Is Lion a Free Upgrade for some?

[Takuro]

This has been stated before, but Apple has a standard 2-week policy for these types of situations. Whether it's a new hardware release or new software, you're eligible to receive a free upgrade if your machine / software was purchased within this time window.

 

[surroundfan]

I know that what I'm about to say is a wistful dream, but I can hope that it comes true:

I hope they make the 10.7 update free of charge like iPhone updates. This would ensure that developers could be reasonably confident punters have the latest APIs making OSX a predictable platform to develop for (as opposed to Windows, where OSs dating back to the ark must be supported), that Apple does not have to keep multiple versions of OSX patched and that people who have not yet upgraded from Leopard can access the App Store (so Apple can take their 30% cut).

Not going to happen I know (I'll bet on a $49 price tag), but I can always hope.

 

[Steve Ballmer]

I know that what I'm about to say is a wistful dream, but I can hope that it comes true:

I hope they make the 10.7 update free of charge like iPhone updates. This would ensure that developers could be reasonably confident punters have the latest APIs making OSX a predictable platform to develop for (as opposed to Windows, where OSs dating back to the ark must be supported), that Apple does not have to keep multiple versions of OSX patched and that people who have not yet upgraded from Leopard can access the App Store (so Apple can take their 30% cut).

Not going to happen I know (I'll bet on a $49 price tag), but I can always hope.

Dating back to the ark? Right now, XP SP3, Vista SP2 and Windows 7 are the only fully supported consumer OS by Microsoft right now. The oldest of the bunch, SP2, goes back to 2007, the same year Leopard was released, which Apple also continues to support.

I really see no reason why Lion won't be $129. People apparently paid this price happily with 10.0, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4 and 10.5. $0 and $29 are the only other OS prices Apple has used with Mac OS X. Yes, it would be great if it sold for $29, $49, $79 or $99, but when Apple knows they can sell the same number of copies for $129, why not?