Leopard is landing this week- Microsoft should be shaking
By now everyone who cares knows that Leopard, Apple’s next big version of Mac OS X, is landing this week. Those who have preordered Leopard like Kevin and I were informed that it would be delivered on Oct. 26th. Kevin and I had a good long chat this morning, the first since my return from my trip, and the subject of Leopard came up. It was during that chat that I realized something that has me thinking that Microsoft should be shaking in their boots over the release of Leopard this week. Vista has been an embarrassment to the folks in Redmond and a solid release of Leopard will not look good for them that’s for sure.
What surprised me about Mac OS X that I realized while chatting with Kevin today was something that hit me full in the face when it occurred to me. One of the major reasons I used to justify the purchase of a MacBook Pro early this year was how easily I could run Windows programs on the Mac using Parallels Desktop. One of the first programs I installed on the Mac was Parallels followed by installing Vista Ultimate in a virtual machine. This would make sure I could run my Windows apps, the ones that I had judged essential and that the ability to run under Parallels helped me justify the purchase of the MBP. It runs flawlessly and I was impressed with how well Windows ran on my Mac from day one.
Chatting about this to Kevin today made me realize that I haven’t runVista on the Mac in well over a month! This really surprised me as Ihad judged that to be an important reason for purchasing the Mac in thefirst place. The realization that I have been happily using the MBP asa desktop replacement without even cranking Vista up made it crystalclear to me why Apple’s market share is rising on the OS X front. Ohsure it’s still a fraction of the Windows market but it’s rising eventhough MS released a major update to the Windows platform this year. The problems that Vista has exhibited have made the rise of Apple’s market share even larger I’m sure. After all, Mac’s just work, right?
I wouldn’t have agreed with that 100% before today but the fact that I have been using the MacBook Pro without even running Vista makes me think that’s true. I don’t need to run Vista because I have been able to do everything I do in my home office natively under OS X. That coupled with the fact that the Mac is lightning fast and runs so solidly make it a good choice for me, and no doubt for many others. Chris Pirillo has stated recently that recommending anything but a Mac to friends or family members is a big mistake*. Macs work well, are very stable in daily usage and rarely have OS problems. It makes them easier to support as Chris points out and that means they offer better usage experiences for users. That’s the same thing I find and I believe that the release of Leopard will make that even more apparent. Updates to the Mac OS X generally always run faster and more stable than the previous versions, and the current version is already fast and rock solid. This portends great things for Leopard and if so, this will be the absolute opposite upgrade experience that many who run Vista today experienced. This should have those in Redmond waiting nervously for the shipments of Leopard to begin. I can’t say I blame them either.
*If you’re not recommending a Mac (with Leopard) to a friend or familymember, you’re doing them an extreme disservice. Consumers need tounderstand that yesterday’s arguments don’t apply.
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Sure Macs just work but so do PCs. I don’t have any problems with my PCs and I bet you don’t have too many problems with yours either. I would also guess that Apple probably have a similar proportion of customers experiencing similar types of problems as Dell or HP based on the stories that make it through the reality distortion field. The one big difference between Windows and OSX seems to be marketing – Apple’s good at it and Microsoft’s not. However, despite the fact that they may be good at marketing Apple’s market share is still stuck around 3% worldwide so I guess you should take that into consideration when talking about Microsoft fearing the release of Leopard. After all, I would imagine that there are more satisfied Vista users than the total number of Mac users.
Also unless you can afford to totally make the switch to OSX, Macs just seem like an expensive toy. Why would I purchase a computer that can’t natively run all my software without the expensive addition of third party software and a license for a whole separate OS.
I would think that the experience of two well-informed and experienced technology users such as JK and Kevin would encourage a more thoughtful reply than “Microsoft has more (satisfied?) users worldwide” (to paraphrase). I would also hope that such strong sentiments coming from someone as experienced with Windows as JK would convince one to take the benefits of Macs seriously.
Like him, I use both Macs and PCs. The simple fact (for me, and many dual users) is that the experience of the Mac is better than on Windows. If you have never used a (contemporary) Mac for a sensible period of time, you wouldn’t be able to understand that. The thing I report to folks who ask and who care is that my Mac doesn’t insert itself into my work the way Windows does. I am always aware of Microsoft when I use my PC due to very odd decisions they’ve made about the user interface and the constant stream of messages Windows insist on giving me. But when I work on my Mac, I can focus on just that– my work– and not on the technology. The Mac gets out of my way so I can get my work done.
A toy, it is not! When I first bought my Mac, I intended to use it for my personal life and use my PC for my work life. Not soon after I got it, however, I found the user experience so much better that I began using it for work as much as possible. (This saddens me in a way, b/c I think Tablet PCs are great innovations, but they have some of the same frustrations as any Windows PC).
I’ve been thinking of getting a new Macbook myself if they announce a 12inch one soon.
What about OSX though on a tablet? Have you tried putting it on a Q1u and seeing if its workable? I would rather have OSX on a tablet with the apps currently available than Linux on a tablet and almost no apps.
Microsoft only needs to start shaking if Steve finally “gets it” and licenses Dell/HP to configure and ship OS X on their hardware. Because of Vista, Apple has a rare second chance to correct a past error.
“Vista has been an embarrassment to the folks in Redmond and a solid release of Leopard will not look good for them that’s for sure.”
meh, samething was said about XP when it was 1st released. then over the years it went on to become widely accepted as the best MS OS yet.
Jake, you sound way to mainstream. Apple has better marketing than MS, are you crazy? the only people who think Apple has good marketing is the people who cant see past the iPhone/iPod. MS has the best marketing team on the planet, how do you think they have over 90% market share? it certainly isnt based on exceptional quality (although still solid).
oh Pam, your comment reeks of so much soccer mom simplicity that i wont even bother.
i hope this blog entry of yours James is not meant to be taken seriously, because if anybody thinks MS has ANYTHING to worry about from Apple is absolutely clueless on the amount of effort it would take to shift an entire planet to a different OS, therefor completely discrediting themselves.
“Vista has been an embarrassment to the folks in Redmond and a solid release of Leopard will not look good for them that’s for sure.”
meh, samething was said about XP when it was 1st released. then over the years it went on to become widely accepted as the best MS OS yet.
Jake, you sound way to mainstream. Apple has better marketing than MS, are you crazy? the only people who think Apple has good marketing is the people who cant see past the iPhone/iPod. MS has the best marketing team on the planet, how do you think they have over 90% market share? it certainly isnt based on exceptional quality (although still solid).
oh Pam, your comment reeks of so much soccer mom simplicity that i wont even bother.
i hope this blog entry of yours James is not meant to be taken seriously, because if anybody thinks MS has ANYTHING to worry about from Apple is absolutely clueless on the amount of effort it would take to shift an entire planet to a different OS, therefor completely discrediting themselves.
I also have been using a Mac for about two years and now have the Macbook Pro SR. Before I have always used Windows OS and had my share of down time because some driver wouldn’t work when you installed new hardware, or some update that caused some Blue screen etc… Its not until you use a Mac and realize that how stable and like everyone says you can get your work done and more with no problems. Updates work all the time on the Mac not that Windows don’t but the setup that Mac does is more smoother. I use my Macbook Pro for work use, with Vista Ultimate loaded using Boot Camp and Paralles also. One thing Microsoft has to worry is here is a example. Mac you buy just one OS. Vista there is basic, premuim, business, ultimate and to top that off you still have to decide to get either 32 or 64 bit. With Mac Leopard one OS no worry of 64 or 32. Leopard will be 64bit OS that will run 32bit apps thats how a OS should be. Why have all these versions of the same OS. I do use my Samsung Q1P because I’m on the road most of the time and need the inking for notes, and the small form factor works great. If Apple ever gets a 7″ UMPC released I will buying it because of the experience I have had with the Mac OS so far. I have now recommended a few friends to go with Macs that had windows OS and I’m the one they would come to, because they had something not running right or the OS crashed. Now that they have the Macs they thank me all the time saying how great the machine is and no problems.
I’ve used Macbook for about two months. My experience in short: Thumbs up for software, thumbs down for hardware.
I just love functionality and reliability of OS X, and millions of quality Mac software. In terms of hardware, Macbook feels a little cheap and has several problems I wish Apple would address rather quickly such as heat, fan and white noise, size & weight, etc. Probably the most disappointing thing about Apple for us is the lack of ultra portable device. When Apple ever starts to ship OS X on Sony tz, Fujitsu P, or Samsung Q like hardware, I believe the market will be dramatically changed.
@Pam. Sorry, I didn’t realise I just had to blindly agree with everything that James and Kevin have to say. My comments weren’t meant as a personal attack on James’s opinion and I’m sorry you took them that way. I thought that the point of these posts was to have a discussion – not just to praise JK for his thoughts (although he does deserve a pat on the back for putting together such a great site).
Having said that, I stand by my comments about Macs. The bottom line is that I don’t feel that spending a lot of money on a Mac will bring any benefits over sticking with Windows. Thus, it would end up as an expensive toy that I would use for surfing the web. I would imagine that there are quite a few other people who feel this way and this is what will keep Apple down.
In fact, I would go so far as to say that the only thing that will help Apple grow beyond it’s tiny market share would be to ditch OSX altogether and just run Windows. Then people will buy the hardware. I’m sure you disagree with me but most new sales of Macs will be because of bootcamp rather than OSX.
I manage 6 pc’s running Windows XP that are networked together for a local business. I finally managed to massage all the legacy software and malware software to play together without crashing now and then. PC users who moved up to Vista are lamenting the overly aggressive built-in virus and malware protection that keeps informing the user every few minutes that he/she is using the computer and asking whether or not they wish to continue using the computer… The Borg (Microsoft) keeps changing the operating system regardless of the fact that all options short of unplugging the computer are set to “do not update… do not change anything…” I know because I get called in to fix the consequences of the Borg’s secret modifications that cause the house of cards to collapse… Can’t complain though because I get paid to fix it…
The key things that I wanted to mention are the hidden security features embedded into Leopard that get little if any mention. Leopard has built in defenses that experts agree will make it practically malware proof. I use a Mac to get work done… I work with Windows machines to get paid…