Apple to ship Snow Leopard August 28

[Matthew DeCarlo]

Apple has finally announced a release date for Snow Leopard, their latest update for Mac OS X. Although the company previously gave hint of a September launch, speculation of an earlier release intensified last week as the Mac Box Set version of Snow Leopard briefly appeared in Apple's online store. Cupertino has now locked in a launch date of August 28, this coming Friday.

Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard first debuted at Apple's 2008 World Wide Developers Conference, the company's annual get-together. Instead of new end-user features, the update focuses on performance enhancements, under-the-hood tweaks, and feature refinements. Among the noteworthy changes that 10.6 brings is the transition to 64-bit applications, Grand Central Dispatch, OpenCL, and built in support for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 in Mail, Address Book as well as iCal.

The adjustments reportedly speed things up a bit, too. Apple claims their operating system update is quicker in more aspect than one, from faster installation times and waking from sleep, to shutting down. Meanwhile it's lighter than ever, with an installation footprint around 6GB. The update is only available for Intel-based Macs and has entirely dropped the PowerPC architecture of old.

As you probably already know, Apple is selling OS X 10 Snow Leopard for $29 - a figure that puts Windows 7's upgrade costs to shame.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/35937-apple-to-ship-snow-leopard-august-28.html

 

[MrAnderson]

I will agree that Microsoft's pricing is pretty high, but it is not fair to compare what apple decides to sell for their point realese when 1) there main OS is based on open source so they have saved much on developing a stable platform. 2) their bread an butter is in the hardware prices, for which Microsoft does not make money from Hardware cost. 3) PC owners do get savings when they purchase windows with a new system though and OEM rather than build their own PC (also, I might add is not an option for Mac owners). 4) Usually when a new Windows is realesed, it is not really mean to run on old hardware, err Apple just dropped support for dated Hardware, but Microsoft gets something close to a riot when they design for powerful systems.
I understand it is a balace, ah and here come Windows 7... An expensive upgrade for Vista and Xp users a like. IMHO Vista users should get a dirt cheap upgrade. They should extend the 50 buck upgrade and not just for preorders darn it!

 

[mattfrompa]

Snow Leopard...or SP1 for Leopard. So it hardly puts the Windows 7 price to shame. You must also account for the limitations of a Snow Leopard install. I believe it's also been mentioned before that Microsoft has averaged out to have fewer OS releases compared to mac that required you to pay. It's been said before, I'll say it yet again, compare the $29 dollar snow leopard to a free service pack.

 

[MrAnderson]

That is also a good point. And Just so I don't come off as a Microsoft hound, I have an iPhone and a Mac Book Pro, that sits along side my Windows Laptops and a desktop or two I built. It would be nice if I could build a box and install Mac OS on that. I would be will to pay more than 29 bucks too...

 

[Guest]

When your talking about Windows 7, what you really mean is Vista SP3. 6 years later, hundred$ of dollars later, and countless headache$ and lost productivity for many - we finally get an overpriced update to Vista that, for the most part, works as it was supposed to.

Sorry, but Ballmer has been ripping us off for too long. I'm sick and tired of taking it up the you know what for MS. Overpriced, overpromised, and underdelivering for years.

I'm now officially quitting my post as a Windows fanboy - so a new job is available for any dumb enough to take it.

Snow Leopard here I come! Yippee, I'll finally have a life now!

 

[tengeta]

Yawn about the Microsoft hate... seriously.
As for Snow Leopard, its got enough features to justify its price. I've read in depth for it and yes it has things that should be provided in a free service pack, but that isn't the entire update. It also effectively ends the era of 32-bit for most Intel Mac owners, which I am looking forward to.

 

[9Nails]

Guest, I don't mean to argue, but your points aren't valid. I've been running Vista from a few months after release and it's been Nvidia's fault that my system crashed twice since then. Microsoft has never caused a BSOD on this computer in 3 years. The price isn't as much of an issue with an OEM copy - only full retail. And honestly, very few people should have taken a Windows XP generation computer into Windows Vista - so OEM on new hardware should have been the path for most system builders.
The only tangible issue with Vista was the lack of 3rd party support and the major change involving drivers and the UAC. But, with a major point release such as Vista was, this is the typical situation. (Win95 = headache, Win98 = good, Win2000 = headache, WinXP = good)

 

[SNGX1275]

Even if SL seems like a service pack, it does offer significant OS enhancements for the Intel Macs. How can it be a service pack for Leopard when it won't run on some of the hardware Leopard does? That would be like Windows 7 SP1 not allowing you to install it on dual core system, you need at least a 4 core. See how stupid that would be, so Apple had no choice, they made it a new OS version. They know it is very similar, they indicate that with the name, and then they have aptly priced it for what it is.

 

[Guest]

9Inch, I'm glad you were one of the lucky ones. Unfortunately, being in the business of computer servicing, I had to deal with far too many XP downgrades and Vista reinstalls to deal with all variety of Vista f-ups (including my own systems) and unsatisfactory behaviour in professional situations to be able to corroborate your position. And, generally, I have had "far" less devestating issues to deal with for my Apple customers. The internet is full of similar Vista horror stories to back up my own extensive personal experience.

As I said, I'm glad your luck was different. But for the price of the full edition of Vista, loyal MS customers deserved much better. I'm hoping I won't have to deal with the same kind of baloney with VistaSP3 (W7) but I won't hold my breathe. Frankly, I think MS have taken this old, tired architecture beyond reason and it's time to put it to rest and come up with something new and original and not just a crappy OSX clone.

 

[Guest]

Let's Review:

1970s..Apple creates the very first GUI. Microsoft, being so innovative copies the GUI, tweaks a few things (makes it floating-point, and slaps the icons on the left of the display v.s. the right.)

2000's...Apple creates the iPod, which holds well over 75% of the market today, Microsoft follows with the Zune, which holds about 2%.

Since Mac OS X 3, Panther, Apple implements a technology called Exposé, which displays all open windows, 2 operating systems later, sure enough, Microsoft copies the idea in Vista as "Cascade" and now in Windows 7.

Since the first release of Mac OS X 1, the Mac had the Dock, which was a convenient way to access applications, today, Windows 7 advertises a feature in the "taskbar" that does the same thing.

Mac OS X 4, Tiger features Spotlight, a fast, easy way to search for anything on one's Mac without opening the built-in search engine. Naturally, we see this technology in Vista. BUT, there was a KEY ADVANCEMENT in this area....Instead of putting it on the top-right corner like the Mac does, it's on the bottom-left corner. WOW...Great job Redmond!

Mac OS X 5, Leopard, Icons take the image of the file. (Photo icons, are thumbnails of the actual photo, Word Documents are an exact replica of the document in thumbnail form), and wouldn't you expect that we see it in Windows Vista.

Mac OS X 1, Apple Mail was built-in to Mac OS X, which allows users to streamline their email accounts into one client. For the longest time, in Windows there was sort of this combo of address book, database, calendar, and mail called Outlook Express....well, no longer, it's now an independent program...Windows Mail. (They even used the same photo attachment in the screenshot as Apple did at the release of Tiger.

iCal, another innovative App by Apple has managed to be re-worked by Microsoft into Windows Mail....they even tried to copy the color scheme as the default in iCal.

They even have tried since Vista to copy the Mac OS X 'style' with the 'beautiful' interface.

But underneath it all, the problem with Windows, IT'S THE SAME OLD TECHNOLOGIES AS BEFORE!!!
-DLLs
-The Registry as its core
-Activation
-Disk Defragmentation


As far as cost, let's compare:

Microsoft creates like 5 different versions of their Operating System, Vista, for example: the cheapest started at $130, and went up from there....Apple releases 1 version with EVERYTHING a user needs, and only charges $79 ($29 for an upgrade customer). Microsoft does the same thing with Office, it starts at $150, and goes up from there, and Apple releases 1 version of iWork for just $79. And, Apple's do MORE by the way. By the time you get the cheap operating system and the cheap version of office, and all the virus protection you need, and all the additional Programs you'll need to buy because they weren't included in your bundled software, then having it repaired/cleaned out every year, and how you'll need to get a new one because the next release of Windows can't run on Your hardware, you'll spend MORE on your PC than you would on a Mac.

Windows 7 takes about 10GB of a hard drive, If a Mac user installs Mac OS X Snow Leopard (available This Friday), they will REGAIN 6GB on their Hard Drive.

WOW

This is just SOME examples of just how......well nvrmind Microsoft is!

I guess if you can't innovate, you just imitate....but it will NEVER be as good as the original.

 

[Guest]

The Apple Snow Leopard price is nice and my be cheaper for many than Win 7, but not me. My Macbook still has Tiger on it, and upgrading to Snow Leopard will be much more expensive. Whereas, upgrading my WinXP machine to Win 7 is still 50 bucks.

 

[mattfrompa]

Guest said:
Let's Review:
1970s..Apple creates the very first GUI. l.

nope...lost me here

 

[SNGX1275]

So he didn't credit Xerox... Xerox probably didn't have the first GUI either.

The rest of his points may be a bit exaggerated, I got a little confused about the first mention of Mail and Windows using a conglomerate of apps, since he later mentions iCal and Address Book, which to me seems like a conglomerate of apps when used with Mail...

But I think he point was MS copies a lot of things that are first publicized by Apple. Independent devs that play in Linux probably make several of the things before Apple even, but probably not as pretty or easy to use.

In any case, I'm not sure what his post had to do with the thread. And of course I think my post above is the best post in the thread

 

[Guest]

For the most part Apple has always been an innovator and MS always a follower since the beginning. The business model of the two companies differ in this regard. Apple invents - Microsoft imitates and swallows other innovative companies and\or talented employees. A company with the deep pockets that Microsoft has can successfully get away with this. As Apple grows, it will likely overlap into the Microsoft model increasingly - especially once it loses its only remaining root guru.

While this is a simplification, it is still useful.

Stick with the innovator while you can - the open mind is fundamental to long-term happiness. The imitator is a parrot - a religion with little heart or soul - living dead.

Then again, I do like watching how hard MS has tried to evolve the tired old Win architecture into something new without leaving to many behind. WPF that uses DirectX as the foundation rather than GDI\User32 will be there saving grace or disgrace - time will tell.

Incidentally, moving the graphics core from the kernel to the user space was another tip-of-the-hat to Apple