You know what I love? I love how Apple frequently updates its
operating system in order to add new features and fix bugs.
While Microsoft just sits there saying, "We'll add it in
Longhorn, we promise!", Apple offers a new Mac OS X release
roughly once a year in order to incorporate some much wished for
features while adding two or three neat "unexpected" things. For
instance, Exposé in OS X 10.3 (Panther).
That's what I love about Apple - they never seem to quit fixing
bugs and adding to their software.
But that's not what I really love. What I really
love is how Apple proceeds to charge users of OS X another
$129 every single time that they decide to upgrade their Mac
OS.
If they decline to upgrade, "I'll wait until more people are
using it," they get left behind. It doesn't seem to matter if the
latest version of some critical app doesn't work with the older
version of OS X you're using, because no matter what version
it is, if it's not the latest - it's "too old," and if it's too
old, then it's not worth supporting anymore.
It's not just Apple with that attitude. If you visited the Mac
websites in the weeks after 10.3 Panther was released, far more
articles were about it instead of Jaguar - new software for
Panther, system hacks, and other little tidbits were coming out
daily.
Articles about how to get the most with Panther, but what about
Jaguar? It was but forgotten. I can't blame Apple for this - after
all, they have to push 10.3 sales if they want to make a profit off
of the software. They are a business, after all.
As far as the Mac Web goes, it's natural for people to be
curious about the newest version of the Mac OS. Of course they'll
want to play with it and write about their experiences, and that
pushes sales in a way, too.
Pushing sales is fine, because OS X upgrades generally
offer some good features that make upgrading worthwhile.
But if you buy every single upgrade, it starts running into
money fast. Some of us have already spent several hundred dollars
buying OS X plus the upgrades from 10.0 or 10.1 to 10.2 and
then to 10.3. We'll probably buy 10.4 as well. What's another
$129?
What Apple ought to have is a policy for frequent upgraders. If
you have bought a certain number of OS X upgrades (maybe two),
you should be able to get a discount on the next one. The more
upgrades you've bought, the better discount on the next version.
It's sort of a loyalty scheme to reward those who upgrade their Mac
OS and stay up to date.
After all, it ensures that they have the most recent and
(hopefully) less bug-ridden software, and it helps Apple by selling
another copy of the OS. Fewer bugs and more features for the
consumer, more profit for Apple. It's win-win, the way I see
it.
Apple makes some pretty good products, and I like to see that
consumers are receiving one of their Mac OS updates positively.
However, I would really like software upgrades available on more
affordable terms for Mac users, especially those who have supported
Apple by frequently buying their products in the past.
Yes, Apple is a business and needs to make money, but I think it
could make more money if it decided to give an incentive for people
to upgrade from an older version of the Mac OS by allowing loyal
customers to purchase the latest version at a slightly lower price.
