One thing I like about Anand, he's become a fairly influential figure on the internet/PC scene. Rightly so. Yet, he's been willing to give Apple it's due.
Thanks for the word up Dan...wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
Tiger's student pricing was a trigger for me to talk about how much I do appreciate Apple's pricing on their software; while I agree that their higher end hardware is a bit steep, their software licenses are extremely reasonable. I didn't think twice about ordering the iWork suite as soon as it was launched because I knew that it had applications I wanted and I knew that the price would be reasonable. I can't say the same about successive iterations of Microsoft Office, for example (or even individual Office applications). Apple doesn't do much to combat piracy of their software, and part of the reason is that they don't have such a large user base where piracy is as big of an issue as it is in the Windows world. But, it is also worth noting that given the price of most Apple software (even their professional software is priced very reasonably), it isn't something that most users would balk at.
Given that Tiger is basically the price of a modest hardware upgrade, a lot of the OS must be evaluated on a value basis for upgraders. While my previous Mac articles have focused on the entire package of hardware and software, this one is definitely different as the evaluation is done from the standpoint of an OS X 10.3 (Panther) user. Obviously, all new Macs will come with Tiger, so the cost of the OS is already included in the total package price; but for everyone else who, like me, has purchased a relatively new Mac in recent history, there is a definite purchasing decision surrounding the move to Tiger.
Rational, balanced, and open viewpoint. Nice. When was the last time you heard a PC guy *praise* Apple's software prices? Or heck, how about the last time you hear a Mac fan do so? Off to read more...
Anand is what his is. A computer enthusiast not a PC enthusiast. Some people get it twisted. In fact I abhor the "Switch Campaign" because I don't think that singular viewpoints are good for the industry on a holistic level.
I run into too many people that "think" they know a lot about computers when in fact they know a lot about Windows. The minute they are out their comfy confines they start to quiver.
I plan on adding Linux to my stable probably late next year. So I'll likely be running.
OS X 10.4.3
Longhorn(hopefully)
Linux 2.x.x
Computers are fun and cheap computer are even funner.
Good review from a different viewpoint. He stuck to the user-level stuff, and never delved into the developer level improvements (where *I* think the real gems are), and yet he still concludes:
Quote:
Bear in mind that I'm still just as much of a Windows/PC user as I've ever been (potentially now with more open of a mind), but the argument that Apple charging $130 for Tiger is like Microsoft charging $130 for Service Pack 2 is quite possibly the worst argument I've ever heard. On my best most verbose day I couldn't come up with enough stuff to write about a service pack as I've talked about today here with Tiger.
Of course he balances this with:
Quote:
But I have to find it difficult recommending a product that's clearly unfinished, and clearly not without bugs. None of the bugs that I encountered were show stoppers, but I'm not one to support pre-release products that are being shipped as final. So if you're expecting a perfect user experience with Tiger, you'll be close but not quite there. I'm hoping the 10.4.1 update fixes all of my issues, but for now don't expect a flawless $129 experience.
Comments
Thanks for the word up Dan...wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
Tiger's student pricing was a trigger for me to talk about how much I do appreciate Apple's pricing on their software; while I agree that their higher end hardware is a bit steep, their software licenses are extremely reasonable. I didn't think twice about ordering the iWork suite as soon as it was launched because I knew that it had applications I wanted and I knew that the price would be reasonable. I can't say the same about successive iterations of Microsoft Office, for example (or even individual Office applications). Apple doesn't do much to combat piracy of their software, and part of the reason is that they don't have such a large user base where piracy is as big of an issue as it is in the Windows world. But, it is also worth noting that given the price of most Apple software (even their professional software is priced very reasonably), it isn't something that most users would balk at.
Given that Tiger is basically the price of a modest hardware upgrade, a lot of the OS must be evaluated on a value basis for upgraders. While my previous Mac articles have focused on the entire package of hardware and software, this one is definitely different as the evaluation is done from the standpoint of an OS X 10.3 (Panther) user. Obviously, all new Macs will come with Tiger, so the cost of the OS is already included in the total package price; but for everyone else who, like me, has purchased a relatively new Mac in recent history, there is a definite purchasing decision surrounding the move to Tiger.
Rational, balanced, and open viewpoint. Nice. When was the last time you heard a PC guy *praise* Apple's software prices? Or heck, how about the last time you hear a Mac fan do so? Off to read more...
I run into too many people that "think" they know a lot about computers when in fact they know a lot about Windows. The minute they are out their comfy confines they start to quiver.
I plan on adding Linux to my stable probably late next year. So I'll likely be running.
OS X 10.4.3
Longhorn(hopefully)
Linux 2.x.x
Computers are fun and cheap computer are even funner.
Bear in mind that I'm still just as much of a Windows/PC user as I've ever been (potentially now with more open of a mind), but the argument that Apple charging $130 for Tiger is like Microsoft charging $130 for Service Pack 2 is quite possibly the worst argument I've ever heard. On my best most verbose day I couldn't come up with enough stuff to write about a service pack as I've talked about today here with Tiger.
Of course he balances this with:
But I have to find it difficult recommending a product that's clearly unfinished, and clearly not without bugs. None of the bugs that I encountered were show stoppers, but I'm not one to support pre-release products that are being shipped as final. So if you're expecting a perfect user experience with Tiger, you'll be close but not quite there. I'm hoping the 10.4.1 update fixes all of my issues, but for now don't expect a flawless $129 experience.
Good man.
Originally posted by Kickaha
When was the last time you heard a PC guy *praise* Apple's software prices? Or heck, how about the last time you hear a Mac fan do so?
Look at the bitching feast here about price everytime Apple is being prepared for the next major MacOSX update