NPD: Leopard latest in chain of "blow-out" Apple OS launches

[AppleInsider]

Sales during Mac OS X Leopard's first full month on store shelves reached an unprecedented high for any Apple operating system release to date, according to new research from the NPD Group.

When compared to OS sales in May 2005 -- the first complete month Mac OS X Tiger was available to customers -- Apple's November 2007 sales of Leopard were 20.5 percent higher, says NPD directing analyst Chris Swenson. This amount does not include copies pre-installed with new Macs but does blend both online and retail figures.

In comparison, Tiger represented a 30 percent increase over the 2003 Panther update, and 100 percent more than the 2002 release of Jaguar.

"It's really stunning to see Apple have one blow-out OS launch after another," Swenson tells AppleInsider. "It's clear that Apple has hit upon the right strategy for rolling out new versions of its OS."

Notably, the climb in dollar volume is disproportionately higher. Income from Leopard climbed by 32.8 percent. Family pack sales accounted for much of this, accounting for almost exactly one third of Leopard sales at 32.8 percent versus only 20.4 percent for the Tiger introduction and boosting the average sales price upwards as a result.

A lack of discounts from third-party stores for the OS helped account for the drop, according to the report.

Although Apple is said to have had inadvertently good timing by launching at the peak of the holiday shopping season and has been helped by a larger number of retail stores, the record has come in spite of the Cupertino, Calif.-based firm stepping down its promotional campaigns for the Leopard debut. A limited-run promotion, dubbed "Free Human With Purchase," helped buyers upgrade their Macs to Tiger with free in-store installation and an hour-long introduction to new features. Leopard's now standard Migration Assistant and the sheer cost of devoting staff to the project likely made it unnecessary, according to Swenson.

The Mac maker may also have determined that such programs are ineffective -- a lesson lost on CompUSA, the analyst observes. While the now in-liquidation retailer was one of Microsoft's most active retail partners for the Windows Vista launch in January and offered help for users upgrading to the new Microsoft package, few customers are believed to have been aware of the option or exercised it. Apple is reportedly under less pressure to do so given the constant presence of its Genius Bar, which provides both consultation and technical help.

"The Apple geniuses are [always] there for you," Swenson notes. "Apple didn't see the need to have 'dedicated free humans' just for the Leopard launch."

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[lkrupp]

Hasn't this analyst heard the news yet? Leopard is a complete failure! No one can even install it. And if some putz does manage to install it doesn't work, won't boot. Just visit Apple's support forums or MacFixit. Every single Mac user on the planet who has bought Leopard has declared it an utter disaster. No one has gotten Leopard to do anything as of yet. Look around folks!

Oh wait! I forgot. Most people don't have problems but we never hear from them because, well, they're happily being productive with Leopard.

[hmurchison]

Originally Posted by lkrupp

Hasn't this analyst heard the news yet? Leopard is a complete failure! No one can even install it. And if some putz does manage to install it doesn't work, won't boot. Just visit Apple's support forums or MacFixit. Every single Mac user on the planet who has bought Leopard has declared it an utter disaster. No one has gotten Leopard to do anything as of yet. Look around folks!

Oh wait! I forgot. Most people don't have problems but we never hear from them because, well, they're happily being productive with Leopard.

I don't even want to think about how many installs were screwed up because APE was installed. I think my system flaked a bit until I got smart and trashed that stuff.

So far Leopard's been good to me ...although I'm not hammering my system like some folks do.

[backtomac]

I think that a big difference between vista's roll out and leopard is who had problems.

With vista everyone seemed to be affected but technically competent users could troubleshoot issues. The average user got punished. everyone has to face the endless dialogue boxes asking whether you're sure you want do some action.

With leopard Apple seems to have made it painless for the average non pro user. The advanced Mac users are having issues but they can usually figure things out.

Neither are perfect but Apple seems to have made sure mom and dad don't have a hard time moving to leopard.

[skottichan]

What problems? I swear to god, I had to update both of my machines (late-2006 iMac & first-gen Macbook), both of my girlfriend's (late-06 Mini & late 04 14" iBook), my parents' 12" Late '04 iBook, my grandparents' G4 iMac, as well as helping friends and extended family upgrade their Macs.

The ONLY problem I had was my gramma's Superdrive failed during the install, and that was hardly Leopard's fault.

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Sales during Mac OS X Leopard's first full month on store shelves reached an unprecedented high for any Apple operating system release to date, according to new research from the NPD Group.

When compared to OS sales in May 2005 -- the first complete month Mac OS X Tiger was available to customers -- Apple's November 2007 sales of Leopard were 20.5 percent higher, says NPD directing analyst Chris Swenson. This amount does not include copies pre-installed with new Macs but does blend both online and retail figures.

In comparison, Tiger represented a 30 percent increase over the 2003 Panther update, and 100 percent more than the 2002 release of Jaguar.

The Jaguar figure may be just because it's being accepted as many Mac user's first OS X. The increases since then though could probably be attributed to more machines in the field because Apple's Mac volume has been increasing pretty steadily.

[aross99]

I know some people have had issues with Leopard, but for me, my installations were flawless - on a wide range of hardware.

Powerbook G4 1.0Ghz w/768M - no issues, but could use some more memory.
Mac Mini G4 1.25Ghz w/512G - no issues - upgraded to 1G ram for performance
2 iMac G5's 1.9Ghz w/1G - no issues
2 MacBook CD 2.0Ghz w/1.25G - no issues
MacBook Pro C2D 2.33Ghz w/2G - no issues

All of these were Upgrades from Tiger 10.4.11.

That's 7 updates on 5 different types of machines, and not a single problem related to the OS.

Not one blue screen, or hang during the install. The closest I came was that on the very first machine (MacBook Pro) on Launch day, I didn't disable the "ClearDock" haxie before the install. I didn't have any issues though, so I guess I had a new enough version.

I have to say that Tiger installed on all of the Power PC machines just as easily. All of the Intel machines came with Tiger.

Maybe I am just lucky, but my experience with Leopard installs is very positive. The improvement in iChat's Video chat alone was worth the update.

Now if I could just get my hierarchical folders back in the dock... :-)

[Dorotea]

Originally Posted by aross99

I know some people have had issues with Leopard, but for me, my installations were flawless - on a wide range of hardware.

I have two macs - G5 iMac and Core 2 Duo macbook. Install went fine. But my printer is hosed when connected via USB. CUPS drivers suck. No help from Apple. No help from printer manufacturer. I wish I had left the iMac on Tiger.

Hopefully printing will get better. Printing is working through my airport extreme base station Printing doesn't work through USB.

My systems are plain jane. No special software.

[teedoff087]

Originally Posted by aross99

Now if I could just get my hierarchical folders back in the dock... :-)

How many times do I have to post this link?

http://brockerhoff.net/quay/

[guinness]

I upgraded my week old C2D Mini, running Tiger, and it sucked. Period. Sluggish, stuck in mud feeling. And not much installed either, iWork 08, iLife 08, a few freeware apps, Hamachi, Fink.

Did a clean install, and it has been night and day; Leopard runs fantastic. As a Windows user, I always do a clean install of a new OS, as a) leaves the crap behind, and b) a lot things can break. In early experience with an OSX upgrade, I find the 2 no different.

And the leaving the crap behind is probably the best reason to do a clean install, but at least upgrades to work for some - I had to upgrade a Win2000 machine at work today to XP, as I was pressed for time, and was shocked that everything went through w/o a hitch.

I'll have to upgrading some Tiger machines at work to Leopard, and hopefully those go better than with my machine.

[pepp5]

Originally Posted by aross99

Now if I could just get my hierarchical folders back in the dock... :-)

http://leoparddocks.com/
http://www.macworld.com/article/6094...rsttweaks.html

[digitalclips]

Originally Posted by pepp5

http://leoparddocks.com/
http://www.macworld.com/article/6094...rsttweaks.html

I have said that too but just discovered if you hold a document over a folder in the dock it does spring open to any nested level and will even allow to to drop on an application to launch it ... maybe this was always there and I missed it as you still can't access this way without an item held over, i.e. just the pointer alone as you could in Tiger.

[Marvin]

Is 'blow-out' a good thing? When I'm driving and I get a blow-out i.e my tyre bursts, that is not a good thing. If a teenager is made to go to a picnic and says 'this blows', that is not a good thing. When did 'blow-out' change its meaning? Or are analysts trying to appeal to the younger generation?

Anyway, I think Leopard sales and reaction vs Vista don't really tell the whole story as usual. Part of the Leopard sales will simply be because Apple have disabled Bootcamp in Tiger. This doesn't matter much if Windows is installed but it practically forces a lot of people to upgrade. I couldn't use my Apple keyboard for months because I had to upgrade to 10.4.10 or something. Now that I finally upgraded, I find I can't even use the stupid thing to boot my machine holding the alt-key. I have to unplug it and use my old PC keyboard. Maybe I'll have to upgrade to Leopard before it'll work properly.

Regarding the support issues, Apple really should have next to none when you think about how limited their hardware options are. Windows supports nearly any piece of hardware under the sun so comparing the vastly different amount of hardware compatibility each has to provide, it's not surprising Vista has problems.

I think the term they should use instead of 'blow-out' is 'overblown'.

[jonparadise]

Originally Posted by lkrupp

Hasn't this analyst heard the news yet? Leopard is a complete failure! No one can even install it. And if some putz does manage to install it doesn't work, won't boot. Just visit Apple's support forums or MacFixit. Every single Mac user on the planet who has bought Leopard has declared it an utter disaster. No one has gotten Leopard to do anything as of yet. Look around folks!

Oh wait! I forgot. Most people don't have problems but we never hear from them because, well, they're happily being productive with Leopard.

Slight over reaction there I think.

I've installed on 4 computers here, and not even a sqeak from them. All working very well.

[Abster2core]

Originally Posted by jonparadise

Slight over reaction there I think.

I've installed on 4 computers here, and not even a sqeak from them. All working very well.

Sorry Jonpardise, but reread the last line. It appears you got 'krupped."

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by Marvin

Is 'blow-out' a good thing? When I'm driving and I get a blow-out i.e my tyre bursts, that is not a good thing. If a teenager is made to go to a picnic and says 'this blows', that is not a good thing. When did 'blow-out' change its meaning? Or are analysts trying to appeal to the younger generation?

I've seen "blow-out" in ads to refer to a "big sale" in other places, mostly ads. It's about as odd as the old Mac lingo where a processor speed update was called a "speed bump", when many people think of a speed bump as a means to slow people down.

Anyway, I think Leopard sales and reaction vs Vista don't really tell the whole story as usual. Part of the Leopard sales will simply be because Apple have disabled Bootcamp in Tiger. This doesn't matter much if Windows is installed but it practically forces a lot of people to upgrade. I couldn't use my Apple keyboard for months because I had to upgrade to 10.4.10 or something. Now that I finally upgraded, I find I can't even use the stupid thing to boot my machine holding the alt-key. I have to unplug it and use my old PC keyboard. Maybe I'll have to upgrade to Leopard before it'll work properly.

That's odd, Apple keyboards work on Windows computers just fine. My mom is using my terrarium-style keyboard on her Windows computer. I've even used it on my PS3. I use a Microsoft keyboard on my Mac. The point being, I've never seen a compatibility issue with any combination of machine and keyboard brand.

I thought that booting wasn't disabled, it was just that more updates were not coming and that you can't make new installs under Tiger.

[zanshin]

Originally Posted by Marvin

Windows supports nearly any piece of hardware under the sun...

Windows has NEVER supported "nearly any piece of hardware under the sun." The other day an upper management "Windows" guy asked me if Mac had finally started using USB. It was great fun telling him about how my Macs were using USB keyboards when Windows NT boxes had USB ports, but no support in the system for them.

From FireWire drives and camcorders to scanners, plotters, CD writers and DVD burners, video and SCSI boards, Windows has had issues with communicating properly for years when the Mac was a plug and play set-up.

While there may be more devices developed with Windows boxes in mind, the "support" part of Windows and it's creators has always been a pain in the ass, and one of the leading causes of swollen IT budgets and staffs with frustrated users.

Of course, that's just my professional observation -- your mileage may vary.


And oh, yeah -- "blow-out" is perfectly acceptable terminology. While a terminally bored adolescent may think his parent's church picnic "blows," his girlfriend's blow-out graduation party made his month.

[jawporta]

Working fine for me. Apple is defiantly weeding out G4's but it works good on all my intel machines.

Originally Posted by lkrupp

Hasn't this analyst heard the news yet? Leopard is a complete failure! No one can even install it. And if some putz does manage to install it doesn't work, won't boot. Just visit Apple's support forums or MacFixit. Every single Mac user on the planet who has bought Leopard has declared it an utter disaster. No one has gotten Leopard to do anything as of yet. Look around folks!

Oh wait! I forgot. Most people don't have problems but we never hear from them because, well, they're happily being productive with Leopard.

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by zanshin

Windows has NEVER supported "nearly any piece of hardware under the sun." The other day an upper management "Windows" guy asked me if Mac had finally started using USB. It was great fun telling him about how my Macs were using USB keyboards when Windows NT boxes had USB ports, but no support in the system for them.

From FireWire drives and camcorders to scanners, plotters, CD writers and DVD burners, video and SCSI boards, Windows has had issues with communicating properly for years when the Mac was a plug and play set-up.

The problems you're talking about is outdated and doesn't apply anymore. My current and all my previous workstations have had UW SCSI or better included. For non-workstations, SCSI doesn't apply and hasn't for a decade or more. Windows 2000 supported USB and Firewire in 1999. The way both Windows and Mac supports plug and play for many devices is that they both pre-install f$*kloads of drivers. Someone said in another thread that Leopard's print drivers alone take 2GB.

[digitalclips]

Originally Posted by JeffDM

The problems you're talking about is outdated and doesn't apply anymore.

You are saying Windows is plug and play now? Or am I missing some dry humor here? XP is plug and play... ROFL. Yes, you are jesting ... good one.

Plus ... wasn't that one of the main complaints against MS new flagship Vista too?

'Plug and Pray' is still going strong in the MSDOS ... oops sorry Windows World believe me ... I have to use both platforms.

[digitalclips]

Originally Posted by jawporta

Working fine for me. Apple is defiantly weeding out G4's but it works good on all my intel machines.

I think he was kidding

[David Stevenson]

Originally Posted by JeffDM

Someone said in another thread that Leopard's print drivers alone take 2GB.

Is there a "custom de-install"? I know there is a custom install when upgrading, but if you buy a new system with whatever installed, do you have to re-install the OS to cut down the system (for a non-geek)?

[Marvin]

Originally Posted by JeffDM

It's about as odd as the old Mac lingo where a processor speed update was called a "speed bump", when many people think of a speed bump as a means to slow people down.

Hmm, I never really thought about that one.

Originally Posted by JeffDM

That's odd, Apple keyboards work on Windows computers just fine.

I know, it sucks. It's the same with Safari. I couldn't use version 3 without upgrading to 10.4.9 but I was able to use it in XP no problem.

Originally Posted by JeffDM

I thought that booting wasn't disabled, it was just that more updates were not coming and that you can't make new installs under Tiger.

No it boots just fine if I unplug the Apple keyboard and use my old cheapo PC keyboard. If I use the Apple keyboard and hold alt, the computer just turns off.

Originally Posted by zanshin

Windows has NEVER supported "nearly any piece of hardware under the sun." The other day an upper management "Windows" guy asked me if Mac had finally started using USB. It was great fun telling him about how my Macs were using USB keyboards when Windows NT boxes had USB ports, but no support in the system for them.

From FireWire drives and camcorders to scanners, plotters, CD writers and DVD burners, video and SCSI boards, Windows has had issues with communicating properly for years when the Mac was a plug and play set-up.

While there may be more devices developed with Windows boxes in mind, the "support" part of Windows and it's creators has always been a pain in the ass, and one of the leading causes of swollen IT budgets and staffs with frustrated users.

Of course, that's just my professional observation -- your mileage may vary.

Well yeah I guess the devices that are meant to work with Windows won't always work but I have yet to see an all-in-one scanner/copier/printer that will work with a Mac. All those little voice memo recorders that only work with Windows. USB webcams where you even have to get 3rd party drivers and hope for the best. PC keyboards with media keys. Graphics cards. Mobile phone and PDA syncing. If you don't work with those things, then it's not a huge problem but even though I don't personally, people come to me all the time with these issues and I hate it so much when they ask if it would work with Windows and I have to say it would because they say it in a patronizing way.

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by Marvin

PC keyboards with media keys.

Many if not most of the media keys on my Logitech Bluetooth keyboard do work in my HTPC Mac. I have no other experience with media keys on keyboards though. I thought there were standardized media key codes in the USB standard, but I could be wrong on that.

[rudie75]

Originally Posted by lkrupp

Hasn't this analyst heard the news yet? Leopard is a complete failure! No one can even install it. And if some putz does manage to install it doesn't work, won't boot. Just visit Apple's support forums or MacFixit. Every single Mac user on the planet who has bought Leopard has declared it an utter disaster. No one has gotten Leopard to do anything as of yet. Look around folks!

Oh wait! I forgot. Most people don't have problems but we never hear from them because, well, they're happily being productive with Leopard.

Hy, you are both wrong and right at the same time.

Since i installed Leopard about a month ago or so, i have had no serious problems at all. It works just fine. So i guess then, that every single Mac user minus one has gotten to do it anything as of yet

But seriously, your right about people not posting when they haven't got any problems.

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by rudie75

Hy, you are both wrong and right at the same time.

Since i installed Leopard about a month ago or so, i have had no serious problems at all. It works just fine. So i guess then, that every single Mac user minus one has gotten to do it anything as of yet

But seriously, your right about people not posting when they haven't got any problems.

I thought lkrupp was being sarcastic on the first part, making a certain point there and completing the point in the second part.