Probably, but with Mac osx you buy one os , that has all the features not 5 different versions. With the lower ones being crippled.
First of all, saying lower versions are "crippled" isn't really fair. They simply don't have certain features some users may not need and aren't willing to pay for. It's a good example of choice vs. simplicity. Apple chooses to make everything simple - you have a very small choice of computer models, you only have one version of OS, only one keyboard, one mouse, one type of monitor, one type of wireless router, etc. The advantage of this is the easiness of the whole experience. You know that everything you buy will simply work out of the box, you don't have to worry about compatibility and you can easily decide what to buy. The only problem is you have to accept what they give you. It's either Apple's way or the highway and if you dislike something (the way an interface works, laptop screen resolution, whatever) - tough luck, take it or leave it.
Other computer companies offer you much more choice - there are hundreds of different models of laptops, a bunch of versions of OSes, but the problem is you need some basic computer knowledge to process it all, which can be confusing for beginners. That's why Apple is "user friendly". But there are plenty of people who know what they want and for them, choice is good. You can buy EXACTLY what you want, configure it the way you want it to work and most importantly - you know you're paying for just the stuff you need.
isn't the full and only version of OS X like $130? and the starter version of Windows 7 is going to be $200 (give or take), that is a little priceyyyyy.
Like someone already said, this isn't really a fair comparison. People who buy OS X already bought some kind of Apple's computer (and consequently paid for OS X already), so not only is this just an upgrade price, but Apple is also exactly aware it's going into the hands of people who already bought their stuff and a low price will convince them to stay with them and buy more of their hardware. Because Apple is primarily a hardware company. Microsoft on the other hand can't sell their OS for a lower price and count on long turn profits, because the OS is their source of income.
The biggest problem will be... Apple. I don't expect any 64-Bit Windows 7 compatible Boot Camp drivers from them before next year, and then they will probably only ship them for the newest Mac Pros. I don't care for the 32-Bit drivers at all, but chances are that those might be available sooner.
Windows 7 uses the same driver model as Vista, so drivers are compatible, which means that we won't have to wait for Apple to make everything from scratch again.
I haven't tried the beta of Windows 7 but from what I hear it's what Vista was suppose to be.
That's an unfair thing to say. Just because Vista needs a lot of hardware resources, it doesn't mean it doesn't have some very useful features. Windows 7 is simply focused on performance.
By that reasoning, since Apple said Snow Leopard will be mostly just polishing and performance improvements, you could say Leopard is crap and Snow Leopard is what Leopard was "supposed to be"
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I've never understood why Microsoft has to sell Windows in so many different versions. Either give the people the full version right out of the box, or add a feature that will allow more advanced users to unlock/enable advanced features. There's no need to sell crippled versions of an OS.
Guess what -- they are including that feature. You will be able to add features to your version, which means you can buy a cheaper edition and if you decide you need advanced features later, you will be able to upgrade to that edition.
Just bundle 3 versions. Home, Professional, and Enterprise. That's the version scheme of XP and it worked tremendously well (XP is still used heavily and I mean heavily in the Business Sector).
Once more: Guess what -- that's what they're going to do. Some of the mentioned versions will only be used in very specific environments, regular customers will have exactly three choices to pick from and they're pretty much the same as the ones you mentioned.
More info.
