Steve Jobs already held a mock funeral for Mac OS 9, so
nobody should have been at all surprised when he announced that next
year's models won't be able to boot in the classic Mac OS.
But based on the comments of some, you'd think the world was
coming to an end - the Mac world at least.
Sorry, but this was as inevitable as MHz ratings and hard drive
sizes going up year after year. The old OS always makes way for the
new.
Been There, Done That
Was there outrage when System 6 was displaced by System 7? After
all, 7.0 wouldn't let you turn of MultiFinder and really needed
2 MB of RAM. Worse, some applications broke under the newer,
more bloated OS.
On the other hand, nobody was forced to abandon System 6 or the
computers that already ran it so well. To this day there's a
dedicated core of System 6 users visiting System
6 Heaven and participating in our
System 6 email list.
Whether they're using a 1 MB 8 MHz Mac
Plus or an 8 MB 40 MHz Mac
IIfx, the old OS and their old software run just fine on their
old hardware. I've even heard of people running System 6 on 68040
accelerated Mac IIcis (see
Turbo Six
Hotrods).
That Was Then, This Is Now
Is there any difference between that and Apple's announcement that
the 2003 Macs won't boot into Mac OS 9?
No, there isn't. Macs designed after System 7 are generally unable
to run System 6, and models designed around Mac OS 8.x won't run any
version of 7.x. That's just the way things have always worked on the
Mac side of the street.
I realize things are different on the PC side of the street, where
you can probably still boot those Pentium and Athlon powered beasties
from DOS 3.3 on a 5.25" floppy if you want to, but to get the most
out of modern hardware, you need an operating system designed to
support modern features such as USB, FireWire, PCI slots, AGP video,
gigabit ethernet, AirPort, and the like.
The OS 9 Solution
Rather than decrying Apple for doing what they've always done -
designing new models for the new OS and leaving the old behind -
those who know and love the classic Mac OS have a much better option.
They can stick with whatever Power Mac or 'Book they're currently
using and keep running OS 9.x on it.
If that's not good enough, they can always upgrade to pre-2003
models that will still boot the OS they know and love. And if that's
no longer fast enough at some point, I suspect we'll see faster
processor upgrades for today's dual processor Power Macs, so you may
eventually be able to zoom past the power of a pair of 1.25 GHz G4
CPUs.
Nobody is forcing them to switch - just like when Apple went from
System 6 to 7 in 1991. Stick with your low-end Macs and low-end
operating systems. They will continue to serve you well.
Dan Knight has been using Macs since 1986,
sold Macs for several years, supported them for many more years, and
has been publishing Low End Mac since April 1997. If you find Dan's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
MacDrought: 4 Months with No New Macs, 08.27.
The most recent Mac update was over four months ago, and the Mac mini has been unchanged for over a year.
The iMac Legacy: After the G3, 08.15.
The G3 iMac influenced the whole industry, but Apple continued to move forward with innovative designs using G4, G5, and Intel processors.
Mac of the Day: iMac Core2, Sep. 2006 - Apple introduced the biggest screen ever in an iMac with a 24" Core2 Duo model at 2.16 GHz.
List of the Day: Old Mac MP covers 604-based multiprocessor Macs and clones.
September 6 in LEM history: 99: G4 vs. Pentium III - 00: Setting up a server - 02: Norton Utilities warning - 10 greatest computer annoyances - 06: iMac Core2 Duo - Mac mini Core Duo - The iMac Core2 value equation - 07: Apple seduction - Why I really want an iPod touch - iPod history, 2005 to present - Upgrading a Power Mac G - Apple intros iPod touch, classic, and video nano
Listen to Just the Music with the V-Moda Vibe Earbuds, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 09.05.
Well built, the noise canceling earbuds will let you hear all the nuances of your music without letting through background noise.
Best iPod touch Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.05.
Refurb 8 GB, $199; new, $284; refurb 16 GB, $299; new, $370; refurb 32 GB, $399; new, $453.
Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.05.
Used 1.83 GHz Core Duo, $999; 2.16, $1,125; new, 2.2, $1,450 after rebate; refurb 2.4, $1,699; 2.5, $1,999; 2.6 Santa Rosa, $1,849; rebates on new.
Best iMac G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.05.
Used 15" 700 MHz CD-RW, $279; 800 Combo, $300; 1 GHz $390; 17" 800 MHz SD, $439; 1.25 GHz, $449; 20", $569.
Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.04.
Used 867 MHz Combo, no APX, $490; 1 GHz, $550; SuperDrive, $625; 1.5 GHz w/o APX, $660; w/APX, $675.
Best Mac mini Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.04.
Used 1.25 GHz G4 SD, $549; 1.42 Combo, $409; new 1.83 Core2 Combo, $569 after rebate; 2.0 SD, $769 after rebate.
Best 17" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.04.
Used 1 GHz, $779; 1.33 GHz, $799; 1.5 GHz, $859; 1.67 GHz, $910.
11 Mac Browsers Compared, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 09.03.
The latest versions of Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, Shiira, iCab, Radon, Firefox, Netscape Navigator, SeaMonkey, Flock, and Camino tested in Leopard.
Best eMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.03.
Used 700 MHz Combo, $120; 1.25 GHz SuperDrive, $150; 1.42 GHz, $349.
Best Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard' Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.03.
Mac OS X 10.5, single user, $99; 5 users, $140; 10.5 Server, 10 users, $395; unlimited, $850.
Best MacBook Air Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.03.
Refurb 1.6 HD, $1,499; new, $1,690 after rebate; refurb 1.8, $1,699; new, $1,919 a/r; refurb 1.6 SSD, $2,099; new, $2,294 a/r; refurb 1.8, $2,299; new, $2,400 a/r.
Psystar Strikes Back, Countersues Apple, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 09.03.
Psystar is trying to paint Apple as a monopoly and force it to license the Mac OS.
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.
