[...]This source, who has an unproven track record, claims that Apple higher-ups were pushing for an aggressive price point on Lion -- an approach the company already employed with great success when Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard launched in late 2009. [...]
Apple sells their OS and apps relatively cheaply. Because they make most of their profits from their relatively high hardware margins. Microsoft, on the other hand, needs to sell their OS and apps for the highest prices they think they can get away with. Because their hardware sales are negligible. (And yes, that includes their minor hit, Kinect, which only brings the Xbox division's run rate to break-even after losing billions over the years.)
In fact, Microsoft has gone to great lengths to muscle their users into upgrading. There are six different Windows 7 editions, all with different prices, from the crippled Starter to the hugely overpriced Ultimate. You can't even get an install DVD for Starter because Microsoft doesn't want anyone to stay with the stripped Starter version.
Microsoft has figured out a way to irritate users enough to upgrade Windows, for a price, even before there is a new release. People buy pee cees, pre-installed with a rollerskate version of Windows, and many people feel forced to pay to unlock features by "upgrading" to a less-stripped version. Users pay twice. Once for the OS that is pre-installed, and again for the retail "upgrade" that unlocks features.
Apple is looking 10 and 20 years ahead. By 2031, hardware margins will be near-zero for consumer electronics that can handle internet, 3-D HDTV, and whatever other entertainment media are available by then. Computing power and ultrafast wireless internet access will be cheap and pervasive. Apple is already preparing for that future by starting to establish themselves as the consumer electronics infrastructure of the future.
Sounds odd, but just watch. Apple will continue to quietly buy up smaller companies like Siri for their potential. Before they become well-known and overpriced (like Skype.) And Apple will quietly roll out relatively obscure features like iPv6 and VPN. People, especially the media, won't notice because they're too busy pawing the latest iPod touch or iPad or iPhone. But those obscure features just might be an integral part of iCloud (for syncing and secure access from anywhere) and Apple's 20 year plan.
I think one big point has been missed here. Apple has an amazing amount of room for growth in Macs. Apple's penetration into the PC market is no where near that of MP3 players, smartpones, or tablets.
So make iCloud free for Lion buyers and it makes it free for another group of people as well. iPhone and iPod touch users who are thinking about a Mac. So how is this for a value proposition: "Buy a Mac and you can listen to all your music on your phone at anytime, anywhere... for free." Throw in iPad's with Data Plans, and iPod Touches where ever there is a wifi signal.
That kind of mobile access to your media would create a huge incentive for people to switch over to a Mac.
Apple's margins on Macs are such that they may be able to absorb the cost of iCloud if it is tied to the Mac in this way.
I think one big point has been missed here. Apple has an amazing amount of room for growth in Macs. Apple's penetration into the PC market is no where near that of MP3 players, smartpones, or tablets.
So make iCloud free for Lion buyers and it makes it free for another group of people as well. iPhone and iPod touch users who are thinking about a Mac. So how is this for a value proposition: "Buy a Mac and you can listen to all your music on your phone at anytime, anywhere... for free." Throw in iPad's with Data Plans, and iPod Touches where ever there is a wifi signal.
That kind of mobile access to your media would create a huge incentive for people to switch over to a Mac.
Apple's margins on Macs are such that they may be able to absorb the cost of iCloud if it is tied to the Mac in this way.
Talk about integrated vs. fragmented solutions.
I think that is a brilliant idea for increasing Mac sales and ecosystem growth, as a whole, but I think users should always have access to the content they've procured on iTunes Store, not just the App Store.
Users need peace of mind when buying music and movies online. If your digital content gets deleted or stolen you can content iTunes help via email and they'll reissue them to you; though I doubt this is well known and it's certainly a hassle. This fulfillment needs to be at the forefront of the digital age, not a footnote.
I thought iCloud was a separate media service from Apple, I didn't realise it was going to replace MobileMe. I wonder what the new email prefix will be...
Ah well, as long as I can access the existing MobileMe services I'll be fine and dandy, the MobileMe calendar is like my life support system at this point, haha! I would actually be incredibly annoyed if the existing MobileMe services became free, because free means ad supported and ad support equals a lot of spam emails and a privacy policy I probables wont agree with...
As long as they make it somewhat easy to backup the OS to a flash drive (to reinstall it as needed), then there's little reason to buy a physical copy.
As a seed user of Lion I've had to download it from the App store. My experience was simply that it downloaded and I ran it. After installation I was able to copy it to a DVD and load it onto another Mac from the DVD. Therefore, a backup of what you bought is possible and probably a good idea as the download of several gigs does take time.
As a seed user of Lion I've had to download it from the App store. My experience was simply that it downloaded and I ran it. After installation I was able to copy it to a DVD and load it onto another Mac from the DVD. Therefore, a backup of what you bought is possible and probably a good idea as the download of several gigs does take time.
I hope they make it easier to make a bootable disc right within the Install Mac OS X Lion.app. As of right now you have to Show Package Contents, locate the InstallESD.dmg, mount it, and then do a Restore to a destination disk. This isn't something the average user should be doing.
In Recovery HD there is an option to install Mac OS X Lion but it fails because it can't find the source file. Hopefully this isn't part of the Restore Disc UI they have failed to remove and will let you choose the source file.
Years ago I used to manage emails for our offices. Based on my experience what you describe when moving 1k emails is normal. it takes time for the servers to move the data. Personally I would never keep that many emails on a remote server and would rather back them up locally. I suppose you feel the need to access them at all times, which is fine just don't expect remote services to be that fast when you copy or search that many emails. It's not a MM problem.
The only problem I've ever had with MM scrapping data is when I'm uploading data using a slow cable or dsl connection. You need reliable speeds of at least 2 mb/s IMO. Has failed me every other time with large (+2 or 3 GB files) So really the question is how Apple might tend to the problem (data corruption during transition or synching) since fiber optic is not common and still too expensive for an average consumer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PXT
Whether or not people have happy experiences with MobileMe syncing seems to be all in the luck of the if-then-else draw. I have seen terrifying data loss in every app, except iDisk which I find so slow I am never sure it's done before I pack up my Mac and leave. On another forum where I participate, not related to tech and therefore reasonably grown-up, someone mentioned losing some data and the whole forum seemed to chime in with further examples.
Eg in mail: I renamed a folder with 1,000+ emails in it. The folder disappeared, the new one appeared with no emails, over the next 30 minutes new emails reappeared, but not all, then later the old folder reappeared holding some of the old email, but the total number of remaining emails was less than the original. I have tons of these examples such as multiple drafts of sent emails lurking in Drafts but won't bore you, though I do envy you your working MobileMe.
When it does work, it is bad at maintaining data quality. Say you decide you want to make a custom tag for dates called 'expirydate'. You do it on the iPhone and next time you want to do the same, you click Custom and you see your previous custom tags and can choose the same one. But on OSX when you choose Custom, you *don't* see them, so you might enter "Expiry Date", which is not the same. Now you have a mess with two tags for the same thing and poor data quality. If you wanted to do something clever with searching or some AppleScript, it's broken. Same applies with country. Choose a country on the iPhone and the country is set. On OSX you can't choose a country, it's just text. Even if you type it exactly as on the iPhone it's just text. So if you enter Nicaragua in OSX and view it on the iPhone, it looks correct, but when you drill into the edit screen it's still set to the default USA. And when you try to map it, it often ends up showing Cupertino due to no matching address. Again, the examples go on and on.
One thing that wouldn´t help Lion addoption is if Core Solo Macs and/or Core Duo Macs were not supported by Lion.
There is a host of older iMacs and Mac Minis that should be supported. (hec even if its not your main Mac, maybe you use it as a backup server and Lion´s server software would be perfect for that)
Any news on what the minimum system requirements for Lion will be?
They're not officially supported in the Developer Preview, but it's possible they could be by the time of final release. However i wouldn't count on it. Likely Apple will deem the benefit of certifying Lion on hardware of that vintage not to be worth the cost. Unless, of course, Apple truly wants to make Lion ubiquitous, in which case they might justify it.
Get a NAS like the Promise SmartStor. Built in DNLA with a web server and you can access and stream media from the browser.
I have no idea what "DNLA" is or how it would make life easier for me.
Thanks for the suggestion. I went to the Promise site and had a look around. The DAS sounds like a great idea and a great deal. I just have to come up with the big bucks!
One thing that kind of depressed me at the Promise site was this interesting turn of phrase:
Years ago I used to manage emails for our offices. Based on my experience what you describe when moving 1k emails is normal. it takes time for the servers to move the data. Personally I would never keep that many emails on a remote server and would rather back them up locally. I suppose you feel the need to access them at all times, which is fine just don't expect remote services to be that fast when you copy or search that many emails. It's not a MM problem.
---
I described a problem of MobileMe deleting my emails and them not coming back. That's a basic data-processing failure and destructive.
Comments
SL is actually free.
Not free, it costs you your RL.
[...]This source, who has an unproven track record, claims that Apple higher-ups were pushing for an aggressive price point on Lion -- an approach the company already employed with great success when Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard launched in late 2009. [...]
Apple sells their OS and apps relatively cheaply. Because they make most of their profits from their relatively high hardware margins. Microsoft, on the other hand, needs to sell their OS and apps for the highest prices they think they can get away with. Because their hardware sales are negligible. (And yes, that includes their minor hit, Kinect, which only brings the Xbox division's run rate to break-even after losing billions over the years.)
In fact, Microsoft has gone to great lengths to muscle their users into upgrading. There are six different Windows 7 editions, all with different prices, from the crippled Starter to the hugely overpriced Ultimate. You can't even get an install DVD for Starter because Microsoft doesn't want anyone to stay with the stripped Starter version.
Microsoft has figured out a way to irritate users enough to upgrade Windows, for a price, even before there is a new release. People buy pee cees, pre-installed with a rollerskate version of Windows, and many people feel forced to pay to unlock features by "upgrading" to a less-stripped version. Users pay twice. Once for the OS that is pre-installed, and again for the retail "upgrade" that unlocks features.
Apple is looking 10 and 20 years ahead. By 2031, hardware margins will be near-zero for consumer electronics that can handle internet, 3-D HDTV, and whatever other entertainment media are available by then. Computing power and ultrafast wireless internet access will be cheap and pervasive. Apple is already preparing for that future by starting to establish themselves as the consumer electronics infrastructure of the future.
Sounds odd, but just watch. Apple will continue to quietly buy up smaller companies like Siri for their potential. Before they become well-known and overpriced (like Skype.) And Apple will quietly roll out relatively obscure features like iPv6 and VPN. People, especially the media, won't notice because they're too busy pawing the latest iPod touch or iPad or iPhone. But those obscure features just might be an integral part of iCloud (for syncing and secure access from anywhere) and Apple's 20 year plan.
Not free, it costs you your RL.
True.
So make iCloud free for Lion buyers and it makes it free for another group of people as well. iPhone and iPod touch users who are thinking about a Mac. So how is this for a value proposition: "Buy a Mac and you can listen to all your music on your phone at anytime, anywhere... for free." Throw in iPad's with Data Plans, and iPod Touches where ever there is a wifi signal.
That kind of mobile access to your media would create a huge incentive for people to switch over to a Mac.
Apple's margins on Macs are such that they may be able to absorb the cost of iCloud if it is tied to the Mac in this way.
Talk about integrated vs. fragmented solutions.
"Buy a Mac and you can listen to all your music on your phone at anytime, anywhere... for free."
Can already do that without buying a Mac.
And without uploading your personal data to a company (Apple) that doesn't tell you when it gets stolen.
iCloud is solution in search of a problem.
I think one big point has been missed here. Apple has an amazing amount of room for growth in Macs. Apple's penetration into the PC market is no where near that of MP3 players, smartpones, or tablets.
So make iCloud free for Lion buyers and it makes it free for another group of people as well. iPhone and iPod touch users who are thinking about a Mac. So how is this for a value proposition: "Buy a Mac and you can listen to all your music on your phone at anytime, anywhere... for free." Throw in iPad's with Data Plans, and iPod Touches where ever there is a wifi signal.
That kind of mobile access to your media would create a huge incentive for people to switch over to a Mac.
Apple's margins on Macs are such that they may be able to absorb the cost of iCloud if it is tied to the Mac in this way.
Talk about integrated vs. fragmented solutions.
I think that is a brilliant idea for increasing Mac sales and ecosystem growth, as a whole, but I think users should always have access to the content they've procured on iTunes Store, not just the App Store.
Users need peace of mind when buying music and movies online. If your digital content gets deleted or stolen you can content iTunes help via email and they'll reissue them to you; though I doubt this is well known and it's certainly a hassle. This fulfillment needs to be at the forefront of the digital age, not a footnote.
Ah well, as long as I can access the existing MobileMe services I'll be fine and dandy, the MobileMe calendar is like my life support system at this point, haha! I would actually be incredibly annoyed if the existing MobileMe services became free, because free means ad supported and ad support equals a lot of spam emails and a privacy policy I probables wont agree with...
One more thing, I have a pro and an air. Does anyone know if I will have to buy two copies?
Or a way of getting it on both without paying twice?
If it works like the Mac app store now, one purchase for all your devices.
As long as they make it somewhat easy to backup the OS to a flash drive (to reinstall it as needed), then there's little reason to buy a physical copy.
As a seed user of Lion I've had to download it from the App store. My experience was simply that it downloaded and I ran it. After installation I was able to copy it to a DVD and load it onto another Mac from the DVD. Therefore, a backup of what you bought is possible and probably a good idea as the download of several gigs does take time.
One more thing, I have a pro and an air. Does anyone know if I will have to buy two copies?
Or a way of getting it on both without paying twice?
Copy the downloaded installer file to a DVD and install it on whatever Macs you want. That also gives you a backup installer.
As a seed user of Lion I've had to download it from the App store. My experience was simply that it downloaded and I ran it. After installation I was able to copy it to a DVD and load it onto another Mac from the DVD. Therefore, a backup of what you bought is possible and probably a good idea as the download of several gigs does take time.
I hope they make it easier to make a bootable disc right within the Install Mac OS X Lion.app. As of right now you have to Show Package Contents, locate the InstallESD.dmg, mount it, and then do a Restore to a destination disk. This isn't something the average user should be doing.
In Recovery HD there is an option to install Mac OS X Lion but it fails because it can't find the source file. Hopefully this isn't part of the Restore Disc UI they have failed to remove and will let you choose the source file.
How do you "preannounce" something? Once you mention it, that's the announcement.
+1! I've never understood that term either. It's like "preregister" for an event.
I think the basic but lost meaning is that you're giving an advance announcement or have the chance to register in advance.
...then I'll invest in a longer barge poll.
Huh?
The only problem I've ever had with MM scrapping data is when I'm uploading data using a slow cable or dsl connection. You need reliable speeds of at least 2 mb/s IMO. Has failed me every other time with large (+2 or 3 GB files) So really the question is how Apple might tend to the problem (data corruption during transition or synching) since fiber optic is not common and still too expensive for an average consumer.
Whether or not people have happy experiences with MobileMe syncing seems to be all in the luck of the if-then-else draw. I have seen terrifying data loss in every app, except iDisk which I find so slow I am never sure it's done before I pack up my Mac and leave. On another forum where I participate, not related to tech and therefore reasonably grown-up, someone mentioned losing some data and the whole forum seemed to chime in with further examples.
Eg in mail: I renamed a folder with 1,000+ emails in it. The folder disappeared, the new one appeared with no emails, over the next 30 minutes new emails reappeared, but not all, then later the old folder reappeared holding some of the old email, but the total number of remaining emails was less than the original. I have tons of these examples such as multiple drafts of sent emails lurking in Drafts but won't bore you, though I do envy you your working MobileMe.
When it does work, it is bad at maintaining data quality. Say you decide you want to make a custom tag for dates called 'expirydate'. You do it on the iPhone and next time you want to do the same, you click Custom and you see your previous custom tags and can choose the same one. But on OSX when you choose Custom, you *don't* see them, so you might enter "Expiry Date", which is not the same. Now you have a mess with two tags for the same thing and poor data quality. If you wanted to do something clever with searching or some AppleScript, it's broken. Same applies with country. Choose a country on the iPhone and the country is set. On OSX you can't choose a country, it's just text. Even if you type it exactly as on the iPhone it's just text. So if you enter Nicaragua in OSX and view it on the iPhone, it looks correct, but when you drill into the edit screen it's still set to the default USA. And when you try to map it, it often ends up showing Cupertino due to no matching address. Again, the examples go on and on.
One thing that wouldn´t help Lion addoption is if Core Solo Macs and/or Core Duo Macs were not supported by Lion.
There is a host of older iMacs and Mac Minis that should be supported. (hec even if its not your main Mac, maybe you use it as a backup server and Lion´s server software would be perfect for that)
Any news on what the minimum system requirements for Lion will be?
They're not officially supported in the Developer Preview, but it's possible they could be by the time of final release. However i wouldn't count on it. Likely Apple will deem the benefit of certifying Lion on hardware of that vintage not to be worth the cost. Unless, of course, Apple truly wants to make Lion ubiquitous, in which case they might justify it.
For more info, see: Mac OS X Lion *does* run on Core Duos/Core Solos
Lion, though, I'd see $50-$80. Somewhere around there.
Try $5-$29.
Try $5-$29.
Wow. You really don't think anyone but yourself deserves anything, do you?
Get a NAS like the Promise SmartStor. Built in DNLA with a web server and you can access and stream media from the browser.
I have no idea what "DNLA" is or how it would make life easier for me.
Thanks for the suggestion. I went to the Promise site and had a look around. The DAS sounds like a great idea and a great deal. I just have to come up with the big bucks!
One thing that kind of depressed me at the Promise site was this interesting turn of phrase:
Workspace for Mac Professionals and Artists:
Amateur Professionals, [etc]
amateur professionals, huh?
And ponies! Don't forget ponies.
I just knew you would chime in with your pony nonsense!
Only if it's Circus Ponies!
Years ago I used to manage emails for our offices. Based on my experience what you describe when moving 1k emails is normal. it takes time for the servers to move the data. Personally I would never keep that many emails on a remote server and would rather back them up locally. I suppose you feel the need to access them at all times, which is fine just don't expect remote services to be that fast when you copy or search that many emails. It's not a MM problem.
---
I described a problem of MobileMe deleting my emails and them not coming back. That's a basic data-processing failure and destructive.