[NewsPoster]

Users are getting used to the idea of upgrading to the latest OS X versions very quickly after release, a new study from ad agency and trend analyst Chitika shows. The latest major OS X upgrade, 10.10 Yosemite, has already achieved a 12.8 percent share of all Internet-connected Macs -- slightly ahead of where last year's release, Mavericks, was at the same point, six days after release. However, both Mavericks and Yosemite have enjoyed adoption rates more than twice as high as the last paid upgrade, OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion in 2012.

One factor that may have given Yosemite it's slight edge over Mavericks adoption is a recent spike in new Mac sales. While the Macs sold in the most recent quarter (ending in September) would have come with Mavericks installed, new users to the platform may be more likely to upgrade without trepidation, Chitika points out, since they have used the "new" OS for less time and aren't as loyal to it. Apple sold a record 5.5 million Macs in the quarter, a new high figure that hadn't been topped since the holiday quarter of 2011.

The revamped (and in some cases quite significant) changes in the look of the new OS update may also have generated user excitement. The OS has a new "dark" mode, a flatter aesthetic, a dropping of "skeuomorphic" looks to programs such as Calendar and Contacts, and new versions of Safari and iTunes.

Also new in OS X Yosemite is a tighter overall integration with iOS, including features such as Handoff -- that allows users to answer and make phone calls, and receive or send SMS text messages, directly from the Mac by relaying it through a nearby iPhone on the same Wi-Fi network -- and Continuity, that offers users the option to start a document or file in an iOS program and get promoted to continue working on it on the Mac (and vice versa), provided both machines are using Bluetooth and in proximity of each other. The system also allows the creation of "instant hotspots" for users on-the-go who have an iOS device with a cellular connection.

The more than one million users who beta-tested Yosemite for many weeks prior to its official release were also among those who created an early demand for the official release, which in its earliest days spiked over comparative periods in Maverick's release quite significantly. Despite the usual minor teething issues and user-generated install errors that accompany every system update, reception to Yosemite has generally been positive, with in-depth reviewer for Ars Technica John Siracusa saying that "Yosemite and iOS 8 are the first great victories for the newly collaborative Apple" and adding that he has "been upgrading all my Macs sooner after each OS X release for the past several years, and have not regretted it."

Chitika noted that on the first day of release, about one percent of all connected Macs were running Yosemite already, reflecting the involvement of both the developer and beta tester communities. Yosemite represented only the second time that the company has ever released a public beta version, the first being for the original OS X. "It's clear that the free upgrade model continues to assist Apple in posting impressive rates of OS X adoption," said the analytics firm. "The higher adoption rates of these free upgrades, and their benefits to the associated ecosystem, hasn't been lost on Apple's competitors."

"Rumors have been swirling that Microsoft will make its subsequent iterations of Windows free to consumer users, if not business users," the firm reports. "While this would represent a substantial change to Microsoft's revenue model, it speaks to the level of success Apple and others have realized with free software upgrade programs in recent years."

[tehwoz]

I wouldn't say users are getting more used to switching ... but Apple is getting better at promoting and pushing the new version: YOUR UPGRADE IS READY etc.
Personally, having tried Yosemite, I thought the user-interface kludgy and awkward, the design old-fashioned and backward, and the look-and-feel distinctly Windows XP ... it is the least Mac-like OS Apple has ever released. So, I have personally jettisoned it, wiped it off my system, and moved to Mavericks, which I think is vastly better.

[azrich]

Can't put my finger on it, but I'm really enjoying the 10.10 upgrade. EyeTV has pooped out on me a few times with it's latest upgrade but other than that 10.10 has been pretty smooth. I've got it on a mini (mid 2011) and 2 iMacs (mid 2010 i7 and mid 2011 i7).

[Charles Martin]

I personally love the new look, and my wife's Lion system looks particularly old and primitive by comparison. I see no resemblance whatsoever to Windows XP -- just a fresh, clean, up-to-date motif that complements but does not copy iOS 7 and iOS 8.

[leabrae]

I remain with 10.8. So, for two years at least I have found no compelling reason to 'update'. I would prefer that Apple improve speed and simplicity over adding what appear largely spurious features. The plastic bin for trash seems particularly banal. The dictionary in 10.8 is also most useful (not perfect, but useful); given the seemingly perpetual contraction of meaningful language in this century that should probably remain in place.

[Mike Wuerthele]

Originally Posted by leabrae 

I remain with 10.8. So, for two years at least I have found no compelling reason to 'update'. I would prefer that Apple improve speed and simplicity over adding what appear largely spurious features. The plastic bin for trash seems particularly banal. The dictionary in 10.8 is also most useful (not perfect, but useful); given the seemingly perpetual contraction of meaningful language in this century that should probably remain in place.

And there's nothing wrong with that! For ages, I kept a computer in the house on Snow Leopard, well after it could have been upgraded to something more modern, just because it worked, and there was no reason to fiddle with it.

[Charles Martin]

At some point, however, hanging on to an older system becomes a security risk (not right away, obviously, but over time). Not to mention that often I find that users who read a list of new features often go "meh" but when given a demo of it often go "WOW!!" so there's that to consider.

[Steve Wilkinson]

Snow Leopard, IMO, was the pinnacle of OS X. But, now with data integration between iOS and OS X, it's time to move on. I'm actually pretty happy with Yosemite so far. It looks like it might be the best since Snow Leopard.

I'm a bit bummed the Minecraft folks weren't prepared for it's release though. Easy 'fix' but I'm hoping not to have to install older Java. Otherwise, everything has worked as well or better so far on my laptop. I'm hoping to upgrade my main production machine sometime this week.