In a couple of different threads different users have asked for compelling reasons to update to Leopard... It seems that expectations are high, and new features just aren't creating a buzz for some people.
I really am starting to think that expectations of Apple's current OS model are built on what Microsoft released in Vista. Vista was touted as a major sea-change when juxtaposed with XP - exactly the same way Apple went from OS9 to X. With leopard we are seeing the further evolution of X - and yet, even with it only being a larger incremental change, it is still in fact leaps and bounds ahead of Vista in what it can achieve. In fact, Tiger as it stands has better executed features and in-line applications than Vista.
Spaces - For me thats going to be like Expose - I cant even remember how i lived without it now. Whenever I use a mac without Expose and I find myself hitting F9 and nothing happens... oh man! you mean I have to actually start moving my windows out the of the way to 'find' a window?... I already know Spaces is going to revolutionise how I interact with my Mac - again!
Time Machine - unless you have been in the position when you hit 'Save' instead of 'Save As' or when you delete a folder only to find an image within that folder is linked to another document someplace you will never know how valuable this awesome new feature is going to be...
iChat Theatre & Quicklook - Collaborating and presenting work / ideas / etc with others just became a whole new big deal... When other's start to implement Quicklook with their documents it will get even better - I can already imagine having an open document in Photoshop and hitting a Quicklook button to 'show' it to a client via iChat - they want to see a change? I jump back to Ps, make the change, hit Ql button - and boom... you get the idea...
Quicklook - no more having to keep Preview, Quicktime, TextEdit et al constantly open to quickly look at various files...
So... Are people holding out on 'secret features' etc etc because what they actually want to see is Mac OS XI? Which I can imagine will be a true sea-change.
I'm starting to see that Apple's ease of use, accessibility, UI & Industrial design is starting to create a situation whereby an industry leader is revolutionising markets in such simple ways that the 'new Apple thing' belies the effect that it has on the way we interact and use our Apple hard/software. Take the iPhone touchscreen as a recent example, anyone who gets to use it is wowed by it, and immediately pick up on the fluid natural way they interact with the device. That very same natural interaction is what then makes the 'new' thing feel like it has always existed - anything else immediately feels 'old'. I've already used the Expose example - right now I have 9 active windows on my desktop, I can't imagine not having Expose to manage those windows (even counting how many active windows I have would have been difficult without Expose!). Yet Expose was part of the evolution of X, not part of a sea-change OS - but it still revolutionised the way I work... Another example - Time Machine, yes, it's just back up - but it's simplicity of use belies what it actually achieves for me within my workflow and everyday life - it's another feature that will make a massive impact on how I work.
If you dont think there is anything compelling in Leopard to make you upgrade then you should most certainly stick with the OS version you have - and simply wait until Apple release a compelling enough version of their OS that suits your needs. For me, Leopard has enough compelling features to make me upgrade X once it's released....
I really am starting to think that expectations of Apple's current OS model are built on what Microsoft released in Vista. Vista was touted as a major sea-change when juxtaposed with XP - exactly the same way Apple went from OS9 to X. With leopard we are seeing the further evolution of X - and yet, even with it only being a larger incremental change, it is still in fact leaps and bounds ahead of Vista in what it can achieve. In fact, Tiger as it stands has better executed features and in-line applications than Vista.
Spaces - For me thats going to be like Expose - I cant even remember how i lived without it now. Whenever I use a mac without Expose and I find myself hitting F9 and nothing happens... oh man! you mean I have to actually start moving my windows out the of the way to 'find' a window?... I already know Spaces is going to revolutionise how I interact with my Mac - again!
Time Machine - unless you have been in the position when you hit 'Save' instead of 'Save As' or when you delete a folder only to find an image within that folder is linked to another document someplace you will never know how valuable this awesome new feature is going to be...
iChat Theatre & Quicklook - Collaborating and presenting work / ideas / etc with others just became a whole new big deal... When other's start to implement Quicklook with their documents it will get even better - I can already imagine having an open document in Photoshop and hitting a Quicklook button to 'show' it to a client via iChat - they want to see a change? I jump back to Ps, make the change, hit Ql button - and boom... you get the idea...
Quicklook - no more having to keep Preview, Quicktime, TextEdit et al constantly open to quickly look at various files...
So... Are people holding out on 'secret features' etc etc because what they actually want to see is Mac OS XI? Which I can imagine will be a true sea-change.
I'm starting to see that Apple's ease of use, accessibility, UI & Industrial design is starting to create a situation whereby an industry leader is revolutionising markets in such simple ways that the 'new Apple thing' belies the effect that it has on the way we interact and use our Apple hard/software. Take the iPhone touchscreen as a recent example, anyone who gets to use it is wowed by it, and immediately pick up on the fluid natural way they interact with the device. That very same natural interaction is what then makes the 'new' thing feel like it has always existed - anything else immediately feels 'old'. I've already used the Expose example - right now I have 9 active windows on my desktop, I can't imagine not having Expose to manage those windows (even counting how many active windows I have would have been difficult without Expose!). Yet Expose was part of the evolution of X, not part of a sea-change OS - but it still revolutionised the way I work... Another example - Time Machine, yes, it's just back up - but it's simplicity of use belies what it actually achieves for me within my workflow and everyday life - it's another feature that will make a massive impact on how I work.
If you dont think there is anything compelling in Leopard to make you upgrade then you should most certainly stick with the OS version you have - and simply wait until Apple release a compelling enough version of their OS that suits your needs. For me, Leopard has enough compelling features to make me upgrade X once it's released....
