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paully dub · May 29, 2004, 08:29 AM

I'm still running 10.2.8, been too busy to ugrade to Panther, plus I have a couple intense projects going and I figured I'd wait till they end, and do a nice clean install.

But now I'm wondering, since the OS I'm running now is working so well for me, and with Tiger possibly around the corner, why not wait until Tiger comes out in about 6 months. Or will it be much longer, or should I just shut up and wait till it's officially announced in a month?

Here's where you get to try and convince me to upgrade to Panther...

Busemann · May 29, 2004, 08:40 AM

The reasons to spend $129 for Panther aren't as convincing as going from, say, 10.1 to 10.2. If you are happy with 10.2.8 and the applications function fine, I'd just wait.

On the other hand, Expos� is to many (including me) worth the $$$ alone

LeeG · May 29, 2004, 08:46 AM

Despite tiger being announced at WWDC, it seems it will be a WHILE before it's actually released - Panther wasn't until late fall.

The problem is that you are at the end of the Panther cycle, but if you buy it now, you'll have tp pay AGAIN for Tiger - thats (probably) $260 in less than a year for OS software.

Don't get me wrong - I think it's worth it, I have bought every version, but closer to when they were released. I think buying 2 versions in less than a year would sting a little too much.

So, see what WWDC shows in a month - maybe they will have a time frame that would alter your deecision - eg, 'before the end of 2004' or 'early 2005' - or maybe they'll actually consider their customer base and have an upgrade strategy from panther (even microshaft did this with office - buy office vX and get a FREE upgrade to 2004) - it would encourage adoption. Apple should say 'buy panther now (after WWDC) and get Tiger free...but they won't.

You've waited this long without Panther, so you dont know what you're missing (it really is great), save the $130 - get an isight, and then buy Tiger when it comes out....

Lee

Angus_D · May 29, 2004, 09:21 AM

Originally posted by LeeG:
or maybe they'll actually consider their customer base and have an upgrade strategy from panther (even microshaft did this with office - buy office vX and get a FREE upgrade to 2004) - it would encourage adoption. Apple should say 'buy panther now (after WWDC) and get Tiger free...but they won't.

They normally do this after they have announced an actual definite release date, which tends to happen a month or so before the actual release.

LeeG · May 29, 2004, 09:43 AM

Agreed, that has been their poilcy in the past, but why not allow free upgrades for anyone after Tiger has been announced (ie WWDC) - even if there is no exact release date yet?

Microshaft announced Office 2004 in January and didn't announce an exact ship date, but allowed FREE upgrades for anyone who bought after Jan 6. Not that M$ is a model to follow, but I think they did that right - I bought vX on Jan 8 since I knew I would get 2004 down the road, and I could use vX in the mean time.

Who wants to buy Panther, go through installing an OS upgrade, just to be garanteed a free copy of Tiger in a month, and have to go through ANOTHER OS upgrade 3 weeks later? Let 'em buy Panther now, and upgrade to Tiger for free in 5 months. Doesn't seem worth the trouble of an OS upgrade for only 3-6 weeks. Very few savvy people would buy Panther after Tiger is announced (WWDC), knowing they'd have to pay twice...

Just rambling...

Lee

Angus_D · May 29, 2004, 10:11 AM

Originally posted by LeeG:
Agreed, that has been their poilcy in the past, but why not allow free upgrades for anyone after Tiger has been announced (ie WWDC) - even if there is no exact release date yet?

Who knows. By the same logic they could allow a discount for people that purchased the previous version of the OS (Why does Panther cost the same for Jaguar users as it does for OS 9 users? Seems a little unfair.)

Dale Sorel · May 29, 2004, 12:43 PM

Originally posted by paully dub:
But now I'm wondering, since the OS I'm running now is working so well for me, and with Tiger possibly around the corner, why not wait until Tiger comes out in about 6 months.

In the world of computers, there will always be something else just around the corner. By your logic, I suppose you could wait until time->infinity before you decide to upgrade

paully dub · May 29, 2004, 12:54 PM

Originally posted by Dale Sorel:
In the world of computers, there will always be something else just around the corner. By your logic, I suppose you could wait until time->infinity before you decide to upgrade

No... I WILL be upgrading, soon. And I was under the impression that after Tiger, the next update wouldn't be "just around the corner". My only question is, from a productivity standpoint, is 6 months of Panther worth it? I would love to play with it, but I only have the one computer, a 1ghz Ti, and I'm doing just fine, even without expos� ( I hide stuff like crazy though).

Turnpike · May 29, 2004, 03:50 PM

If you have an older computer, go for it. The speed increase on my Sawtooth (400) was worth it, and would be worth it for 6 months. Beyond that, if everything is working fine, spend the money on something else. If you haven't had the chance to play with it, check it out in a store or on a friend's computer... but it isn't worth the money to just play with

Dale Sorel · May 29, 2004, 04:38 PM

Originally posted by paully dub:
No... I WILL be upgrading, soon.

Then why bother asking a rather silly question in here

And I was under the impression that after Tiger, the next update wouldn't be "just around the corner".

Good luck trying to forecast the computer industry

paully dub · May 29, 2004, 04:54 PM

Soon, either later this years if Tiger comes out that soon, or Panther right away. Nothing's urgent, and to be honest, I was doing a lot of work earlier this year on OS 9 (at the office - don't ask) and I managed to survive the experience.

Heck, I've played with Panther plenty - I think it's great, but speed's not an issue (1ghz g4, 768 mb ram TiBook), and voila.

129 bucks (actually it's 149 euros here in France, which is like 160 bucks) ...dunno, probably wait till I get a glimpse of the TIGER...

arcticmac · May 29, 2004, 07:35 PM

well, I personally would bet that tiger will be out well before christmas.

Why? well, seems to me like 10.2 was out in December (I think) and I know 10.3 was released on October 24, so perhaps we can interpolate the pattern and 10.4 will be ready by August? I'd like to think so, but I believe that's a bit on the optomistic side. i'd look for a release any time between August and December though. most likely september or october, but I might be wrong.

juanvaldes · May 29, 2004, 07:53 PM

No sooner then October and I'd put my money on January (macworld) /guesses

If 10.2's running fine for you I'd just wait it out also Tiger will be the last of the 'yearly upgrades'. So on the outside buying Panther now will give you ~8 months before Tiger is unleashed.

2 cents

lookmark · May 29, 2004, 09:42 PM

Panther is *great*, not only Expos� and increased speed, but practically *every* Apple application has been considerably improved. Not to mention the new ones.

If you're happy with 10.2.8, though, and on a budget... well, waiting until Tiger makes sense. If you can't financially make a justification for it, hold on until late this year (or early next) and for the same price you'll get everything in Panther and much more.

quadraphonic · Jun 17, 2004, 07:10 PM

Or you could always watch for a deal on eBay..

Lancer409 · Jun 25, 2004, 09:22 AM

expose's great .. i dont even know what tiger features ...