Newsletter 412 Preview: Waiting for Leopard Book III: Just a Point-One Upgrade?
October 21st, 2007As Leopard approaches, you have to wonder whether even 300-plus new features and enhancements will be sufficient to sway the skeptics about its potential. You see, as far as software numbering schemes go, incrementing a single tenth of a point usually signifies a pretty insignificant update.
I mean, you can name most any application’s transition from, say 7.0 to 7.1, and the differences will be awfully minor. It may be a little more involved than a few bug fixes, but still nothing worth charging a full upgrade price.
In the 1990s, even Apple had larger increments in its numbering schemes. Take Mac OS 8.0 and 8.5. Not substantial in any respect. However, moving from System 7 to 8 gave Steve Jobs leverage to seriously inflate charges to those Mac OS clone companies, with the ultimate goal of getting rid of them. Otherwise, maybe 8.0 would probably have been 7.7.
But moving to 9.0 was the equivalent to a full version upgrade, with a price to match. Sure, there were only a handful of new features, but it was a decent marketing tool to keep the Mac OS alive under Mac OS X arrived.
In the scheme of things, it’s really hard to understand why Apple is so stingy with its numbering system for Mac OS X, except, perhaps, to postpone the inevitability of Mac OS 11. Indeed, based on Apple’s current operating system schedule, you won’t have to worry about that until the next decade.
Story continued in this week’s Tech Night Owl Newsletter.
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Are you kidding?
Apple has used the same numbering scheme since the original OS X and Apple fans are fairly versed on what constitutes a minor release and what constitutes a major release.
With 300+ new features, of which several are very significant, it’s easy to see why this is a major release.
Also, why lose the ‘OS X’ name by moving to OS 11? It’s not worth it … marketing wise.
It looks like you forgot to read the rest of the article, because that’s not quite the point I was making.
Peace,
Gene
I think when Jobs decides to change the OS name to OS 11, they should enlist Nigel Tufnel to say “It goes to all the way to OS Eleven. That’s five (or sex, or seven…) more than OS Ten!”
On the poll (upgrade to Leopard)—there is one more option that should be available: “when I buy my new Mac computer (version not determined)”.
I added a question about that. It may wreck the poll for some, because they already voted (can’t fix that), but let’s see whether that makes a difference or not. 🙂
Peace,
Gene
Thanks for the poll fix. I do plan to upgrade in that fashion after January MacWorld. Our multiple Mac household needs to remain stable as is.
I think the reason that Apple is sticking with OS 10 rather than moving on to OS 11 is a desire to emphasize the continuity of this OS, that this is essentially the same one, just progressively refined and improved. This is supposed to have a reassuring effect on users.
Yes, marketing. 😀
Peace,
Gene
I don’t care what Apple calls it. Looks to be an awesome upgrade!