Mac OS X vs. Windows 7: Who has the best upgrade?
Apple and Microsoft are fighting for the mindshare of consumers as both companies prepare to roll out upgrades to their operating systems later this year.
Apple on Monday showed Worldwide Developers Conference attendees Snow Leopard, the next major version of Mac OS X. Apple has been very open about the fact that Snow Leopard is meant to be an under-the-hood maintenance release, focusing on performance enhancements to the operating system.
Windows 7 is essentially Microsoft's maintenance release for Vista, that according to many accounts was a failure for the company. Putting aside all of the back and forth between the two companies, one industry analyst feels it comes down to the consumer.
"It's really immaterial the degree of the rewrite in the operating system," Ross Rubin, director of analysis for market research firm NPD, told CNET. "The key is the consumer benefit."
Apple introduces Mac OS X Snow Leopard at the WWDC.
(Credit: Jim Dalrymple)While early testing of Windows 7 seems to bear out improvements in the operating system, Microsoft is coming off a very bad consumer experience with Windows Vista. That is not a trivial obstacle for it to overcome.
Microsoft will have to fight the industry perception that Windows 7 is just Vista with a few fixes. That could certainly lead to slower adoption of the new operating system out of the gate.
Apple on the other hand is coming off one of the most successful operating system launches in the company's history. Mac OS X Leopard was a solid release, packed with features. Overall, Leopard had relatively few problems throughout its life cycle.
Apple doesn't have to fight off that negative perception from its users or the industry. Macs have been selling better than ever and there is no sense that will slow down anytime soon.
Typically, Apple sells its new operating systems for $129. That's a flat fee. Everyone gets the same version that includes all features and enhancements. However, Leopard users will be offered an upgrade to Snow Leopard for $29. Microsoft has yet to release its upgrade pricing, but it is expected to be much higher.
"The OS war is on in a big way," said Michael Gartenberg, vice president of Strategy and Analysis at Interpret. "Charging $29 won't win Apple any converts, but Microsoft is going to look really bad with its upgrade pricing."
It's clear that Microsoft has a much bigger channel to push Windows 7 to customers, but we've seen with the Vista release that doesn't always mean success for an operating system.
Apple is coming from a strong position with Mac OS X Leopard, so upgrades to its newest Snow Leopard release should be very strong.
Apple said Snow Leopard is expected to ship in September. Microsoft will release Windows 7 in October.
Jim Dalrymple has followed Apple and the Mac industry for the last 15 years, first as part of MacCentral and then in various positions at Macworld. A guitar player for 20 years, Jim also writes about the professional audio market, examining the best ways to write and record songs on a Macintosh with Logic Pro and Pro Tools. Jim is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. 
7 = Completely Revised version of Vista (think a major Service Pack)
One will be adopted at a much higher percentage of the existing user base than the other. A much, much higher percentage. As a matter of fact, I wager the one released first will have a higher rate of adoption by the time the second is released than the second will achieve in 3 years time. Any takers?
The ease of installing apps on a Mac is amazing compared to a PC.
An entire application appears inside of a single icon.
This icon is not a folder, rather the application itself.
All associated files are inside the "package".
Right click an application and select, "Show Package Contents" to see how organized the Mac file system is compared to a PC.
There is no System Registry.
There is no DLL Hell.
There is no Product Activation.
In other words, it just works.
7 is more of what vista should have been without the service pack and yet still uses the same form of everything that was wrong with it. It will fail in any 1v1 comparison
no Registry? No they are called pref files on OSX, and do a similar task in a very inferior way.
no DLL Hell ? Long gone. You would know that if you actually used the product instead of mindlessly bashing.
no Product Activation? You use Photoshop? Quark? any other real software package?
[CNET editors' note: Prohibited content deleted.]
I use Final Cut.
[CNET editors' note: Prohibited content deleted.]
a few UI tweaks here and there
sounds like a service pack to me which will most likely cost you guys 300$ !
looks like all those vista buyers got screwed !
Microsoft users are jealous that not only will Apple beat them to the upgrade release date, but will also beat them at the price AND the sheer number of total sales.
I will be buying the family pack for my Macs.
The talk of drop and drag app installation in OSX is silly too, Apple's OSX standards call for use of the OSX Installer app and have for a long time. Only problem is --- it doesn't work well, is riddled with bugs, and STILL doesn't handle uninstallation. Hence the persistence of the deprecated drop and drag.
If you're a user, you're not qualified to talk about operating systems, OSX or Vista, sorry.
If you are an operator of an OS, you ARE qualified to discuss it.
Quit trying to censor the Internet and if you have NOTHING constructive to add to the topic, then don't worry about it.
Seriously, show some respect.
We may be OS users, but we enjoy discussing this topic.
Price is on Apples side right now and that's cool. Let see if Microsoft follows the run.
I wish both companies good luck and hope they both run well cause I have to use both OSes in my job so they have my cash no matter what.
Oh well....
Now I'll let the flame war begin under this for all of the fanboys to say which one is better.
LMAO thank you both I really needed a laugh today.
okay cool. we get it. (goes back to using my Mac)
Snow Leopard, being Intel only, will have some of that benefit. No Legacy baggage.
Windows7 and OSX.6 will both be quality upgrades that make the hardware you already own faster. That's an upgrade worth paying for.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/05/best-buy-memo-explains-that-vista-doesnt-work-details-windows/
Or is this a throw some spears and run hide.
awesome !
I don't agree but that's hilarious.
I can hardly wait to see the I'm a (cheap) Mac upgrade, I'm an (expensive) PC upgrade ad!
It is clear that Apple has the advantage in the OS war.
While Leopard arrived with some serious bugs, it was a stable operating system from the start.
I'm sure Snow Leopard will arrive much better than ever.
You may be right but some of us have no choice on what OS we use, at least in the office. My Company is still on XP and Office 2003 and our IT guys apparently have no intention of changing that soon (we just upgraded to Office 2003 this year) regardless of what the price per user is going to be.
I'll likely upgrade my Mac, provided the revised OS will run on PowerPCs (an Intel Mac is far in the future for me). If not I'll stay with Leopard. It works just fine.
Unfortunately, Snow Leopard is Intel only.
I am more than certain that Apple is doing this to push Mac sales.
Unless you absolutely need the new operating system enough to justify another purchase, I wouldn't bother.
For me, I will upgrade to Snow Leopard, but just so you know, I did not upgrade when the new version of Final Cut, iLife or iWork arrived.
If it works, then keep it and get your money's worth (trust me, you are not alone).
If Microsoft is really interested in recuperating its Vista/Win 7 development costs, then perhaps they should consider a return to upgrade pricing: A reduced price for Vista users, full price for everyone else.
Looks like Tiger users win out on pricing, as those who didn't upgrade to Leopard (at $129) will now be able to migrate to Snow Leopard for $100 less.
Apple will be able to advertise that their software is cheaper while Microsoft can continue to advertise that PCs are cheaper. Sounds like a score-draw to me.
Actually it is more likely to be that PowerPCs would see little to no benefit at all from the underlying changes to OS X that are happening in Snow Leopard, rather than any desire to push sales. About the only thing of interest to any PPC owner would be the 64 bit features and GDC if you had a dual-core G5, but you get some of those features in Leopard already. Fwiw, OpenCL isn't even supported by many of the Intel Macs out there at the moment as they don't have the GPUs to take advantage of it. However, the vast majority of Intel Macs will benefit greatly from a fully 64 bit OS and apps due to their CPU architecture.
In addition, the very youngest PPC mac model at the time of Snow Leopard's release will be 4 years old (the last G5 model was released in October 2005). The number of people running a 4 year or older Mac as their primary system is also likely to be in the low to single percentile range. Far fewer are likely to expect to be able to upgrade to the very latest and greatest of anything with that old a machine either. Considering that 4 to 5 years and older is pushing it to the edge of the upgrade cycle, almost everyone will be running an Intel Mac as their primary system within a years time regardless.
Asking for more than $30 for Windows 7 isn't justifiable for anyone who bought Vista. Thankfully my OS comes free of charge with full upgrade and downgrade rights and no penalty if I choose to use a different one.
Apple is just offering this special price for Leopard users.
Interestingly, My black 13" Macbook is not even a year old and it has been replaced twice.
I am not upset that I don't have the latest and greatest.
Yes, I can understand that the position for people like you is not good. In some respects I have a similar problem because my wife's old PowerBook will also be unable to upgrade and we don't really have the money lying around to upgrade it (although it's making some pretty iffy noises at the moment so we may have to anyway). However, Apple certainly needs to dump the PowerPC support - it just might be a little too soon since.
@Brian
Consider whether now is the right time to drop support for the PowerPC platform. It's only been 3-years since Apple migrated to Intel and some computers have only recently exceeded their AppleCare warranty. Effectively, this drop of support now is "forcing" people to upgrade, although I agree that you can choose to stick with the old version of the OS. While I personally will appreciate the disk space saved via the lack of PowerPC code, I can certainly appreciate why PowerPC computer owners will feel a bit annoyed about this.
By the time Snow Leopard is released in September, it is much closer to 4 years since the first Intel Mac was released than it is 3 years as they shipped in January 2005. Given that most PPC owners will have machines that are much older than 4 years (my own is already in its 5th and will be approaching its 6th when Snow Leopard is finally out), and given that almost none of them other than the final G5 towers could take advantage of any of the features that Snow Leopard brings to the table in its underlying design, why should PPC owners be annoyed? It is about a half year earlier than normal for Apple, but the support for a PPC computer in OS terms was destined to end toward the autumn of next year anyway.
You could set one of your older systems as a time machine network destination for all of the other systems and have it running real-time backups of your files, settings and apps, run a web host on them for a family, personal or small business web site, etc, etc, etc... So many uses so few characters allowed... ;)
When a windows system gets too old and crotchety, you pretty much have to cannibalize it or chuck it. When an OSX system gets too old and crotchety, you can use it for a variety of other purposes.
for all the talk about overpriced Macs
Windows is probably the most over-priced product on the planet !
Windows Tax !!
I love it. :)
BTW, you can upgrade to the next version of most popular Linux distributions for less than $29. I think upgrading to Ubuntu Jaunty costs a little less than $0.01, but I can't come up with any reputable sources at the moment, so you'll just have to take my word for it.
It depends on what you pay for electricity and internet.
it can be expensive you know. Plus your ISP costs for download
Vista II will have DLL hell, System Registry, Product Activation, User Warnings. "Are you sure?"
Are you sure you want to downgrade to Vista II ?
[ YES | NO ]
Vista II is coming to a retail store near you.
I'm glad to hear the Mac OS is saving room and being more efficient, and Microsoft could stand to learn a thing or two from them. But at the same time, Windows 7 isn't just "Vista II."
The upgrade price of $100+ is a bit worrying though
I'm sure Windows 7 will be a success for MS (God knows they need it right now) and rightfully so as it's a solid, stable, pretty feature-rich OS! I prefer Apple but that's my preference and I will point out people hypocrisies and misunderstandings that are critical against either company, unfortunately it's usually unfairly critical of Apple so I spend most my time supporting them. :(
All in all, Windows 7 is pretty damned nice and while I'm already running the RC client (and had the 7000 beta client previously) on my PC, I will be getting the full version when it comes out as I think it'll be worth it. However I will be spending the overwhelming majority of my time on my iMac and mac mini's running OSX.
Apple's not forcing you to upgrade.
Apple is just offering this special price for Leopard users.
Interestingly, My black 13" Macbook is not even a year old and it has been replaced twice.
I am not upset that I don't have the latest and greatest. "
Brian, unless I'm mistaken, Snow Leopard REQUIRES an Intel Mac. If I want to run Snow Leopard, I have to purchase new hardware. I'm running Leo on my G5s and G4, and there I'll be stuck. Or, maybe you know something that I don't???
No one is forcing you to purchase anything.
Your G5s and G4 will continue to operate normally.
From your comment, I am under the impression that you are interested in Snow Leopard.
Okay, unless you are willing to purchase a new Mac, it's no big deal.
So...u want to say MS forces
Why would anyone pay for a service pack?
They could always take the FireFox approach - upgrade every few weeks or so, and the upgrade deliberately breaks compatibility with all the plug-ins until there's there's a new one with an updated version number.
How much to upgrade from 10.5 to 10.6? $29 to $129 depending on how you choose to install (Clean vs upgrade). Why would anyone ever pay to unlock basic functionality on the software they already purchased? There are no "flavors" of OSX, it's all or nothing and still costs less than the most crippled flavor of Windows from 4-5 years ago all the way up to now. How do you fluff that up to make M$ seem like a good deal?
Windows 7 = Vista redefined
Snow leopard = better Leopard
topgunb2 = troll
Snow Leopard = Leopard refined
Winblows 7 = Fista SP3
(I only did that to counterbalance your stupidity in the universe - now things are balanced again.)
Windows 7 is to Vista what OSX.1.3 was to OSX.0.4... Make any sense?
Do the PC makers offer Linux with the purchase of a PC as an option?
You're right, Ubuntu isn't finished. However, it's much farther along than Windows. I mean, the firewall and AV are already part of the kernel as well as a full package manager and more built in hardware support (read, not having to install extra drivers).
At the rate Linux is going in general, Windows will be left in the dust sooner rather than later. Vista is already trailing behind by several yards.
Its amazing, it comes in 7 cones and flavors and believe to be priced somewhere arround 120 bucks,
SL is mostly geared around exploiting multiple processors which the vast majority of G5 machines did not have.
Yes it is a pain, but my Dual Processor G5 will still work just fine after SL arrives, and if Apple has wasted time compiling it for G5 machines, it probably wouldn't have been worth the $29. And besides, most "pro" apps take at least six months to take advantage of a new OS and most "pro" users wait at least that long before they risk screwing up their workflow. By then, my beloved G5 will be over 5 years old. That length of time is not unreasonable to start thinking of a brand new machine, and I can still make money off my old machine.
"four cores (which were kind of an engineering hack)"
Is it annoying to you when people spout off about things they don't understand - especially when it's your field of expertise?
Then don't write stuff like this anymore - "wasting time compiling", hunh? Good one.
On the other hand, Snow Leopard really won't look or feel much different from Leopard, so some Mac loyalists may be a little disappointed, since they're used to getting more bells and whistles with a new OS. That's not to say that Snow Leopard won't be good (I'm sure it will be), but it just may not be what Mac fanboys are used to... so enthusiasm may wane a little.
It's just a theory though. I just give the edge to Windows 7, because there are a lot of people out there still using XP, who have been waiting to upgrade for 7 years. W7 makes it safe for them to do so.
Snow Leopard is NOT a small upgrade. There are many significant diferences/upgrades.
I for one will NOT hessitate to upgrade .. at any price. Plus after many .. many upgrades I trust Apple that the new one will be problem free, just like the other ones.
Unfortunately, windows users have not had the same experience. I do believe most will stick to Windows XP, only the ones buying new computers will get Wndows 7.
Thats like saying people will trust lehman brothers their money (if they would have come back) because how they messed up big time, they will certaintly know not to do it again. Thats so unfortunate that you think that way, you poor mentally challenged empirestatebuddy.
I was a loyal pc user for my whole 20 years before vista and now put up a middle finger to all microsoft branding and became a mac user. I actually have the RC7 join in my MBP which i only use because of pure curiosity and its fairly good, ill go as far as to say way better than vista and probably have they come out with this first, i might just not have paid extra dough for my macpro; but now, im not taking no risk and this OSX is just amazing. I know think of apple as the innovater and microsoft, well, that guy whom you met in the beach and said he could paint you and your girlfriend and then when the portrait is done it doesnt really look like you, your nose is wide and your ears are long etc..... thats what microsoft is to me.
So yeah, i expect every OSX user to get this upgrade (because macs are designed for OS which ever apple is going to make) and they dont need to wait for cath ups, and winblow user to just be like (this one is good enough)
and not upgrade.
- by ehsing4fun June 9, 2009 2:32 PM PDT
- I was the guy who went out and bought Vista the day it was released. I gladly upgraded from XP. Vista's fresh new look and gadgets were a warm welcome. I was all to bored of a blue task bar. My favorite feature though was the Glass Areo effect on its windows.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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Showing 1 of 3 pages (170 Comments)I was also the guy who use my teacher MacBook off and on throughout my senior year of high school and fell in love with OS X Leopard.
I seem to be oddly computer savvy so switching was completely easy for me. My Windows Vista laptop was replaced my a Unibody MacBook.
Although my own computer is a Mac, I will gladly use any computer running XP, Vista, or Windows 7. (yes i did download the beta... i was that boy too)
It all depends on the user. For me, OS X is the best operating system I have worked with. My home network was easier to set up, my printer just worked, email calendar and contacts sync to my iPhone in a less confusing way. I also had a windows mobile 6.0 phone, so I came from being a 100% Windows die hard fan.
I just open my computer (Mac) now happy to write a paper or research for my project. Using my computer is a very pleasing experience and and the hassle of defranging or scanning for viruses, or restarting my computer when it freezes. (I know, Macs can freeze too, but far less often)
Just pick the computer that is right for you wether it be running on a apple or four squares.
:-)