Of course, it turns out to have been a complete and utter lie - as there ARE new features - you just have to use a microscope to notice them.
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Apple "botched its new operating system Snow Leopard"
- Thread starter Topher15
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How about, instead of comparing Vista/Win7 and Leopard/Snow Leopard, you make the comparison between Windows and OSX between 2006 to 2009. Snow Leopard may not be the big leap but it was never intended to be, but what Apple have done in the time between Vista and Windows 7 dwarfs what Microsoft have done.djellison said:
As for user-end features how about Quicktime X, Finder/Quick Look improvements, Safari plug-in changes (crash resistant), Stacks improvements, Expose improvements, and Exchange. You personally may not like or notice them but many people do. I could understand your dislike for SL if it cost the same as Leopard, but given just how cheap it was the under-the-hood changes along with those user-end features makes it a bargain as well worth while.
I wouldn’t call Snow Leopard botched. Boring and over-hyped by everyone but Apple would be a more appropriate term.
Mac-friendly personalities (Leo Laporte, Kevin Rose, Gruber, etc), Web sites (Appleinsider, Roughly Drafted, Macrumors, etc) and media (Arstechnica, Slashdot, Engadget, Gizmodo, etc) really hyped it up before WWDC ’09 as the “second coming” of Mac OS X.
This despite Apple telling developers 10.6 wouldn’t focus on features at WWDC ’08.
It was going to have a future storage file system (ZFS), run insanely faster now that it was 64-bit and its code optimized for Intel (and all that PPC code dropped), have a new revolutionary ‘Marble’ interface, system-wide Multi-touch, crazy fast video encoding using OpenCL, etc.
(If you don’t believe me just do a search on 10.6 features in the 2008-era time frame.)
Then, WWDC ’09 came and everyone sort of went “Oh.”
Apple shipped Snow Leopard earlier than expected in August. While it may have delivered everything Apple announced to public over its two year development cycle (which wasn’t much), it didn’t live up to the hype or include the feature set the Mac community spurred article after article over the past two years.
With this product, the Mac community’s expectations sort of backfired on Apple.
But you have to give Apple props, they realized this was a maintenance release, it wasn’t going to be like their OS releases and they priced 10.6 appropriately.
They launched it without any fanfare (no launch day parties, no hype-building interviews from Steve Jobs or other Apple executives, etc).
Snow Leopard is not a bad product. It’s just not the big update we’re all used to getting every two years. It’s a big “meh” from the average consumer/end-user standpoint.
Here’s hoping that 10.7 is a more traditional Mac OS X release.
The biggest problem they have now is Windows 7. They underestimated the attention and goodwill it would generate.
Frankly, for most people — it’s good enough.
That’s why you have OS X’s marketing manager contacting PC Magazine to give an interview on “Why Snow Leopard is better than Windows 7” and they’re putting out all these new Mac vs. PC ads that specifically target 7.
(Bizarre interview with Apple’s Brian Croll. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2354364,00.asp)
You can only play the Vista card so long … it’ll be interesting to see how their Mac strategy evolves over the next six months.
Quicktime X is a downgrade. Finder changes and Quicklook improvements? Not noticed them. Safari is STILL a damn mess. Stacks improvements? You means it's ALMOST like we were promised when they were very first demonstrated two years ago? Expose I don't actually see any changes that ware different to the old 4 expose function buttons we used to have. Exchange? Don't use it. As i said- these are personal experiences.
£25 for Snow Leopard. £75 for Win7.
And Win7 seems far far better value, in my experience.
Apple do need to be careful now, they're at a very critical juncture in terms of how they position themselves against the competition. In the past it was easy, Apple was the little guy, Microsoft was the big bad monster, therefore they could play on that situation to their heart's content.
Now that Apple have started to dominate certain markets, i.e. downloadable content sales, portable music players, smartphones, etc., it is they that are at risk of being perceived as the big bad monster. Google have experienced some similar problems, even though they started out as the ultimate ethical company. People just love to rail at 'the man'.
Apple now needs to start thinking about dropping the whole 'I'm a Mac' strategy. Once it's been adopted by the competition: 'I'm a PC and Windows 7 was my idea"; then it's time to move on.
I can't comment on the upgrade experience, I'm using Snow Leopard on my newly purchased iMac. It seems fine to me. I don't and never will use every new fangled feature of the system, I'm just not that interested. If it helps me I use it, if it never occurs to me, I don't. I don't use widgets or expose, I can't even be bothered with Cover Flow, though it looks great.
For me most features like that are just sales tools, eye candy, same for Mac OS, and belatedly realised by Microsoft, same for them too.
Windows users were desperate for something they could actually use, so whatever MS brought out to replace Vista was going to be welcomed. No surprise there.
Typical UK journalism though, see it all the time. Apple-bashing is quite common.
Now that Apple have started to dominate certain markets, i.e. downloadable content sales, portable music players, smartphones, etc., it is they that are at risk of being perceived as the big bad monster. Google have experienced some similar problems, even though they started out as the ultimate ethical company. People just love to rail at 'the man'.
Apple now needs to start thinking about dropping the whole 'I'm a Mac' strategy. Once it's been adopted by the competition: 'I'm a PC and Windows 7 was my idea"; then it's time to move on.
I can't comment on the upgrade experience, I'm using Snow Leopard on my newly purchased iMac. It seems fine to me. I don't and never will use every new fangled feature of the system, I'm just not that interested. If it helps me I use it, if it never occurs to me, I don't. I don't use widgets or expose, I can't even be bothered with Cover Flow, though it looks great.
For me most features like that are just sales tools, eye candy, same for Mac OS, and belatedly realised by Microsoft, same for them too.
Windows users were desperate for something they could actually use, so whatever MS brought out to replace Vista was going to be welcomed. No surprise there.
Typical UK journalism though, see it all the time. Apple-bashing is quite common.
Not really. Apple moved to full 64 bit support, enhanced multicore processing and CPU/GPU load switching all of which have been available on Windows for some time.
Going back to the original point, W7 has been better received than SL. That's a bit worrying for Apple.
The Sunday rags seem to be at it all the time: 'This [insert product here] is really going to worry Apple', etc. Read it in 'Live' magazine all the time (no I don't subscribe to the MoS, get it off my in-laws!)
Well received by who? According to you or who? All the head to heads I've seen of Snow Leopard vs Windows 7 has Snow Leopard on top.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/arti...e_s_Snow_Leopard?taxonomyId=125&pageNumber=10
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9139880/PC_vs._Mac_deathmatch_Snow_Leopard_beats_Windows_7
http://reviews.cnet.com/2722-19589_7-314.html
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-31012_7-10319612-10355804.html
http://www.t3.com/reviews/computers/software/apple-snow-leopard-mac-os-x-review
All the ones you've seen.
Michael DeAgonia's review. You can cancel that one out with Paul Thurrott's review of Windows 7. Both are fans of their respective operating systems and, unsurprisingly, have different views.
Another Computerworld opinion piece.
You could equally have used:
Both are opinion pieces. The actual reviews, however...
http://reviews.cnet.com/windows/mic...-3672_7-33704140.html?tag=centerColumnArea1.0
http://reviews.cnet.com/macintosh-o...-3673_7-33676737.html?tag=centerColumnArea1.1
Show Windows 7 as 'Outstanding (4.5)' and Snow Leopard as 'Excellent (4.0)'.
Before going into debate I would point out CNET was your source, not mine.
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-31012_7-10319612-10355804.html
Oh yes. Dong Ngo's article which he was rightly ridiculed for on every message board. The test is on a Macbook using Apple software of differing versions. Strangely Windows performs better with the third party stuff.
T3 also give Windows 7 5 stars.
Both are really good operating systems but in general the point remains that Windows 7 has been better received than Snow Leopard. This could, of course, be because it's coming from the low point of Vista's perception but Apple aren't helping themselves with some pretty fundamental QA failures.
You still haven't showed me Windows 7 was received any better than Snow Leopard and you choosing who and who you find credible is laughable. You don't have any evidence showing Windows 7 was received any better than Snow Leopard, it is just that your opinion. Snow Leopard is selling at a faster rate than Leopard and adoption numbers are increasing.
Apart from the CNET review you mean? I'd also point out again that CNET was your source not mine.
I think we're done here.
I was there for the Leopard one and MacRumors had massive coverage.
I know that my MUG went to Chicago for the Tiger launch. It was strange to see absolutely nothing for Snow Leopard. I just called up and walked in for my copy. There wasn't a party going on in the line with all of your friends and employees handing out candy and water for a 6 PM launch.
That's exactly what you did two posts earlier.
And truthfully - reviews are not worth a damn - it's how it works for each person.
I find Win7 just as good, if not a better place to be than OS X. For browsing - it's MILES ahead. Pushing files around? Ditto. Networking? Ditto. Performance and value of hardware? Ditto.
So what, why should we put any worth in what you say over any of the reviews. You haven't had a positive thing to say about Apple since joining this board.
Had some problems?
You poor poor thing!
All you have to do is think different!
It's not windows so quit operating it like it is and you won't have any problems... it's funny but me and others that have been die hard Mac users since it's conception don't experience any of these problems like others... they must be switchers that just don't know how to use the Mac OS in all it's glory!
As a matter of fact, I really would care less to convert any PC user to use a Mac... they were traitors once they will be again IMO!
If it wasn't for us die hard Mac users out there the Mac would have never matured into the beautiful thing it has become... PC users are just that, traitors and crackers, hackers or haters whatever you want to say but to take the Mac OS and use it on a PC goes against what a PC person believes in... or is it they just like to skimp on the important things like integration and functionalities...
It's funny, they hate Macs but run OS X? WOW! It figures this type of analogy would come from a windows user he he...
I was following along until this point... WHAT?! REALLY!?
As a web developer, I absolutely HATE IE in all its versions.
How somebody could willingly choose to use it when at least 3 better alternatives exist totally boggles my mind.
Apple’s held launch parties at Apple Store’s around the world for every version of Mac OS X released since 10.1 except 10.6. Obviously, they didn’t have Apple Stores when 10.0 was released.
Usually, they hand out t-shirts, stickers, mouse pads, etc. One year, they gave away a few iPods. They’ve also offered 10% discounts storewide. I’ve personally went to the 10.1, 10.2, 10.4, iPhone and 10.5 launches and they were all a blast.
I don't use IE. I tried it briefly on Win7 - and it's faster and more reliable than Safari on my UBMB. I use Safari on my UBMB. I use Chrome and very rarely Firefox at work and on my home workstation.
I'm entirely OS ambivalent. I use what works for me.
Yeah, like your experience actually represents the general population? For the record, my EXPERIENCE with Snow Leopard is the opposite of yours. I have had NONE of the issues that you wrote about. Do you know what you are doing?