9 ms·

The whole free OS which can only run upon hardware they have already sold you is reminding me of how IBM used to sell AIX and moved into giving it away free as

by Zenst 13y ago

The whole free OS which can only run upon hardware they have already sold you is reminding me of how IBM used to sell AIX and moved into giving it away free as it would only run upon hardware only they made and sold you. Question is though, what about support. You have a 3 year old Mac of some flavour and upgrade to this OS, what about issues you may have. ANother aspect would be that by in effect making this level of OS available to all supported models out there warranty wise, they make life in supporting systems a little bit easier and very likely will drop support for the other older OS's on these models quicker. Again making life in support easier in many ways as well as making developers lives a lot easier. Especialy if they can target toward the a single denominator OS wise and take advantage of all the features without working towards only features common to the previous flavours. Either way a good move. Though can bet there will be somebody on the older flavour of OS who will have some essentual application that they must have which has issues. But time will tell. Good move on many levels I'd say by Apple.

midgetjones 13y ago
I think that it's most likely they want everyone on the latest OSX for the same reasons that it's good to have everyone on the latest iOS. Whatever they're planning, getting everyone on board is obviously an important part of that. I think the biggest thing over the last two keynotes is the iWork update - MS have been ridicuslously slow in the one area they could have won, which was bringing Office to iOS. I'm pretty sure this is the nail in the coffin.
- sarreph 13y ago
  >Whatever they're planning You just wait...
  - yaddayadda 13y ago
    Wait for it ... [1] [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqkYnfAhgy0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqkYnfAhgy0
- mturmon 13y ago
  "...the iWork update..." This seems to be really powerful. I've been surprised, during the last two demos of iWork, at the lack of oohs and aahs in the audience when things like (last time) the web-based editing, and (this time) the collaboration on live documents were demo'ed.
  - cenhyperion 13y ago
    They don't get oohs and aahs because exactly the same thing has been possible via google docs for several years. It's impressive, yes, but not groundbreaking.
    - mturmon 13y ago
      It's not unique, but it's still under-appreciated. The potential of this dual threat (Google Docs, iWork) to Microsoft is substantial. Besides, it's cool technology.
    - danudey 13y ago
      The quality of document you can get from Pages vs. Google Docs is night and day. Google Docs is a barebones office suite with an awful UI and live sync. iWork is a semi-professional ('prosumer?') home/school/office suite which now has synchronization as well.
      - cenhyperion 13y ago
        Very true. That's the reason I've personally stuck with Pages for document editing. The ability to collaborate easily is going to be really, really great.
- myko 13y ago
  Do you think MS is planning on bringing Office to iOS? I figure if they haven't by now, they wont at all.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
masklinn 13y ago
> The whole free OS which can only run upon hardware they have already sold you is reminding me of how IBM used to sell AIX and moved into giving it away free as it would only run upon hardware only they made and sold you. On the other hand, once upon a time Apple made you pay for software which also run upon hardware only they made and sold you. Back before Snow Leopard, that was $129 per user (though installable on an unlimited number of machines)
- savoytruffle 13y ago
  Snow Leopard was the first cheap version because it had "No New Features". It was $29 for a DVD. Leopard was the last one to cost $129 in 2007.
- willimholte 13y ago
  IIRC it was not legal to install on multiple machines (perhaps it was legal for multiple personal machines?).
  - 3825 13y ago
    No, but there was no technological measure preventing you (serial number or phoning home) that would stop you as far as I can recall. You can buy a single copy or a family pack for five computers. http://www.amazon.com/Mac-10-4-Tiger-Family-Pack/dp/B0007LW1MW http://www.amazon.com/Mac-10-4-Tiger-Family-Pack/dp/B0007LW1... http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Mac-10-4-Tiger-VERSION/dp/B0002G71T0 http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Mac-10-4-Tiger-VERSION/dp/B0002G...
    - yaddayadda 13y ago
      Apple has taken measures to technologically limit your ability to do so. When I bought my most recent MacBook Pro it came with Lion. Because of network issues at work I could't use Lion (still can't), so I tried to put Snow Leopard in a VM (using the copy I had previously put on my now defunct MacBook Pro) but Apple and VMWare had put in technological blockers to prevent putting SL on a Lion VM or Lion on a SL VM. So, I repartitioned and copied my old MacBook over and am still living happily with SL.
X-Istence 13y ago
Even if your Mac is no longer supported or on Apple care you can always book an appointment with the genius bar to get questions answered regarding setting up email accounts or if something is malfunctioning. Apple also sells one-on-one sessions if you are so inclined or need longer sessions than what the genius bar can help you with.
- te_chris 13y ago
  * if you live in a country where apple has such things (not New Zealand).
  - nraynaud 13y ago
    It was Frodo or Apple. Stop bitching :)
    - lostlogin 13y ago
      My (NZ) taxes paid for you to see Frodo. Bitching may continue!
      - nraynaud 13y ago
        Is is disrespectful that I just skimmed through the movie in a plane?
- ZachWick 13y ago
  I wonder how "out of date" your Apple product can be and they will still help you with it? I think a trip to my local Apple Store with my trusty Apple ][+ is in order.
tehwebguy 13y ago
> Question is though, what about support. You have a 3 year old Mac of some flavour and upgrade to this OS, what about issues you may have. If you have an Apple store nearby you can walk in and get help. There is a limit to what they will do, my anecdotal experience is that most people with software issues get them fixed in a few minutes without going to repair. But if you don't you are SOL with a >3 year old product. Here are the timelines for AppleCare: http://www.apple.com/support/products/mac.html http://www.apple.com/support/products/mac.html
- MattBearman 13y ago
  It's worth noting that if you're in the EU you get 2 years warrantee for free - http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/ http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/
  - madeofpalk 13y ago
    Not just EU, many countries. In Australia, it's two years from last service. Potentially, you could have a never-ending warranty if it's replaced every 2 years. http://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/statutoryrights.html http://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/statutoryrights.html
  - wtil 13y ago
    And 5 years in Scotland and 6 years in the rest of the UK
zcam 13y ago
It's only "free" for Snow Leopard owners, which means not free at all, on the other hand this answers the support question.
- jfb 13y ago
  It's free for anyone with supported hardware, by the commonly accepted definition of "free".
- Tehnix 13y ago
  Stab in the dark, but, I guess it's because it requires the App Store to get it, which, AFAIK, first became available in 10.6.6, meaning, Snow Leopard is the farthest back you go. If you get someone to DL it for you and burn it to disk/USB drive, you can probably also install it on Macs with older versions, since you'll just boot up in it.. So, it is free for everyone, but, only distributed easily to Snow Leopard and thereafter users.
thrillgore 13y ago
>Question is though, what about support. You have a 3 year old Mac of some flavour and upgrade to this OS, what about issues you may have. I have a Macbook Pro 5,1 and only about three weeks ago did I upgrade to Mountain Lion from Lion. I typically wait a couple of point releases to make sure all the beachballs are resolved. I do need real multi-monitor support though...
epmatsw 13y ago
That's been the case for the last few releases. When Lion came out, a lot of major apps dropped support for Snow Leopard within a year. I stuck around on SL for a while because I preferred (and still prefer) the way that it handled Spaces, but I eventually didn't feel like I could keep missing out on updates just for that.
- avn2109 13y ago
  Seriously. Mission control was a major productivity drop down from spaces.
  - epmatsw 13y ago
    Yep. I was pretty dumbfounded by how much less functional it was in Lion. I basically went from using Spaces constantly to probably not having used it in the past 2 years. I ended up completely replacing it with a bunch of keyboard and gesture shortcuts in BetterTouchTool.
    - FreezerburnV 13y ago
      I discovered http://totalspaces.binaryage.com http://totalspaces.binaryage.com recently. I haven't tried it yet because I didn't want to buy it when Mavericks was so close, but it certainly looks like it brings back the original Spaces functionally. And now it's compatible with Mavericks, so I'm gonna be grabbing the trial when I get it installed. Hopefully it'll help you get your original productivity back. (and mine as well) (and here's hoping that the download doesn't take TOO long. almost 2 days estimated right now :( )
      - epmatsw 13y ago
        Wow, that actually looks pretty impressive. Might have to give it a go.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
DustinCalim 13y ago
> Question is though, what about support. They sell you that too.
mweibel 13y ago
I have a late 2008 macbook pro (which happens to be the oldest supported version) and Mountain Lion worked flawlessly. I'll upgrade to Mavericks today and see what happens. I think it'll work without problems :)

by Zenst 13y ago

midgetjones 13y ago

I think that it's most likely they want everyone on the latest OSX for the same reasons that it's good to have everyone on the latest iOS. Whatever they're planning, getting everyone on board is obviously an important part of that. I think the biggest thing over the last two keynotes is the iWork update - MS have been ridicuslously slow in the one area they could have won, which was bringing Office to iOS. I'm pretty sure this is the nail in the coffin.

sarreph 13y ago
>Whatever they're planning You just wait...
- yaddayadda 13y ago
  Wait for it ... [1] [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqkYnfAhgy0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqkYnfAhgy0
mturmon 13y ago
"...the iWork update..." This seems to be really powerful. I've been surprised, during the last two demos of iWork, at the lack of oohs and aahs in the audience when things like (last time) the web-based editing, and (this time) the collaboration on live documents were demo'ed.
- cenhyperion 13y ago
  They don't get oohs and aahs because exactly the same thing has been possible via google docs for several years. It's impressive, yes, but not groundbreaking.
  - mturmon 13y ago
    It's not unique, but it's still under-appreciated. The potential of this dual threat (Google Docs, iWork) to Microsoft is substantial. Besides, it's cool technology.
  - danudey 13y ago
    The quality of document you can get from Pages vs. Google Docs is night and day. Google Docs is a barebones office suite with an awful UI and live sync. iWork is a semi-professional ('prosumer?') home/school/office suite which now has synchronization as well.
    - cenhyperion 13y ago
      Very true. That's the reason I've personally stuck with Pages for document editing. The ability to collaborate easily is going to be really, really great.
myko 13y ago
Do you think MS is planning on bringing Office to iOS? I figure if they haven't by now, they wont at all.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

masklinn 13y ago

> The whole free OS which can only run upon hardware they have already sold you is reminding me of how IBM used to sell AIX and moved into giving it away free as it would only run upon hardware only they made and sold you. On the other hand, once upon a time Apple made you pay for software which also run upon hardware only they made and sold you. Back before Snow Leopard, that was $129 per user (though installable on an unlimited number of machines)

savoytruffle 13y ago
Snow Leopard was the first cheap version because it had "No New Features". It was $29 for a DVD. Leopard was the last one to cost $129 in 2007.
willimholte 13y ago
IIRC it was not legal to install on multiple machines (perhaps it was legal for multiple personal machines?).
- 3825 13y ago
  No, but there was no technological measure preventing you (serial number or phoning home) that would stop you as far as I can recall. You can buy a single copy or a family pack for five computers. http://www.amazon.com/Mac-10-4-Tiger-Family-Pack/dp/B0007LW1MW http://www.amazon.com/Mac-10-4-Tiger-Family-Pack/dp/B0007LW1... http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Mac-10-4-Tiger-VERSION/dp/B0002G71T0 http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Mac-10-4-Tiger-VERSION/dp/B0002G...
  - yaddayadda 13y ago
    Apple has taken measures to technologically limit your ability to do so. When I bought my most recent MacBook Pro it came with Lion. Because of network issues at work I could't use Lion (still can't), so I tried to put Snow Leopard in a VM (using the copy I had previously put on my now defunct MacBook Pro) but Apple and VMWare had put in technological blockers to prevent putting SL on a Lion VM or Lion on a SL VM. So, I repartitioned and copied my old MacBook over and am still living happily with SL.

X-Istence 13y ago

Even if your Mac is no longer supported or on Apple care you can always book an appointment with the genius bar to get questions answered regarding setting up email accounts or if something is malfunctioning. Apple also sells one-on-one sessions if you are so inclined or need longer sessions than what the genius bar can help you with.

te_chris 13y ago
* if you live in a country where apple has such things (not New Zealand).
- nraynaud 13y ago
  It was Frodo or Apple. Stop bitching :)
  - lostlogin 13y ago
    My (NZ) taxes paid for you to see Frodo. Bitching may continue!
    - nraynaud 13y ago
      Is is disrespectful that I just skimmed through the movie in a plane?
ZachWick 13y ago
I wonder how "out of date" your Apple product can be and they will still help you with it? I think a trip to my local Apple Store with my trusty Apple ][+ is in order.

tehwebguy 13y ago

> Question is though, what about support. You have a 3 year old Mac of some flavour and upgrade to this OS, what about issues you may have. If you have an Apple store nearby you can walk in and get help. There is a limit to what they will do, my anecdotal experience is that most people with software issues get them fixed in a few minutes without going to repair. But if you don't you are SOL with a >3 year old product. Here are the timelines for AppleCare: http://www.apple.com/support/products/mac.html http://www.apple.com/support/products/mac.html

MattBearman 13y ago
It's worth noting that if you're in the EU you get 2 years warrantee for free - http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/ http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/
- madeofpalk 13y ago
  Not just EU, many countries. In Australia, it's two years from last service. Potentially, you could have a never-ending warranty if it's replaced every 2 years. http://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/statutoryrights.html http://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/statutoryrights.html
- wtil 13y ago
  And 5 years in Scotland and 6 years in the rest of the UK

zcam 13y ago

It's only "free" for Snow Leopard owners, which means not free at all, on the other hand this answers the support question.

jfb 13y ago
It's free for anyone with supported hardware, by the commonly accepted definition of "free".
Tehnix 13y ago
Stab in the dark, but, I guess it's because it requires the App Store to get it, which, AFAIK, first became available in 10.6.6, meaning, Snow Leopard is the farthest back you go. If you get someone to DL it for you and burn it to disk/USB drive, you can probably also install it on Macs with older versions, since you'll just boot up in it.. So, it is free for everyone, but, only distributed easily to Snow Leopard and thereafter users.

thrillgore 13y ago

>Question is though, what about support. You have a 3 year old Mac of some flavour and upgrade to this OS, what about issues you may have. I have a Macbook Pro 5,1 and only about three weeks ago did I upgrade to Mountain Lion from Lion. I typically wait a couple of point releases to make sure all the beachballs are resolved. I do need real multi-monitor support though...

epmatsw 13y ago

That's been the case for the last few releases. When Lion came out, a lot of major apps dropped support for Snow Leopard within a year. I stuck around on SL for a while because I preferred (and still prefer) the way that it handled Spaces, but I eventually didn't feel like I could keep missing out on updates just for that.

avn2109 13y ago
Seriously. Mission control was a major productivity drop down from spaces.
- epmatsw 13y ago
  Yep. I was pretty dumbfounded by how much less functional it was in Lion. I basically went from using Spaces constantly to probably not having used it in the past 2 years. I ended up completely replacing it with a bunch of keyboard and gesture shortcuts in BetterTouchTool.
  - FreezerburnV 13y ago
    I discovered http://totalspaces.binaryage.com http://totalspaces.binaryage.com recently. I haven't tried it yet because I didn't want to buy it when Mavericks was so close, but it certainly looks like it brings back the original Spaces functionally. And now it's compatible with Mavericks, so I'm gonna be grabbing the trial when I get it installed. Hopefully it'll help you get your original productivity back. (and mine as well) (and here's hoping that the download doesn't take TOO long. almost 2 days estimated right now :( )
    - epmatsw 13y ago
      Wow, that actually looks pretty impressive. Might have to give it a go.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

DustinCalim 13y ago

> Question is though, what about support. They sell you that too.

mweibel 13y ago

I have a late 2008 macbook pro (which happens to be the oldest supported version) and Mountain Lion worked flawlessly. I'll upgrade to Mavericks today and see what happens. I think it'll work without problems :)