Mac OS X Mountain Lion release signals shift in secrecy at Apple

2

Comments

  • Reply 21 of 51
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Johnny Mozzarella View Post


    I also suspect that just before it is released, Apple will do a full event where they will go over the major new features and announce 2 or 3 surprise features.



    Well, yeah. Now we know what WWDC will be about this year.
  • Reply 22 of 51
    Apple does what makes sense and is cost efficient. The announcement has to match the product.



    For an OS X upgrade - one-on-one with a few bloggers/journalists.



    For a minor MacBook Pro/Air or iMac refresh - just a press release.



    For a major new product (iPhone/iPad/MacBook) release - a big presentation at Moscone. Or WWDC.



    If they can combine some announcements, even better.
  • Reply 23 of 51
    10.8 is basically how 10.6 was for 10.5...a small maintenance update with some new features. Or at least that's how view it.
  • Reply 24 of 51
    The next BIG Mac OS event will be the unveiling of MAC OS 11. Codenamed "steve"



  • Reply 25 of 51
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bosox View Post


    The next BIG Mac OS event will be the unveiling of MAC OS 11. Codenamed "steve"







    Eleven looks like two pillars so perhaps they'll use old buildings as code names. e.g.: OS 11 "Parthenon"



    (I'm really reaching with that one. )
  • Reply 26 of 51
    Anyone consider that this is the perfect misdirection for the iPad 3 next month? Apple distracts us from the rumor mill for just enough time to relax hype over the next iPad and then....





    BOOM...





    iPad 3!
  • Reply 27 of 51
    cmfcmf Posts: 65member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    In the past they had two event for demoing Mac OS X. They had the Preview event that covered the top 10 or 12 features... and then several seasons later they had another demo right before launch that covered the exact same stuff. I'm quite happy that they did it this way so we're not rehashing the same coverage twice.



    They've done something similar with iOS the past few years and each time I see it I'm left wondering WHY? This was especially true when the iPhone was on a summer refresh schedule. A spring "preview" event and beta release followed by the GM at WWDC. When 2.0 came out in 2008 it was this way and they wasted half the keynote talking about software features that had already been known for months. WWDC 2010 was a slap in the face to Mac developers with no specific info on what was happening with the desktop. It's as if Apple said "Go away. We don't care about you now, come back next year."



    At this point, iOS is just as much a mature product as Mac OS X, why not give each one equal weight when it comes to keynotes or public demos? They somehow feel the need to continually show off when it comes to mobile and hope people don't notice the desktop, even as progress is being made.



    If it sounds like I'm laying into Apple a bit, let me be clear: I love my iPhone 4S and iPad 2, but as a Mac user for the better part of 12 years (Switched completely in 2007), it's depressing to see that Apple isn't all that excited (publicly) about it anymore. You would think that they'd be interested in turning some more of the 100+ million iPhone users into Mac users \
  • Reply 28 of 51
    cmfcmf Posts: 65member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    Well, yeah. Now we know what WWDC will be about this year.



    The problem with that is the iOS release cycle, which has unfortunately come to dominate WWDC in recent years. If we're lucky Mac OS X will get half the keynote, probably less. Consider that Lion, although a feature focused release (as opposed to Snow Leopard) was given very little public presence (outside of developers) leading up to its release. I'm encouraged by the stability that the Mountain Lion name would seem to imply, but I don't imagine them making a big deal about it. There will be sessions of course, but I don't expect to see the return of specific Mac events, especially given the sharing between the two platforms.
  • Reply 29 of 51
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by CMF View Post


    They've done something similar with iOS the past few years and each time I see it I'm left wondering WHY? This was especially true when the iPhone was on a summer refresh schedule. A spring "preview" event and beta release followed by the GM at WWDC. When 2.0 came out in 2008 it was this way and they wasted half the keynote talking about software features that had already been known for months. WWDC 2010 was a slap in the face to Mac developers with no specific info on what was happening with the desktop. It's as if Apple said "Go away. We don't care about you now, come back next year."



    At this point, iOS is just as much a mature product as Mac OS X, why not give each one equal weight when it comes to keynotes or public demos? They somehow feel the need to continually show off when it comes to mobile and hope people don't notice the desktop, even as progress is being made.



    If it sounds like I'm laying into Apple a bit, let me be clear: I love my iPhone 4S and iPad 2, but as a Mac user for the better part of 12 years (Switched completely in 2007), it's depressing to see that Apple isn't all that excited (publicly) about it anymore. You would think that they'd be interested in turning some more of the 100+ million iPhone users into Mac users \



    You have the wrong idea about what Apple is doing. This beta release of 10.8 when 10.7 came out just 6 months is more like early Mac OS X release schedule than the later ones (even predating the iPhone). Expect to get a full public demo of ML either at the next Mac special event or at WWDC. My point is you only need the one, not two.



    They are clearly focusing more on the Mac. They are clearly making their huge number of iOS using customers see that Mac OS is an easy hop for their PC needs. They have also switched to a yearly update cycle that matches iOS's yearly update cycle. They are no longer focusing on one or th other, but both. No more Mac OS X delays because then iPhone OS needed engineers pulled from the Mac teams.



    This is a good thing for all. Expect the Mac to grow even faster than before.
  • Reply 30 of 51
    cmfcmf Posts: 65member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Johnny Mozzarella View Post


    I think John Gruber's explanation makes sense.

    If they do too many keynotes they stop being special.



    They just did a mini keynote for iBooks Author, a completely new product.

    They are about to do one in March for the next iPad, their fastest growing product segment.



    Mountain Lion, while a nice upgrade, did not merit an entire event.



    The education announcements were highlighted because it was something that Steve had wanted to address, but unfortunately couldn't finish. iPad is similar (a pet project, if you will), so maybe it merits an event based on that. The desktop is stable enough that they may not have to do big keynotes, but compared to the others' public billing, it feels neglected.
  • Reply 31 of 51
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by CMF View Post


    The problem with that is the iOS release cycle, which has unfortunately come to dominate WWDC in recent years.



    iPhones are in October now, so that's not a concern.
  • Reply 32 of 51
    cmfcmf Posts: 65member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    You have the wrong idea about what Apple is doing. This beta release of 10.8 when 10.7 came out just 6 months is more like early Mac OS X release schedule than the later ones (even predating the iPhone). Expect to get a full public demo of ML either at the next Mac special event or at WWDC. My point is you only need the one, not two.



    They are clearly focusing more on the Mac. They are clearly making their huge number of iOS using customers see that Mac OS is an easy hop for their PC needs. They have also switched to a yearly update cycle that matches iOS's yearly update cycle. They are no longer focusing on one or th other, but both. No more Mac OS X delays because then iPhone OS needed engineers pulled from the Mac teams.



    This is a good thing for all. Expect the Mac to grow even faster than before.



    I can see how having a common base makes it easier, but they seem to be pushing harder on iOS releases than the desktop. As to timing of all this, didn't 10.1 come out only months after Mac OS X's debut? Performance was a problem on 10.0 if I recall, and it took more time to get things sorted out. Still, It's the first time in a while I can remember them doing something like this so soon.



    I just don't feel like they need to push iOS as much as they do.
  • Reply 33 of 51
    cmfcmf Posts: 65member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    iPhones are in October now, so that's not a concern.



    Betas are shown at WWDC, which seems to take up quite a bit of time in the Keynote. Even if the ML name conveys some sense of stability, it still adds new features, most of which we probably don't know about yet. I would expect them to demo those, but I'm worried that Mac OS X gets overshadowed by iOS simply because it has been given so much press in recent Apple events.
  • Reply 34 of 51
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by CMF View Post


    I can see how having a common base makes it easier, but they seem to be pushing harder on iOS releases than the desktop. As to timing of all this, didn't 10.1 come out only months after Mac OS X's debut? Performance was a problem on 10.0 if I recall, and it took more time to get things sorted out. Still, It's the first time in a while I can remember them doing something like this so soon.



    I just don't feel like they need to push iOS as much as they do.



    1) They aren't pushing iOS, they are pushing the Mac, hence the long needed continuity update. There is no loss of Mac functionality here, just a way to make the Mac more attractive to their iOS base that have never used a Mac. This is great for us Mac users!



    2) Very early on there was one faster release from retail to retail ? and possibly a couple that will barely edge out the Lion to ML release depending on when in the Summer it hits ? but you need to consider this is the 9th major "cat" version of Mac OS X. It's not new! It's not a fledging! There is a reason the release cycles slowed as it aged. Even Jobs said (before the iPhone) that Mac OS X released would slow down. Leopard and SL gave us a glimpse of what a tik-tok method might do for Mac OS but even that was about 2 years between releases. There is nothing to fear by Apple focusing on yearly Mac OS updates and getting more people to buy Macs thus outpacing the PC market even faster than it already is.
  • Reply 35 of 51
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by CMF View Post


    Betas are shown at WWDC, which seems to take up quite a bit of time in the Keynote. Even if the ML name conveys some sense of stability, it still adds new features, most of which we probably don't know about yet. I would expect them to demo those, but I'm worried that Mac OS X gets overshadowed by iOS simply because it has been given so much press in recent Apple events.



    Either ML will get demoed at the Mac event I suspect will come before WWDC or it will get demoed at WWDC. If the latter happens I would then expect iOS 6 to get demoed outside of WWDC as I don't expect Apple to demo both OSes at the same time.



    The iPhone won't get updated until the Fall so there is time though there needs to be at least 2 months for developers to work on apps. For that reason I am leaning toward:
    • March — iPod/iPad/AppleTV/iTS updates

    • April/May — ML demo with new Macs

    • June — iOS 6 demo at WWDC

    • Summer's end — ML release

    • Sept/Oct — iPhone demo and release

  • Reply 36 of 51
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Apple's upcoming "Mountain Lion" release of Mac OS X 10.8 is borrowing a feature from Microsoft: the prerelease software is being shown to journalists before developers.








    Apple has been in pretty deep with the media lately. They have a symbiotic relationship, but the media has been going for blood lately.



    This may be an olive branch by Apple, who may be trying to foster a more productive relationship. It could be the start of a trend, but until we get more data points, it's akin to throwing a dog a bone.
  • Reply 37 of 51
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by CMF View Post




    I just don't feel like they need to push iOS as much as they do.



    Then you'd be wrong. The battle is being waged in the mobile space. That's where the marketshare potential, innovation, new demographics, new technology, excitement, and profits are coming from. It's the future, and Apple would be idiotic to not continue to push their platform as hard as they can.
  • Reply 38 of 51
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hypoluxa View Post


    10.8 is basically how 10.6 was for 10.5...a small maintenance update with some new features. Or at least that's how view it.



    No, not really. How many new apps did 10.6 apps? Zero, if I'm not mistaken. How many new and significantly updated apps does ML have? This release has a ton of user facing changes.
  • Reply 39 of 51
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Slurpy View Post


    No, not really. How many new apps did 10.6 apps? Zero, if I'm not mistaken. How many new and significantly updated apps does ML have? This release has a ton of user facing changes.



    Yeah you're right, I just double checked on Wiki...My bad. Based on what saw with the video preview, it just felt like a SL update...nothing really mind blowing, but who knows what else they have in store.
  • Reply 40 of 51
    cmfcmf Posts: 65member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Slurpy View Post


    Then you'd be wrong. The battle is being waged in the mobile space. That's where the marketshare potential, innovation, new demographics, new technology, excitement, and profits are coming from. It's the future, and Apple would be idiotic to not continue to push their platform as hard as they can.



    Instead of the iPod, it's the iPhone and iPad. But the end goal is still the same: Sell Macs to new iOS users, bring them into the fold as well.
Sign In or Register to comment.