Search LEM
Donate · Amazon.com · MacResQ · Advertise Other Cobweb sites: Low End Living · Reformed.net

Quicklinks: · Power Macs · 'Books · Early Macs · Week's Best Deals · Best Buys · OS Downloads

Switching Off Mac OS 9 Andrew W. Hill 2002.09.12 Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com

Okay, so 25% of customers think OS X is confusing enough to go through the bother of switching. I know my Dad didn't like OS X at first, but he didn't want to have to reboot in OS 9 without giving X a shot, so he did. Now he's up to perhaps 50% time in OS X.

If 25% didn't want to bother to learn the already installed Mac OS X, why would they bother to buy a new computer? They'd stick with the aging one until it was no longer good enough. Then, when they have to switch operating systems anyway, they may just buy the cheapest one at the time from Gateway or Dell.

Is Apple saying they're willing to cut their market by 25%?

In my opinion, yes.

Apple did it once before, switching to the Mac from the Apple. There was a transition period with some emulation coming from the Mac XL and the Apple IIgs, and then they cut the Apple line around 1991. So about a seven year transition period.

I know many people that switched to Windows 3.1 instead of Macintosh after dumping their Apple IIs.

Again, switching to the PowerPC architecture. In 1994-95, both PowerPC and 68k systems were released by Apple, but more importantly is the software support. The first Power Mac was shipped in 1994, and the last 68k Mac OS (8.1) was released in 1998. That's a four year transition period.

With OS X, which has been around publicly since late 2000 (with the full release in early 2001), there will have been a two year time when you could run either 9 or X when OS 9 support is cut in 2003.

Very few people will argue that switching from the Apple command line interface to the Macintosh's GUI was a bad thing, even though it cost Apple a significant portion of their user base. Again, nobody will argue that switching from the CISC based 68k series to the RISC based PowerPCs was a bad thing. And five years from now, I don't believe anyone will argue that switching completely to OS X will have been a bad thing.

With the Macintosh, we switched to a more efficient user experience. With the PowerPC architecture, we switched to a more efficient processor design. With Mac OS X, we are switching to a more efficient operating system.

Yes, it's worth it.

<This article is available in a printer friendly format.>

Andrew W. Hill (a.k.a. Aqua) has been using Macintosh computers since 1987 and maintains that the Mac SE is the perfect Macintosh, superior to all - including the Color Classic. He is on the verge of being evicted from the family home due to its infestation of Macs (last count: about 50). Andrew is attempting to pay his way through college at UC Santa Cruz with freelance Web design and Mac tech support.

Recent articles by Andrew W. Hill

• California vs. Kazaa, 01.22. Can a California court have jurisdiction over an Australian software company?
• Switching off Mac OS 9, 09.12. No more booting into OS 9 with 2003 Macs -- is it a bad thing?
• The different world of Hong Kong, 07.17. So many differences in Hong Kong -- only the PowerBook 2400c seemed to really fit in.
• Why my 2400 is better than an iBook, 07.11. The iBook is small, much faster, more affordable, and has far better battery life, but the 2400 is smaller and more expandable.
• More in the Aquatic Mac index.

Links for the Day

• Mac of the Day: SuperMac S900, Aug. 1996 - This 6-slot tower supported dual CPUs and still has a following.
• List of the Day: Macintel List for discussion and support of Intel-based Macs.
  
• October 7 in LEM history: 98: Love that PowerBook G3 - 99: Troubleshooting 101 - Love at first sight - 02: Hot rodding a Power Mac for OS X - Beefing up Windows networking - 05: Choose FireWire 800 over USB 2.0 and FireWire 400 - Faster Mac minis shipping - Speedy 100 GB 7200 rpm notebook drives

Recent Content on Low End Mac

• New Apple Notebooks at Zero Minus One Week, Charles W. Moore, 'Book Value, 10.07. It's widely anticipated that Apple will overhaul the MacBook Pro and MacBook lines next Tuesday. What should we expect?
• How to Clone Mac OS X to a New Hard Drive, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 10.07. Whether you want to put a bigger, faster drive in your Mac or clone OS X for use in another Mac, here's the simple process.
• Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.07. Used 867 MHz Combo, no APX, $490; 1.33 GHz, $496; 1.5 GHz SuperDrive, $542.
• Best Mac mini Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.07. Used 1.25 GHz G4 Combo, $399; 1.42 SuperDrive, $559; 1.66 Core Duo, $499; new 1.83 Core 2 Combo, $570 after rebate; 2.0 SD, $770 a/r.
• Best Power Mac G3 and PCI Video Card Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.07. Used beige 300 MHz, $25; 333, $198; blue & white 300, $49; 350, $55; 400, $90; 450, $105; PCI video cards from $15.
• $19,800 Bentley Ego Laptop Remarkably Similar to 1999 Clamshell iBook, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 10.06. Granted, Apple's iBook didn't have white gold trim, a padded leather exterior, or come in colors to match your Bentley automobile.
• The Cost of Moving to Small Business Server vs. Moving to Leopard Server., Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job, 10.06. Upgrading the existing SBS 2003 Server would cost less, the the server will run up against hardware limitations long before a Mac Pro does.
• Use Your FileMaker Pro Databases on Your iPhone, Adam Rosen, Adam's Apple, 10.06. Although there's no version of FileMaker Pro for the iPhone, FMTouch will let you use your data and layouts on it.
• Best eMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.06. Used 700 MHz CD, $110; CD-RW, $130; Combo, $170; 800 CD, $170; 1 GHz Combo, $250; SuperDrive, $280; 1.25 Combo, $290; SD, $360; 1.42 Combo, $359.
• Best MacBook Air Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.06. Used 1.6 HD, $1,299; refurb, $1,499; new, $1,669 after rebate; 1.8, $1,919 a/r; 1.6 SSD, $2,294 a/r; used 1.8 SSD, $1,997; refurb, $2,299; new, $2,349 a/r.
• Best iPod shuffle Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.06. Refurb 3G/1 GB, $39; 2 GB, $59; new 1 GB (3G or 4G), $47; 2 GB (3G or 4G), $67. Prices include ground shipping.
• Mac Netbook Coming?, $179 64 GB SSD, Apple Owns 20% of US Notebook Market, and More, The 'Book Review, 10.03. Also head of Norton AntiVirus team uses a Mac, Toshiba demos new battery technology, 1 TB notebook drives due in 2010, bargain 'Books from $150 to $2,699, and more.
• Getting the Most from Your G3 Mac, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 10.03. Most G3 Macs can be upgraded so they can run Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger' quite nicely. Here's how.
• Apple Drops iPhone NDA, Defecting to Android, Auto Performance Apps for the iPhone, and More, iNews Review, 10.03. Also more research needed on cellphone cancer link, file sharing app for the iPhone, three new power accessories from Macally, several new iPhone apps, and more.
• Best Power Mac G4 and AGP Video Card Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.03. Used 450 MHz, $75; 500, $99; 733, $150; 800, $199; 1.25 GHz, C$349; 867 MHz dual, $225; 1 GHz, $349; 1.25, $499; 1.42, $600.
• OS X and Safari Shares Grow in September, Toxic Mac Pro?, Green Hard Drives, and More, Mac News Review, 10.03. Also Vista terrible as Mac market grows, CrossOver Mac Pro reviewed, SimpleTech Pro Drives, and a new toolkit for working on computers.
• Best iBook G3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.03. Used 300 MHz clamshell, $150; 366, $199; 500 CD, $149; 800, $190; 600 CD-RW, $240; 800 Combo, $300; 900, $399; 14" 600, $360; 900, $469.
• Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.03. Mac OS X 10.0.3, $30; 10.1, $20; 10.2, $60; 10.3 CD, DVD, $100; CD, $119; 10.1 Server, unlimited users, $65; 10.3 Server, unlimited, $150.
• More links in our archive.

---

<back to Aquatic Mac index>

---

Aquatic Mac begun December 28, 2001. All Tech Reflections articles ©2001-2003 by Andrew W. Hill. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2008 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.

Support LEM

Affiliates

The Apple Store
.mac
iTunes Store
Club Mac
MacMall
MacResQ
ExperCom
eBay
Amazon.com
PayPal
PCMall
PC Zone
Crucial Memory

Our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For detailed price quotes and advertising information, please contactat BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.