August 8, 2006 4:00 AM PDT
Leopard nipping at Vista's heels
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Apple shows Leopard's spots
August 7, 2006 -
For Apple's Tiger, the keyword is search
June 28, 2004
That is the question that was on the minds of many after Apple Computer at its developer conference announced Monday that the new version of the Mac OS X operating system will arrive next spring.
Microsoft has said it plans to release Windows Vista in January. However, it has hedged somewhat, and many analysts believe the update won't arrive until later in the year.
"One more thing the odds-makers in Vegas can bet on is which is going to ship first," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at JupiterResearch.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs first talked about Leopard at last year's developer conference, saying it would arrive in late 2006 or early 2007. Vista, meanwhile, has suffered through many delays, most recently missing its target of being ready for PCs on sale in this year's holiday shopping season.
Apple has been making hay about Vista and its many delays since the Windows update was still known by the code-name Longhorn. At the 2004 developer conference, the company welcomed attendees with signs saying "Redmond, we have a problem" and "Redmond, start your photocopiers."
Apple mocks Microsoft in
2005.
The jabs continued on Monday, with Apple displaying posters such as "Mac OS X Leopard: Introducing Vista 2.0" and "Hasta la vista, Vista."
Jobs suggested that even though Microsoft is spending $5 billion a year on research and development, it is not producing much innovation. "These days, all they seem to be able to do is try to copy Google and Apple," he said.
From a feature standpoint, Apple tried to make the case that everything that is coming with Vista is already available in Tiger, the most recent Mac OS X, Gartenberg said.
Jobs also said the Mac maker was holding back on some of Leopard's features. He outlined 10 new things in the operating system, but said that there were more that the company was not talking about. (To see CNET Reviews' first take on the Leopard preview, click here.)
"We don't want our friends to start their photocopiers any sooner than they have to," he said.
In particular, Gartenberg noted that Jobs pointed to a new version of the Front Row media software, but did not offer any details. The current version allows remote-control access to pictures, music and videos, but stops short of the TV-recording features offered by Windows XP Media Center Edition.
"I suspect there is a lot more to Leopard that Apple is holding back," Gartenberg said.
While Leopard's spots are not all known, Microsoft has been very public about what is coming with Vista, and the software has been in public testing for some time. Chief among the new features are improved desktop search, a new graphics subsystem, and improved security and mobility features.
Even though Apple is largely on track with Leopard's timing, some analysts noted that the company could have scored an even bigger coup had it had the revamp ready in time to include on Macs for this year's holiday shopping season.
"They had a huge, gaping window of opportunity if they could ship this fall," said IDC analyst Bob O'Donnell. But now there's "a good chance" that Leopard won't ship until after Vista, he said.
See more CNET content tagged:
Steve Jobs, Apple Computer, photocopier, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center
149 comments
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spring" is a competitive tactic. It wouldn't surprise me to hear
Apple announce that Leopard has been completed "ahead of
schedule," as was the case with their transition from IBM to Intel
microprocessors.
Tiger and Leopard". But someone who thinks Leopard is merely
nipping at Vista's heels hasn't paid much attention to Tiger's
featue set and operability.
Tiger and Leopard". But someone who thinks Leopard is merely
nipping at Vista's heels hasn't paid much attention to Tiger's
featue set and operability.
for a year. I gotta tell you, its a good OS. In some ways (like
networking) its a lot better than Tiger.
I'm also pissed that the Time Mahcine thing requires two drives.
Kinda sucks for those of us using laptops.
Is it becuase Tiger is "just" an upgrade to OSX and Vista is a new os?
However, larger companies do move a lot slower than smaller one and show less innovation. The large the company: the more stakes on wallstreet, the more "involvement" from senior leadership in the development process.
Personally, Vista seems more like a copywrite holder's dream than anything consumer focused, so I will not upgrade. I am holding out on desktop linux which I hope will become better at running Windows-based software. In order for an OS to kill Windows it has to have compatibility to run its software library. I am surprised there has no been more attention applied to this.
Also, you are right, Microsoft is way bigger and has way more customer problems to take note of. Sometimes being bigger is a lot tougher than it seems.
Microsoft's biggest problem, though, is that they keep announcing the date, then shifting it. If they gave a vague "November - March" timeline, then they wouldn't get so much crap.
Microsoft core OS (10+ yrs) is home grown and obviously they have deal with problems associated with OS maturity.
Also microsoft spends ton of time making sure all its applications integrate fine with the new OS!!. (This one I think is the curse of embedding features at OS level).
1) Vista isn't really a new OS but rather an attempt to make major upgrades to an existing OS (XP - a Windows NT varient). This means moving a buggy legacy codebase forward. Patching it up and adding features isn't going to be all that simple when you have so much legacy code to support software written for an OS version more than 10 years old. At this point, it probably would have taken less time to just start over.
2) Widespread hardware compatibility is a must for Windows. Unlike Mac OS, which is written for specific machines with certain basic hardware configurations, Windows has to support just about any configuration a hardware company or end user can dream up. This adds a whole layer of complexity.
3) From the looks of things, there is some instability at Microsoft. From management changes to changes in competition, I'm not to sure Microsoft is following a straight path right now.
There may be other reasons as well, but this is my take on things.
os?"
- DLL Hell still exists
- The Registry is still there
- Activation is troublesome to say the least.
SEE THE PRESENTATION:
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/wwdc06/" target="_newWindow">http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/wwdc06/</a>
completely rewrite the core of the OS. Much of the core
functionality in OSX doesn't need to be rewritten because it's
already there in the Unix kernel. Microsoft on the other hand, has
to completely reinvent the wheel whenever they rewrite the core of
the OS just to make the keyboard talk to the CPU.
too another installment of Mac OS X. But the main difference
between the two is that Windows Vista will require you to
activate or register their operating system within 30 days or you
cannot use the OS anymore. However, Mac OS X is one of the
only operating systems around that does not require activation
or registration of the OS but rather registration of the computer,
only. Mac OS X Leopard will be great for Intel Mac users because
then, you will, be able to use Windows XP on your Intel Mac,
which will replace Mac OS 9 Classic Environment, or better yet,
Windows Vista might be the Classic Environment for Mac OS X
v10.5 Leopard. So Intel Mac users with Leopard will be able to
run Vista when available. Mac OS X has been proven to be a
stable operating system, compared to Windows which requires
antivirus software, drivers, security and software updates, and
more protection than needed. Macs have been quote named "the
best computers around, including the iMac "gold for computing"
and Mac OS X as "the most advanced operating system", and "it
just works!"
But at a ~3.5% Apple vs. ~72% Microsoft, ~20ish % Linux, Who cares about the little over-marketed sub player?
In the end, there is no real reason for a person to get a Mac because all the software an aderage person uses, runs uner Windows.
Apple will still make an OS that next to noone uses, and Microsoft will still release an OS with major security problems that takes untill the third release to get right.
Even if Apple soes pull a marketing coup, Vista will still sell WAY better then Lepard, despite it's problems. Because the adverace person can do something usefull with it.
There are plenty of reasons for people to buy Macintosh computers. The UNIX heritage of OS X brings stability and security advantages. Not that it's flawless, but it is pretty good. There are also some great audio and video packages that are Mac exclusive.
Plus, if you say that 3.5% of the market is Apple, that is a large number of people. Compared to Windows it might not be, but look at the overall size of the computer market and then tell me that 3.5% isn't a lot of people.
Also, the average person can do plenty of useful things right out of the box with a Mac. Thanks to iLife they can work with photos, music, video, and more.
I would suggest that you learn more about the Mac before writing a "so what" argument. Oh, and please check your spelling in the future. It makes it easier for people to take a post seriously if it is written clearly.
That was a funny imitation of a Microsoft fanboy. LOL!
Oh, you were serious? We'll lets take your argument aboutt
Apple not mattering. Apple's influence in how Microsoft will
develop their software (and all the Windows developers) is
influnced by what Apple does vastly more than their market
share would make one think. You want to see what useful things
you can do with Windows two, three or probably four years from
now? Look at OS X now.
Second, Apple DOUBLED their market share in one quarter in the
laptop arena. And that's just with new units. Likely that is going
to increase. And Apple is the fifth largest computer maker,
period. Half of the Mac slares at Apple stores go to new
customers of Apple. That's a big, big number and has been
consistent since their first store opened.
Linux doesn't have 20 percent market share amongst regular
computer users. It's rare to find a general computer user who
uses Linux, and that's not going to change. They're hitting a
brick wall of lack of ease of use. And don't go telling us that
Linux is easy to us. It is for alpha geeks, who have no idea that
using a command line partition utility is beyond grandma's
grasp.
Your protests notwithstanding, So what? So THIS! This is the
future baby, get used to it.
are going into Vista, you are blind.
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://tauquil.com/archives/2006/01/06/re-introducing-the-" target="_newWindow">http://tauquil.com/archives/2006/01/06/re-introducing-the-</a>
real-windows-vista/
So, regardless of whether Apple's marketshare is 3.5% or 10%,
Apple's actions matter for computer users everywhere.
Besides, comparing the business model of Apple and Dell is silly.
Dell sells at high-volume and low-margins principally to
corporate accounts. Apple sells higher margin machines to
smaller segments of the business market and mainly to home
users. Over the past several years, only Apple and Dell have
consistently been profitable, but Dell is struggling lately in
maintaining its model while Apple is doing great.
Here's my "so what": so what if the vast majority of people
continue to use Windows? That's fine with me just as long as
Apple is alive and well and making great products. I'm quite
happy being in a small segment of the the marketspace. Apple
is moving more quickly and is on the leading edge. Life is good!
Hasta la Vista!
some jerk makes a stupid comment...
congrats...
as released 07/20/2006:
Buoyed by ever increasing shipments of Macintosh computers, Apple has quieted its Intel transition detractors by posting double-digit market share increases. Two market research firms have pegged Apples growth at over 15 percent with one giving them a 16 percent increase.
With Mac shipments rising from 655,000 to 760,000 year-over-year for the second quarter, Apples U.S. market jumped from 4.4 percent in 2005 to 4.8 percent in 2006 a double-digital growth of 16 percent, according to market research firm IDC.
IDC credits increases in Apples retail sector of 50 percent, as well as growth of 60 percent in its portable market for the steep increases.
The strong growth reflects a successful transition to Intel-based systems a critical transition for the company that sets the stage for future growth, said Richard Shim, senior analyst with IDCs Personal Computing program.
While the news was good for Apple, HP and Gateway all grew by double-digits the news was a bit more grim for market leader Dell. While maintaining its lead, the companys growth was significantly under that of the top performers, as the company posted a 6.4 percent increase.
Fact2: what software does the average person use that runs only on windows? email, web, chat, office?
MS Office for Mac, (old but still functional Apple Works, Pages, Keynote, Mail, Safari, iChat, MSN Messenger, Yahoo messenger and practically every other messenger.
The reason people seem to just love their macs is the seamless experience all the apps just work together, the experience is one where you dont have to know a command line action to get something done, it just works, kinda like a light switch, but many of us in technology would rather build a rube goldberg device to make ourselves feel smart.
fact that Microsoft holds most of the market share doesn't really
mean that much. Frankly Microsoft has always been and will
always be reactionary in terms of technology. They do not drive
technology, but rather flood the market with their product,
which more often than not is not the best product around. They
fit perfect in this disposable society. You may think that Apple
and their small market share are meaningless, however, they are
the true innovators in the market place and more often than not
companies like Microsoft are jumping to copy Apple and claim it
for themselves. There are few innovators in any particular
market, but they are the important companies that create
change and eventually hopefully better products and ideas. Not
to say that everything Apple does is unique, but they at least
have fresh ideas that move technology forward. It's hard to see
what Microsoft does, but jump on the bandwagon, copy trends,
and market them to the masses.
Yes, Microsoft has marketshare but the quality of its brand has been greatly dimished. People have been stuck with Windows because there have not been any alternatives, but when alternatives exists, customers will defect. Mac OS is a excellent alternative, you should try it!
would learn to use the spell checker!!!!
jajajajajajaja
15 years.
I think that Leopard only shows what Apple and Microsoft have
shown for years:
Apples ability to be truly innovative as well as Microsofts
inability to truly innovate to the detrement of the customers.
Again, much in Vista is a direct copy from Apple, such as the
lozengen look for example (and lest we forget that Windows XP
is only called that because Apple came out with OS "X"; a real
attest that Microsoft does not think too much about he
intelligence of their own customers).
In the meantime when Mr. Ballmer gives an interview he still
speaks of "innovation in Microsoft". What a laugh. Microsoft
copied the windows. They copied background printing. Now they
even copy the lozegen look. Soon they will probably innovate
photocopiers too.
It wont be long until they copy the new Time Machine. Looks like
it will be in a Klingon Spaceship tho...
And as to caring for their customers:
Microsoft hasnt even been serious about fixing the security
nightmare that windows is, because with their huge amount of
available resources, Windows would have been rewritten 100%
from the ground up to finally make it even reasonably secure, a
very very long time ago. (Consider that a small company like
Apple did the same thing)
WELL DONE APPLE FOR LEOPARD. TIME TO SHOW THE TEETH.
Cant wait for what is coming next! (but in my house that will
NOT be Vista, I can assure you.)
And, I suspect some of the Leopard "secrets" are being held back
just to make Vista look even more behind the times when it is
released.
Add to that the chances that all the new features of Vista have
about zero chance of actually working.
Even for something that is considered "beta 2" Vista seems a bit shabby.
I got so sick of Windows, that I still have one collecting dust in the corner on my computer room.
Now I run G5 Power Mac, and the Power Mac based on the Xeon processors just was announced yesterday, after it has been in the market place for a while, that's going to be my second computer.
No more PC BS! here.
Once in a while I have to turn on my PC to do some office work on Excel and Access, but that's about it.
I do use PC to rip Movies, lol... DVD_Shrink works so well, I wish they port that to Mac.
don't know what you are doing with Access, but you should look
into FileMaker Pro, a much better database application in my
opinion that is available on both platforms. There are numerous
applications for ripping movies on the Mac, try HandBrake or
MacTheRipper. You already have great video editing and DVD
buring software on the Mac (iMovie, iDVD).
For an average home user i'd agree that apple probably make the best OS, its just a shame that you have to buy the expensive problematic hardware to go with it, then on top of that get the Arrogance and Ignorance!
What we have here is another nonstory made up by C|NET.
Basicly neither Vista nor OS X is going to usher in any major transition overnight and anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot. Both OS's will need time to mature. Vista will need more of it though and as such the title of the story should be reversed.
Actually, memory dictates that it actually doesnt matter who is
first because Vista will still be crap and Leopard will still be
great.
What matters is what you use and not what came out when.
Further, the "advance" Leopard has is surely only the start. Apple
is more innovative, and they are much faster to market as their
OS is much better written and coded and secure. What we are
therefore seeing is not the beginning of a lead that Microsoft will
catch up with, we are seeing the beginning of Apple leaping
ahead for years to come, and the lead will become greater as
time advances.
Time to sell your Microsoft shares...if you have any.
Spongebob
can tell you how this Apple (Tortoise) and Microsoft (Hare) race will
end: FYI It's in the title.
J Gund
Tech01
www.Tech01.net
^ "Improved Desktop Search, New Graphics Subsystem " LOL.... Man, they kill me.
If I were him, that would be the real plan.
Then again, I don't run a software company.
with Macs sold during the holiday buying season. Given that
Leopard won't be out by Christmas, I don't think it matters greatly
whether the OS is released at MacWorld in January or later in the
spring. It's more important that Apple's software engineers make
10.5 a solid release that does not require a quick 10.5.1 follow-up.
(from the Wizard of Oz), spinning around in circles chanting "Which
way do I go?! Which wa do I go?!"
No body wants to lose their photo collection, etc... nobody wants to
back up. Within a year, you will look like a creative muvo-juvo
buyer passing on an iPod to be buying a PC.
Since many people are remiss in this area, it's now becoming a standard feature of Windows antivirus/security software. It doesn't get any easier than automatic backups to an external hard drive.
The latest company to include this is McAfee, with their recently released 07 line of products. Even Microsoft Onecare includes backup.:-)
I disagree with the so-called window of opportunity that Apple
should have had Leopard ready for this holiday shopping season
to have beaten Vista to the punch.
It would have only been a moral vicotry, yes. But not a sure fire
win. The strategy Apple should take is to ship Leopard during
or a little after VISTA ships (whenever that is). So both OSes have
equal footing and can be judged somewhat unbiasly.
But no doubt there is no camparison. Vista is highly doubtful to
even be on equal footing to Mac OS X Tiger. Vista is know where
near as secure as Tiger as its kernel is still based an off shoot of
the OLD Windows NT kernel and we all know how secure that is.
Point in case Vista has already been hacked (the Blackhat
Convention has proven this). Mac OS X hasn't (or atleast fairly).
No amount of Eye-Candy will ever make Vista secure or better.
But one thing Vista has that isn't in Mac OS X is the much loved
feature in Vista, FLIP3d. Man thats something ain't it!? and it only
took Microsoft 5 billion dollars for that feature.
Prediction: Vista ships Early Summer. Leopard Late Spring.
But what would happen if Apple suddenly took the position that iTunes would only run on Apple hardware and therefore, your iPod would only be usable if you had a MAC.
I love my iPod and use iTunes daily to download podcasts. I'm not really into a music library, so I wouldn't miss that end of it.
But if Apple took this position, I'd immediately switch to a Windows mp3 player and start downloading the mp3 versions of podcasts. It just wouldn't be practical for me to buy a MAC just so I could keep my iPod up to date.
And there in lies the real issue. Apple has come up with a more extensive way of supporting dedicated Windows users if they want to sell them a Macbook or Macbook Pro.
These laptops are very appealing, but everyone I've asked about buying one has said, unless your ready to adopt OS X as your PRIMARY OS, get a Windows PC. This attitude has to change if Apple is going to take full advantage of their switch to the Intel processors and give MS a run for their money.
If I were Steve Jobs, I would bend over backwards to allow Windows users to run their OS on my hardware and let them begin to experience the benefits of OS X. But let's be honest, if there is just ONE software program that you HAVE to run in Windows, then Windows has to be your primary OS, because if you've never run OS X, there is NOTHING you HAVE to run in OS X when you switch.
Somehow, they seem to be missing this point BIG TIME!
compatibility with a myriad of hardware devices. I don't see
Apple being interested in tackling that project.
My $.02
(LongHorn)?
Of course Windows was delayed and Tiger was released.
Windows is light years behind....
& I hope it stays that way.
But why?
It seems to me that you're arguing over whether a hammer or a screwdriver is the better tool without considering that perhaps both have their uses.
I run Windows and Office and will so long as they're the default standard for business because they work very, very well with every other business user and client in the world. Yes, you can complain about security and updates, but these are news only because of the *huge* target that Microsoft has had on its back for about a decade and a half. And for what it's worth, they spend a ton of time and money to constantly improve their products and address issues.
I use an iPod because it works for music and video; my designers use Macs exclusively because they're best for design and graphics. Neither is perfect either -- the iPod and iTunes work, but I would not say that either is bug free or totally secure.
In any case, the whole point is that when I need to hang a picture, I get a hammer. When I need to remove the faceplate on an electrical outlet, I get a screwdriver. And I don't think that using the right tool for the job necessarily is a commentary on the other, nor that people who, at the same time I'm using a screwdriver are themselves using a hammer for a different job are somehow stupid or clueless.
Just a thought...anyway, back to the fray.
And you don't need Windows to run Office and have compatibility "with every other business user and client in the world." Office for Mac will give you that, as for the most part will OpenOffice.
The Mac may not be perfect, but it can do anything a PC can do. And technically a PC can do anything a Mac can do, although if you want to run OS X you're gonna have to figure out how to make it run at all let alone well. Not so much a hardware limitation as a firmware one, but still...
compare Vista release date to MacOS 10.4 Tiger release date.
Vista = sometyime in 2007 or 2008
Tiger - April 2005
Apple has made it clear that they don't want you running it
on your Dell, HP, Gateway, Lenovo, Acer, Systemax, eMachines
etc PCs. So where is the supposed window of opportunity?
"Developers, developers, developers, developers!"
Unleash the flying monkeys!