LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.
OWC: Top Quality Memory for Faster Mac Performance 1GB/2GB/4GB Kits from
$23.99/$47.99/$94.99 Expert Support, Free Installation Videos & Guides,
Lifetime Advance Replacement Warranty - www.MacSales.com
My Turn is Low End Mac's column for reader-submitted
articles. It's your turn to share your thoughts on all things
Mac (or iPhone, iPod, etc.) and write for the Mac web. Email your
submission to Dan Knight
.
Apple made a lot of people happy with Jaguar -- then disappointed
current OS X users by not offering a reduced cost upgrade
path.
Apple made a lot of people happy with iTools -- then disappointed
current iTools users by renaming it .mac and turning it into a
revenue center.
I think Apple could do better. I have a suggestion that would turn
their disappointed customers into fans again.
The Olden Days
Once upon a time, Apple offered OS upgrades for free to every Mac
owner. Bring in a few floppies, and your dealer would copy System 5
or 6 or 7 for you.
Then came System 7.1, which ended the free ride. Every OS since
then has been a retail upgrade, although Apple has made System 7.5.3
and 7.5.5 freely available for download.
So Apple has a history of charging for upgrades, but also a prior
history of offering no cost upgrades.
My suggestion is that Apple offer a one year OS upgrade guarantee
with all new Macs and every copy of OS X sold. As long as you
register with Apple, you would be able to download any OS X
upgrade for one year from the date of purchase. You would also have
the option of ordering a CD upgrade for $20.
As for iTools
My next suggestion is that Apple offer one year of free iTools
service with every new Mac and every new copy of Mac OS X v10.2
(or later) sold. Not free email for life, but a free email address
and storage space and more for the first year you own your new Mac --
or for the first year since you've purchased a full copy of the Mac
OS.
Subscriptions
After one year, Apple could offer a subscription service. You
could sign up for a year of .mac for $99, or you could pony up $149
for a year of .mac, the right to download OS upgrades for a year, and
free OS updates on CD during that year.
This could get a lot of people who are incensed over the price of
Jaguar and the cost of .mac to rethink their position.
AppleCare Plus
Finally, Apple could boost the price of AppleCare by $200 and sell
it as AppleCare Plus, which would include three full years of .mac
service and three years of OS upgrades. This would make AppleCare,
which I already consider essential with laptops, a more enticing
option for new buyers.
Conclusion
I'd love to see Apple offer a $49 or $79 upgrade path for those
using Mac OS X, and I'd love to see them offer a low-cost (maybe
$10/year) way for current mac.com email users to keep just their
email address, but I'm not holding my breath.
Instead, I'm suggesting a way that Apple can better serve their
customers and make the cost of their services more attractive.
Share your perspective on the Mac by emailing with "My Turn" as your subject.
Recent My Turn articles
Using Low End Macs for Internet Radio, 08.18.
When the local public radio station moved classical music to HD radio, it was time to find another way to listen. An old iMac with iTunes solved the problem.
'That's Not a Computer', 07.30.
Salvaging a broken PowerBook by turning it into a desktop computer.
My 4 favorite PowerBooks, 05.28.
The PowerBook 150 has a big screen for a vintage PowerBook, the 165c has color, the 100 is diminutive, and Lombard has USB and a great keyboard.
Mac of the Day: DayStar Genesis, Oct. 1995 - The first 'Mac' with multiple processors, technology Daystar licensed to Apple.
List of the Day: SuperMacs is for those using Umax SuperMac clones.
October 6 in LEM history: 98: USB is a good thing - Can Apple save Emailer? - 99: Kihei iMacs - 00: Advice about PDS Power Macs - 03: A replacement PowerBook battery - 04: AirPort Express - 05: The Apple Lisa story - 06: Don't ignore battery recall - Use any networked computer as an additional Mac display
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.
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.
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.
The Best Browsers for Older Macs Running Tiger, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 10.02.
A dial-up user's overview of browsers for Mac OS X 10.4 puts the emphasis on reliability, downloads, and speed.
CodeWeavers Brings Google's Chrome Browser to Intel Macs, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 10.02.
Google's new Chrome browser uses separate processes for each tab and brings other changes to Windows users. Now Mac fans can try it as well.
Best MacBook Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.02.
Used 1.83 GHz, $649; 2.0 SD, $750; refurb 2.1 GHz, $899; 2.4, $1,099; black, $1,299; new 2.1, $1,019 after rebate; 2.4, $1,204 a/r; black, $1,394 a/r.
Best iMac G5 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.02.
Used 17" 1.6 GHz Combo, $450; 2.0 SuperDrive, $500; 1.9 iSight, $625; 20" 1.8 GHz, $550; 2.0, $600; 2.1 iSight, $650.
Best iPod touch Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.02.
Used 1G/8 GB, $160; refurb, $179; new, $198; used 16, $200; refurb, $219; new, $265; refurb 32, $319; new, $345; 2G/8 GB, $229; 16, $280; 32, $380.
Best Intel iMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.01.
Used 17" 1.83 GHz, $625; 20", $599; 2.16, $749; 24", $950; refurb 20" 2.0, $949; 2.4, $999; 2.66, $1,299; 24" 2.4, $1,299; 2.8, $1,549; 3.06, $1,899; rebates on new.
Best 15" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.01.
Used 1.25 GHz Combo, $560; 1.33, $580; 1.5, $596;, 1.67 SuperDrive, $690; hi-res, $800.
Best Apple TV Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.01.
Refurb 40 GB Apple TV, $199; new, $224; refurb 160 GB, $279; new, $322 - prices include ground shipping.
All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For
price quotes and advertising information, please contact
at BackBeat Media
(646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.
Problems viewing this page with Internet Explorer
5.5 or 6? It works fine in other browsers, including IE 7. We
recommend Firefox
for those using Windows, as it is standards based and more
secure than IE 6 (and earlier). More LEM visitors use Firefox
than any other browser.
