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The PC industry would sell a ton more computers if Microsoft solved the upgrade problem. Why do you keep a computer for 5 years? Only because it hurts too much

by herf 13y ago

The PC industry would sell a ton more computers if Microsoft solved the upgrade problem. Why do you keep a computer for 5 years? Only because it hurts too much to upgrade, and no way is this solely about the cost. XP was able to upgrade to Vista, but nobody did. XP could not upgrade to Windows 7, so nobody did. Microsoft advertises third-party migration tools, rather than owning this problem and building out of it. They've had years to get it right. And yes, the cost in reality is not just an OS upgrade. It's sometimes a new machine, and also $300 for Office and peripherals without updated drivers. But it is mostly convenience: preserving apps, preferences, and licenses is important to regular people. It also isn't that hard, because they did the work for migrating XP to 32-bit Vista. I've been consistently amazed that my Mac has updated from version to version perfectly, even 32-to-64. Windows has been a disaster every time. Preserve people's state, preserve their data, and they will buy your software.

clarry 13y ago
Another reason for people keeping their computer & OS for five or more years is that it might have just worked for them. So there was no pressing need to upgrade.
- Corrado 13y ago
  Yes there was a pressing need to upgrade, they just didn't see it. There is a reason that competent computer support departments don't let software installs get old/stale. Eventually, that software that you depend on is going to become obsolete and you are going to wish that you had kept up with the updates. Just because you can run your business on a DEC Vax from 1986 doesn't mean that you should!
Mister_Snuggles 13y ago
> I've been consistently amazed that my Mac has updated from version to version perfectly, even 32-to-64. Windows has been a disaster every time. Don't forget the whole PowerPC -> Intel thing too. I started on Mac OS X 10.2 on a G3 iBook, made my way up to a PowerBook, then an Intel MacBook Pro follwed by another Intel MacBook Pro. There were a handful of programs that didn't get updated to support Intel along the way, but the only one that I actually miss is Quicken. I wish Apple hadn't dropped Rosetta, but I suspect that they needed to in order to force software makers to move forward. Intuit didn't, and a few other companies opted to force a paid upgrade to get a version that works on Intel. By and large, my programs and data have survived being migrated through four computers, seven major OS versions, a major architecture change, and the move from a 32-bit OS to a 64-bit OS. That's pretty cool. I'm still looking for a Quicken-like program that works for me, but I have a feeling I'll end up either making my own or using Excel.
GFK_of_xmaspast 13y ago
"I've been consistently amazed that my Mac has updated from version to version perfectly" If you stayed on 10.5 too long, there was no way to go to 10.8 without serious hijinx.
cwyers 13y ago
...the same Mac that, the year Windows XP was released, switched from OS9 to OSX, a completely different BSD/NeXTStep based operating system that eventually forced users to completely upgrade every single application they ran once they moved to Leopard about seven years ago? That one?

by herf 13y ago

clarry 13y ago

Another reason for people keeping their computer & OS for five or more years is that it might have just worked for them. So there was no pressing need to upgrade.

Corrado 13y ago
Yes there was a pressing need to upgrade, they just didn't see it. There is a reason that competent computer support departments don't let software installs get old/stale. Eventually, that software that you depend on is going to become obsolete and you are going to wish that you had kept up with the updates. Just because you can run your business on a DEC Vax from 1986 doesn't mean that you should!

Mister_Snuggles 13y ago

> I've been consistently amazed that my Mac has updated from version to version perfectly, even 32-to-64. Windows has been a disaster every time. Don't forget the whole PowerPC -> Intel thing too. I started on Mac OS X 10.2 on a G3 iBook, made my way up to a PowerBook, then an Intel MacBook Pro follwed by another Intel MacBook Pro. There were a handful of programs that didn't get updated to support Intel along the way, but the only one that I actually miss is Quicken. I wish Apple hadn't dropped Rosetta, but I suspect that they needed to in order to force software makers to move forward. Intuit didn't, and a few other companies opted to force a paid upgrade to get a version that works on Intel. By and large, my programs and data have survived being migrated through four computers, seven major OS versions, a major architecture change, and the move from a 32-bit OS to a 64-bit OS. That's pretty cool. I'm still looking for a Quicken-like program that works for me, but I have a feeling I'll end up either making my own or using Excel.

GFK_of_xmaspast 13y ago

"I've been consistently amazed that my Mac has updated from version to version perfectly" If you stayed on 10.5 too long, there was no way to go to 10.8 without serious hijinx.

cwyers 13y ago

...the same Mac that, the year Windows XP was released, switched from OS9 to OSX, a completely different BSD/NeXTStep based operating system that eventually forced users to completely upgrade every single application they ran once they moved to Leopard about seven years ago? That one?