Leopard catching up with Vista

[BGonaSTICK]

As Apple announces a spring release for its latest Mac OS, many analysts suspect Vista's January update may be delayed until later in the year

So which will come first, the Vista or the Leopard?

That is the question that was on the minds of many after Apple, at its developer conference, announced on 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 chief executive 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".

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 $5bn 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.

"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.

[alcina]

Mutter, mutter....the problem with Apple is that they release new operating systems waaaaaaay to frequently! It's only a year since 10.4 was released...and the goalposts change dramatically between each release. Hell...they have been known to change the goalposts between middling releases too! Makes support and development a nightmare. The internal gubbins of OSX has changed beyond recognition since it first came out. Forget anything before 10.2, it won't work! Half of it won't work with 10.2 either. And increasingly they've been tying in OS to only the very latest hardware, thus forcing you to upgrade your hardware more rapidly that is strictly necessary. And why, in all of this, have they *still* not got a decent unicode word processor? Tell your users to use TextEdit and they look at you like you've gone mad! Mutter, mumble...

Alcina

[BGonaSTICK]

That's interesting. I didn't realise half of that.

Why is it then, that Mac users will normally fight to the death to defend the Mac and it's OS when cornered by a hungry pack of avid (though misguided) windowheads?

[alcina]

I think that traditionally the mac community has been very loyal to Apple; and it still is, but they're not blind! Faced with windows users they will still pull together, but that's not to say Apple doesn't have its faults...they're just different faults from Microsoft!

The bottom line though is that Apple have put a fantastic gui on top of unix which makes it possible for complete non-computer people to run unix machines, and which, if they are so inclined, makes it peasy for anyone wanting to know more about unix to get involved as safely as possible. It also makes it easy for those of us who have to integrate macs with other systems. Granted that a lot of the Linux distros have got easier and easier to use as well, but they are all hampered by XFree86. Whilst it in itself is amazing that it exists at all, it still sucks compared to Aqua. My main grouch with Apple is that OSX was *not* stable until 10.2 and it really shouldn't have been released until then - though I appreciate that I have the luxury of not having to work in a corporate environment where profit margins matter. Since 10.2 they have released a new OS practically every year, each which some rather substantial changes under the hood with how they work, including "bug fixes" (bugs that Apple never acknowledged existed until *after* they had fixed them! At least Microsoft acknowledges there are problems!). That and the increased push to force you to upgrade hardware because hardware is where Apple makes their money.

The move to Intel processors is an interesting development...on the one hand there is clearly fear (they tried to tie the OS into only "Apple" hardware but they failed) that this will result in OSX being run on any Intel clone (which it does...rather well in fact!), thus losing hardware sales....on the other hand increasingly I'm seeing non-mac people purchase Apple Intel hardware over standard PCs because it means that they can run OSX and Windows natively..best of both worlds. This is particularly interesting because it is in the best interests of both Apple *and* Microsoft! Apple make their money with hardware, Microsoft make their money with software. This Apple Hardware plus Windows Software scenario could see a new entant cordial between the two companies!

A couple of years ago I was about to apply for a "Mac Guru" job with Apple, but I decided in the end that I wouldn't be able to stand and smile at users proclaiming happily that OSX was perfect and Apple hardware was perfect and that there were no problems, which is what Apple require of all its employees. I guess I'm just not a company man! :? So instead I stayed sitting slightly outside of Apple, reasonably high in the user community, which means I get to whinge about Apple's bad points, but benefit from Apple's good point! Cake and eat it!

At the end of the day I am a stauch mac user - it is my desktop machine of choice by far. If I want servers then I use Solaris, BSD or Linux, but for everyday use an OSX mac gives me the best of both worlds.

Just my 0.075 Euros...enough of my ramblings....

Alcina

[BGonaSTICK]

Wow, what a fantastic post! :clap:

Mine eyes hath been openend.
Now, if I could just get my wife's purse to do the same, I'd be off down the shops! :roflmao:

[nanochickin]

I have always prefered OSX to anything microshaft have ever came out with.

Unfortunately my ageing G3 iMac 400 cant really support anything higher than OSX 10.3 panther. All i can say is that OSX in my opinion is not as wobley or as unreliable as XP. Definately the better operating system.

I'm just wondering if from what i read it will run on my Dell PC so i can ditch XP. :?

Anyway enough of my opinions. For all you die hard Mac fans check this out.

http://www.electric-chicken.co.uk/itoilet.html

I thought it was hilarious

[BGonaSTICK]

LOL, nice link

[alcina]

Take a look at: http://www.osx86project.org/ And try googling for "os x on a pc" type of thing. There are a few steps you have to go through, and some limited hardware options. But it does work

Alcina

[nanochickin]

Cheers for that alcina. I will have to look a bit more deeply into that one. :clap:

It will be nice to have a fast OSX machine again if i can get it running. I have my spare 40gb hard drive on standby. All i need to do now is a get a copy of OSX for the intel CPU. Think its time to hastle my mate at Aberdeen uni again.