runs on (and they've been rough on Mac users in the past - at least as compared to Windows users), they have all the tools they need to avoid "fragmentation".
- sipefree 15y agoThere's a reason for that. U.S. accounting law requires that non-subscription devices that are upgraded have a fee associated with the upgrade under Apple and many analysts’ interpretation of the law. This is why iPod Touch owners have to pay for upgrades while iPhone users do not. I think Apple may have relaxed that recently though, and I wouldn't be surprised if they release Mountain Lion for free.
- neilparikh 15y agoiPod Touch updates have been free for a while now, I think.
- mitchellhislop 15y agoIf I recall, this is also why FaceTime, when it left beta, cost $.99.
- wmf 15y agoEither the law was changed or Apple changed their interpretation a few years ago.