Apple outlines Leopard upgrade path for current Mac owners

At least some current Mac owners can get Leopard for free.

(Credit: Apple)

One of our chief complaints about the new iMac and Mac Mini from this summer was that Apple gave no details on the upgrade path to Apple's Leopard OS X update that everyone knew was coming later this year. Now that we have a concrete ship date for the full version of Leopard, Apple has also spilled on what this update means for you new Mac owners.

From Engadget: "Users who bought Apple machines from October 1 on can participate in Apple's Up-To-Date Program, which provides free Leopard upgrades (for $10 shipping)."

You'll find more specific upgrading details on Apple's own Up-To-Date page.

We expect anyone who purchased a Mac after October 1 will welcome the free upgrade, but the new iMac and updated Mac Mini went on sale on August 8. Looks like you Apple early adopters get burned once again.

[jimothyGator]

"Apple early adopters get burned once again"

And Microsoft would have given free upgrades to people who bought computers
over two months before an upgrade? Yeah, right. Look, this sort of thing
happens all the time, nobody got "burned." Somebody who bought an iMac in
August or September isn't even an "early adopter," and Apple had announced
back in June (or was it May?) that Leopard would ship in October, so this should
have been a surprise to no one.

[tnguyen100]

Um...I think Microsoft did the same thing...

I bought an HP laptop before visa came out and got a free upgrade. I don' know if you are aware of that.

[lmbatts]

Yes actually they do

Hince, Apple is screwing its customer. MS did it with XP and Vista, giving free upgrades to users on purchases up to 90 days out depending on the manufacturer. Apple is dealing with the growing pains of a larger user base and will have to adjust its policies and practices as it grows.

[make_or_break]

Evidently you didn't pay attention

There was [i]at least[/i] a window of three months prior to Vista shipping that MSFT offered a free copy of the newest Windows to new PC buyers...(whether you really consider Vista an [i]upgrade[/i] over XP is another matter). And I seem to recall that some PC manufacturers were even more aggressive than that, extending out the offer of a free 'upgrade' more than the standard offer in order to spur sales. So yeah...Redmond WOULD and DID do that. And it wasn't all that different when XP was initially launched as well.

The point is that it was publicly known for some time that Apple was going to ship Leopard at the end of '07. Subsequently to that OS launch announcement new Macs become available. Now a cutoff date to a free update is announced, and those early adopters in the five or six [i]weeks[/i] that the new computers were available prior to Apple's seemingly arbitrary cutoff of Oct. 1 are left out in the cold. Apple certainly can't offer freebies to everyone...but it's also senseless given the respective launching dates to cut out owners of the newest Macs when it was clear that Leopard was about to go live.

[SwaroopHegde]

My Mac hasn't arrived yet

Well, I purchased through my university and my macbook hasn't yet arrived in India. Will I be eligible for the upgrade although we ordered in September?

--
Swap

[pescado]

Since October 1st?!

Microsoft provided coupons for free Vista upgrades for anyone who purchased a PC two months in advance!

Once again, Apple screws over its customers. I used to be a Mac freak, but their recent lack of customer service?as in, "not caring"?is starting to annoy me.

[Gorifyny]

Microsoft free upgrade?

I actually bought both a desktop and a laptop with XP after Vista came out specifically to avoid Vista. I never saw any offer for a free upgrade, but I doubt if I would have installed it even if I could ahv it for free.

[tancat]

Upgrade is not full operating system!

The Apple Store in Europe tells me the Up-to-Date upgrade is missing an undisclosed number of functions. They can't say what the difference is between the full ?129 Leopard pack and the ?8 version for those who buy an iMac today. They also can't guarantee that you will get Leopard if you buy a computer after Oct 26. They're making it hard for me to give them my money

[xxnycxx]

Apple Screws new Imac users

What company would release a new iMac and then announce the new OS one week after I receoved it. When I called customer service when I bought it, they claim they don[t know wnaything...only the higher ups....ok so the igher ups don;t tell anyone but someone must be responsible for screwing with oyal customers that run out to buy the latest....what is wrong with the company.....

[chrissuderman]

We knew Leopard would be released soon months ago!

Apple has not screwed you over once again. Everyone knew that they would release Leopard sometime in October. If you really want leopard, then you only needed to wait a few months to buy a new iMac. It wouldn't kill you. Stop complaining. It is how business works. Besides you chose to buy your mac when you did. And I don't see Microsoft offering a free copy of Vista (even if it is not the full version), nor is their OS as cheap as Leopard.

[dominodan]

waiting saves

Good things come to those who wait. Steve is happy with all of these
delayed releases and price drops because he's getting rich.

[AARRGGHHH]

"Apple... iPhoning its customers once again"

LMAO at the choice of verbs in this article: "iPhoning"

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/2007/10/24/apple_osx_leopard/