[Doofy]

Three more baby bunnies spotted on the lawn today. Life is good. Except for the bad bits. Which is mostly the government and British Telecom.

Anyway. As some of you will be aware, OS X 10.5 is utter crap, as I discovered yesterday after buying a couple of new minis. Damn things wouldn't even do a software update over Airport without locking up. Six times.

So, today I phoned Apple:

Doof: "Your new OS is crap. Is it possible to buy 10.4?"
Apple: "No sir, we never made a retail version of 10.4 which will work with Intel".
Doof: "Hmmm, OK. So what can we do?"
Apple: "Hang on, I'll pass you to tech support".

Apple: "Hello, tech support here".
Doof: "Your new OS is crap. I want to downgrade to the old one".
Apple: "OK sir, what's your name and address?"
Doof: "Blah blah blah."
Apple: "Thank you sir - a couple of 10.4 Intel disks will be in the mail and with you in 10 days."
Doof: "Any charge?"
Apple: "No sir."
Doof: "Thanks Apple. You guys rock!"

All in all, an informative week. I've learned that:
1) Bunnies breed quite quickly.
2) Apple rock.
3) 10.5 is crap.
4) The new Apple keyboards are crap (glad I got a stock of the old ones in).

That's all, until the next instalment of DoofBlog.

[kelso]

I got one of the new wireless keyboards and they are wonderful. What problems did you have with yours?

There were some bunnies in my backyard for a while but a coyote got to them

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by kelso 

I got one of the new wireless keyboards and they are wonderful. What problems did you have with yours?

They're just too thin, which puts the keys too close to the desk, which puts my hands at a weird angle for typing. My hands are designed (and expertly trained) to mess with things which stick out.

And they're silver. I hate silver.

[Dakar the Fourth]

Thats what I like about the new ones. The old keys seemed thick and loud.

[Big Mac]

So Apple will officially let users with new hardware downgrade to Tiger? That's very interesting.

[Doofy]

Thick and loud, with things sticking out. That's where's it at fellas.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

So Apple will officially let users with new hardware downgrade to Tiger? That's very interesting.

I actually got passed to tech support when I asked if I could legally downgrade my soon to be arriving Mac Pro to 10.4 with the install disks I have from my existing Mac Pro. They said it would be fine, no problem. Then went the extra mile in sending me the 10.4 install disks for the minis.

They needed the serial numbers of the minis, I assume to check that I wasn't some random bloke trying to hock install disks on eBay, but no problems.

[Eug]

Top: My favourite Mac keyboard.
Bottom: Another very good Mac keyboard.




Best keyboard overall of all time.

[Oisín]

"No sir, we never made a retail version of 10.4 which will work with Intel".

Uhh...

My hands are designed (and expertly trained) to mess with things which stick out.

Heh.

[Dakar the Fourth]

I gotta say, I did love that bottom keyboard.

Edit; The apple one. Not the IBM one. Damn your quick edit, Eug.

[Dakar the Fourth]

Originally Posted by Oisín 

Uhh... .

It's true. All intel computers shipped with hardware specific versions of Tiger. The boxed version is PPC only.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Oisín 

Uhh...

Don't ask me - I don't know. I'm just repeating what the phone monkey said.

I've got a retail 10.4 at the other house somewhere but I've never tried it on Intel. Have to root it out and give it a go sometime.

[Gareth Johnston]

A retail version of 10.4 was never pressed for Intel Macs, because all new Intel machines came with it pre-installed or on the restore disks. Remember the intel switch was started the summer after 10.4 came out. What doof is getting is more likely to be Software restore/install disks for the old mac pro's/mini's than anything special.

Balls to him for asking for it and then getting a decent response from Apple.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by Dakar the Fourth 

It's true. All intel computers shipped with hardware specific versions of Tiger. The boxed version is PPC only.

Ahhhh, I missed the word ‘retail’ on the first read. I thought he was saying Apple never made an Intel-compatible version of Tiger, hence the (could have been an as well).

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Gareth Johnston 

What doof is getting is more likely to be Software restore/install disks for the old mac pro's/mini's than anything special.

Yep. Chick in tech support said they'd be 10.4.10 - so pretty recent.

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by Gareth Johnston 

What doof is getting is more likely to be Software restore/install disks for the old mac pro's/mini's than anything special.

He implies that his request was for Tiger discs for computers that shipped with Leopard, which would be notable.

I really like the new wired keyboard. I find it to be far superior to the previous pro keyboard.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

He implies that his request was for Tiger discs for computers that shipped with Leopard, which would be notable.

No implication there - that's exactly what I asked for.

Everyone seems shocked. Do Apple not usually do this kind of thing?

[kelso]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

No implication there - that's exactly what I asked for.

Everyone seems shocked. Do Apple not usually do this kind of thing?

I don't see why not. There are just sending a Tiger version of your computers restore cds.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

Yep. Chick in tech support said they'd be 10.4.10 - so pretty recent.

Best version of Tiger IMO. That's still Safari 2, so you can avoid incompatibilities that have been intro'd with Safari 3.

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

No implication there - that's exactly what I asked for.

Everyone seems shocked. Do Apple not usually do this kind of thing?

I think it is unusual. Usually computers that ship with a new milestone of the OS cannot be downgraded.

Originally Posted by Eug 

Best version of Tiger IMO. That's still Safari 2, so you can avoid incompatibilities that have been intro'd with Safari 3.

Are you serious? Safari 2 would be a major downgrade from 3, IMO.

[flabasha]

Baby bunnies RULE.

[Buckaroo]

Lets keep this on topic

[Cipher13]

Indeed, IBM Model M ftw. I use one on my PC. Manufacture date: 1984. It came with a PS2 Model 76.

[Norfolk Southern]

i understand aboat the keyboad...my sister has mac an i cant stand the keyboard. i have a hp laptop so i dont have to worry aboat being blinded by the translucent thing. lol

[analogika]

Nobody's complaining about the translucent keyboards (though I hated the last iteration).

Doofy was complaining about the CURRENT keyboards - which are aluminum.

Welcome to MacNN.

lol etc.

[Railroader]

I saw a bunny bounce on past the back sliding glass door this morning.




Uhh ... lol.

[ghporter]

Interesting that someone who works for Apple would actually say they never made a version of Tiger for Intel processors-they just didn't sell it on the shelves because the Intel machines all came with it. Duh.

Doof, how about pictures of YOUR bunnies. The last bunnies I saw (not in a cage) were nibbling on my dad's tomatoes. Nice of him to grow them for the bunnies, eh?

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Interesting that someone who works for Apple would actually say they never made a version of Tiger for Intel processors-they just didn't sell it on the shelves because the Intel machines all came with it. Duh.

He said that the Apple employee told him that they had never made a retail version of Tiger which could boot Intel machines, which is true.

[analogika]

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

He said that the Apple employee told him that they had never made a retail version of Tiger which could boot Intel machines, which is true.

And common knowledge (it's not exactly a secret).

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Doof, how about pictures of YOUR bunnies.

Problem with that (believe me, I've tried). I'm a complete idiot when it comes to photography, so rely on a point and shoot autofocus. The autofocus tends to focus on the glass of the window I'm looking through, not the bunnies the other side of it. And, of course, as soon as I go outside with the camera the bunnies scoot.

[Peter]

wait, they're sending you 10.4 Intel Installer disks?

[Buckaroo]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

Problem with that (believe me, I've tried). I'm a complete idiot when it comes to photography, so rely on a point and shoot autofocus. The autofocus tends to focus on the glass of the window I'm looking through, not the bunnies the other side of it. And, of course, as soon as I go outside with the camera the bunnies scoot.

Turn off your auto-focus and set for infiniti.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Peter 

wait, they've sent you 10.4 Intel Installer disks?

Fixinated. Got 'em Wednesday. By courier!

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Buckaroo 

Turn off your auto-focus and set for infiniti.

I understood what you just said. But I have absolutely no idea how to go about doing that - once you get into the manual settings thing you have to set *everything* manually... Which includes focal length and film speed and all that guff.

There's much more chance of my knitting myself a Ferrari GTO than doing that with a camera. I really am uberdumb when it comes to cameras. Which is a bit odd, since I should actually be learning how to use 'em then get myself a hobby pointing 'em at willing, wanton women.

[Peter]

were the Mac Mini only disks?

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Peter 

were the Mac Mini only disks?

Dunno. I'm not about to put 'em in the MBP or MP to find out.

They're *not* original install disks. They're white with a cheaply printed "OS X install disks. Replacements. Not for resale." on them. They don't even say which disc is which (i.e. disc 1, disc 2). But, they do the job - 10.4.10 with iLife 08.

[Eriamjh]

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

He said that the Apple employee told him that they had never made a retail version of Tiger which could boot Intel machines, which is true.

Good point. But why should it take two levels of support and two different phone calls to find someone who actually wants to help? Sure, it's easy to take credit for "handling a call" by telling the customer to buzz off, but is that worth anyone's time?

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

But why should it take two levels of support and two different phone calls to find someone who actually wants to help? Sure, it's easy to take credit for "handling a call" by telling the customer to buzz off, but is that worth anyone's time?

No no no. Only one phone call (and a free one at that - 0800 number).
I originally popped the option for sales, as I figured I'd buy a copy of Tiger to put on the minis. Sales told me they never did a retail version and transferred me to tech support.

Hence, in the OP:

Originally Posted by Doofy

Apple: "Hang on, I'll pass you to tech support".

All done and dusted in five minutes. Astoundingly good customer service.

Compare this to British Telecom, where you're on for half an hour before you speak to anyone, then the computer puts you through to the wrong department, who then try to transfers you to the correct department, only for the computer to put you back in the main queue for half an hour and eventually put you through to the wrong department again. And so on and so on (strangely, this never happens when you want to talk to people at BT to give them your credit card details - you always seem to get through to the correct department within two minutes. Odd, no? ).

[ghporter]

Ah. My mistake. I must have read it too fast. So BOTH Apple people were correct and neither was truly "unhelpful". But only one was "really helpful." Got it.

It sounds like BT is still in the 1950s model of customer (dis)service. Bad luck there.