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Free Snow Leopard Discs for MobileMe Users Now Arriving

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Last week, we noted that Apple had begun sending emails to at least some current MobileMe users offering them free copies of Mac OS X Snow Leopard in order to assist them with ultimately upgrading to OS X Lion in advance of MobileMe's discontinuation at the end of June. Lion is required for full compatibility with iCloud, Apple's free service that replaces many of MobileMe's features.

free_snow_leopard_mailing-500x389.jpg



Several readers who requested free copies of Mac OS X Snow Leopard have reported receiving their shipments over the past day or two, with each disc arriving with a printed copy of the software license.

The discs contain Mac OS X 10.6.3, the standard retail version of Snow Leopard. After upgrading their systems to Snow Leopard using the disc, users will have to upgrade again to Mac OS X 10.6.8 via Software Update. Once that upgrade is completed, users can access the Mac App Store and purchase OS X Lion for $29.99.

The free Snow Leopard upgrade effectively cuts in half the fee for pre-Snow Leopard users to upgrade to Lion, as they would ordinarily have to purchase Snow Leopard on disc for $29 and then Lion through the Mac App Store for $29.99. By targeting the program at existing MobileMe members who have yet to transition their accounts to iCloud, Apple hopes to encourage as many users as possible to make the move before MobileMe services are officially turned off.

(Thanks, Ben!)

Article Link: Free Snow Leopard Discs for MobileMe Users Now Arriving
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2012/04/24/free-snow-leopard-discs-for-mobileme-users-now-arriving/
rdowns

rdowns

macrumors Penryn
Jul 11, 2003
27,397
12,521
Will MacRumors be covering the arrival of my cable bill? It usually arrives on the 25th of each month.
 
Wild-Bill

Wild-Bill

macrumors 68030
Jan 10, 2007
2,539
617
bleep
Big bag O fail, Apple. I'm sure you can smell the desperation on each disc.

Do the right thing, Apple. Make iCloud available for Snow Leopard users. We "MobileMe holdouts" arent going anywhere.
 
Dicx

Dicx

Contributor
Jan 10, 2006
144
37
Dang, was hoping to get 10.6.8 on the DVD. Only getting 10.6.3 still misses some systems that can't boot from it.
 
charlituna

charlituna

macrumors G3
Jun 11, 2008
9,636
816
Los Angeles, CA
Wild-Bill said:
Big bag O fail, Apple. I'm sure you can smell the desperation on each disc.

Do the right thing, Apple. Make iCloud available for Snow Leopard users. We "MobileMe holdouts" arent going anywhere.
Click to expand...

They are doing the right thing. Apple has many reasons for wanting to get folks off old software and even old hardware.

If the issue is that you don't want to make the effort or spend the money that isn't Apple's fault. If the issue is that some software you just love love love hasn't updated, that's not Apple's fault.
 
marksman

marksman

macrumors 603
Jun 4, 2007
5,764
5
I don't understand this selective offering. I have a leopard install that I would like to upgrade but find the double upgrade process offensive. Even Microsoft doesn't do that.

So while I applaud the move why do they only want some people to upgrade?
 
Codyak

Codyak

macrumors 6502
Apr 6, 2012
370
127
DC
marksman said:
I don't understand this selective offering. I have a leopard install that I would like to upgrade but find the double upgrade process offensive. Even Microsoft doesn't do that.

So while I applaud the move why do they only want some people to upgrade?
Click to expand...

Well that's sorta true, if you had XP you could upgrade to 7, but it wouldn't keep your files or system the same, it needed be a clean install. The upside was though that you could pay the upgrade price. With Vista it would just change what you had to 7 and leave personal files alone.
 
Yebubbleman

Yebubbleman

macrumors 603
May 20, 2010
5,785
2,377
Los Angeles, CA
Wild-Bill said:
Big bag O fail, Apple. I'm sure you can smell the desperation on each disc.

Do the right thing, Apple. Make iCloud available for Snow Leopard users. We "MobileMe holdouts" arent going anywhere.
Click to expand...

I'd be stoked by this given that I'm not going to either Lion or Mountain Lion until I sell what I currently have and replace it with a MacBook Pro later this year and would like to have my iOS 5 devices and my Mac using the same calendar/contacts data.

Dicx said:
Dang, was hoping to get 10.6.8 on the DVD. Only getting 10.6.3 still misses some systems that can't boot from it.
Click to expand...

Systems that can't boot with the retail DVD already have a DVD with a newer build and given that we're talking about Intel Macs that are running Tiger or Leopard, not being able to boot past the retail 10.6.3 DVD is not an issue. But I agree, a free "retail" 10.6.8 DVD would prove a useful addition to any Intel Mac owner's toolbox.

marksman said:
I don't understand this selective offering. I have a leopard install that I would like to upgrade but find the double upgrade process offensive. Even Microsoft doesn't do that.

So while I applaud the move why do they only want some people to upgrade?
Click to expand...

Microsoft won't let you upgrade from XP directly to 7. You need to be running at least Vista with SP1, if not Vista with SP2. If you're talking a fresh install, that's one thing; though if you make a bootable Lion DVD/Flash drive, then nothing is stopping you from booting from it, wiping your drive and installing a fresh installation of Lion regardless of the OS that was there before, which is about as good as you can do with an XP to 7 install.
 
Wild-Bill

Wild-Bill

macrumors 68030
Jan 10, 2007
2,539
617
bleep
charlituna said:
They are doing the right thing. Apple has many reasons for wanting to get folks off old software and even old hardware.

If the issue is that you don't want to make the effort or spend the money that isn't Apple's fault. If the issue is that some software you just love love love hasn't updated, that's not Apple's fault.
Click to expand...

Wow....... Could you be MORE of an :apple: apologist?? :rolleyes: There is absolutely NO excuse for the lack of iCloud support in Snow Leopard, while Windows 7 users get to enjoy it. Apple are holding out, hoping that Snow Leopard users will just bite the bullet and upgrade in order to get iCloud. Well guess what? There are workarounds for that.

Apple literally giving away copies of Snow Leopard in order to entice older Leopard users to upgrade to Lion reeks of desperation

Some people don't want to install Lion onto their machines because of serious problems Lion causes with Logic Pro and associated 3rd party plugins.

Some people just don't want iOS on their computer: they have an iPad or iPhone/Touch for that.

With Apple literally giving away copies of Snow Leopard in order to entice older Leopard users to upgrade to Lion shows that many, many people are just not interested in Lion and feel it is a couple steps backwards for Apple.
 
M

Manarift

macrumors newbie
Apr 24, 2012
1
0
When the offer first came out i gave it a try i got mine in less then 12 hours. So depending on were you live it could actually be alot faster
 
chrono1081

chrono1081

macrumors G3
Jan 26, 2008
8,453
4,156
Isla Nublar
Wild-Bill said:
Wow....... Could you be MORE of an :apple: apologist?? :rolleyes: There is absolutely NO excuse for the lack of iCloud support in Snow Leopard, while Windows 7 users get to enjoy it. Apple are holding out, hoping that Snow Leopard users will just bite the bullet and upgrade in order to get iCloud. Well guess what? There are workarounds for that.

Apple literally giving away copies of Snow Leopard in order to entice older Leopard users to upgrade to Lion reeks of desperation

Some people don't want to install Lion onto their machines because of serious problems Lion causes with Logic Pro and associated 3rd party plugins.

Some people just don't want iOS on their computer: they have an iPad or iPhone/Touch for that.

With Apple literally giving away copies of Snow Leopard in order to entice older Leopard users to upgrade to Lion shows that many, many people are just not interested in Lion and feel it is a couple steps backwards for Apple.
Click to expand...

You call him an Apple apologist yet you are the exact opposite, freaking out over people receiving free copies of an OS? I can't think of any company who hands out free copies of an OS.

Not to mention I only Apple software engineers know exactly why iCloud isn't available on Snow Leopard. Integration often runs deeper than a simple piece of software. A reasonable assumption is that there are most likely Lion specific API's that handle this kind of thing. Programming is a lot harder than people realize, especially when it involves an operating system.

Sure it would be nice to have iCloud on Snow Leopard but I got my work done just fine without it before, and thats not going to change things. Its certainly not enough for me to rage about it on a forum.

As for this line:
"Some people just don't want iOS on their computer: they have an iPad or iPhone/Touch for that."

Thats just plain silly. I have yet to hear a realistic, legitimate argument of how Lion is "iOS". If you think Lion is bad by all means go try Windows 8.
 
K

kolax

macrumors G3
Mar 20, 2007
9,181
115
charlituna said:
They are doing the right thing. Apple has many reasons for wanting to get folks off old software and even old hardware.

If the issue is that you don't want to make the effort or spend the money that isn't Apple's fault. If the issue is that some software you just love love love hasn't updated, that's not Apple's fault.
Click to expand...

Apple is now on a yearly cycle for OS X. So perhaps the next major iteration for iCloud will be for Mountain Lion only and Lion users will have to upgrade.

It isn't about the cost - it is about having a stable system that isn't broken. People who use Macs for professional purposes can't take the risk to upgrade to a new OS right away, and Lion still isn't anywhere near as stable as Snow Leopard.

Lion also changed things that will affect people's workflow for those used to Snow Leopard.

I worry that the yearly OS X cycle will end up with Apple delivering rubbish to us just to keep iterations going for marketing reasons. Why do we need a new OS X every year? I want a stable OS with less features, than an unstable OS with new features.
 
A

AnonMac50

macrumors 68000
Mar 24, 2010
1,578
324
Dicx said:
Dang, was hoping to get 10.6.8 on the DVD. Only getting 10.6.3 still misses some systems that can't boot from it.
Click to expand...

Yes, but I don't think those discs are needed. Don't all the ones that not boot from it already have at least Snow Leopard on them?
 
A

AnonMac50

macrumors 68000
Mar 24, 2010
1,578
324
Yebubbleman said:
Microsoft won't let you upgrade from XP directly to 7. You need to be running at least Vista with SP1, if not Vista with SP2. If you're talking a fresh install, that's one thing; though if you make a bootable Lion DVD/Flash drive, then nothing is stopping you from booting from it, wiping your drive and installing a fresh installation of Lion regardless of the OS that was there before, which is about as good as you can do with an XP to 7 install.
Click to expand...

I don't think Lion lets you upgrade from Leopard, just Snow Leopard. It does however allow clean installs.
 
itickings

itickings

macrumors 6502a
Apr 14, 2007
947
185
AnonMac50 said:
Yes, but I don't think those discs are needed. Don't all the ones that not boot from it already have at least Snow Leopard on them?
Click to expand...

You're right about the booting part.

But pretty meh to be required to first upgrade the system to Snow Leopard, then being required to download a bunch of software updates in order to be able to purchase and download Lion...
 
Morod

Morod

macrumors 68000
Jan 1, 2008
1,756
738
On The Nickel, over there....
AnonMac50 said:
I don't think Lion lets you upgrade from Leopard, just Snow Leopard. It does however allow clean installs.
Click to expand...

Correct. You need access to the App Store in order to get Lion. The App Store is only available through Snow Leopard.

----------

I'll gladly give you the $30 Lion cost. Heck, I've been giving you $70/year (through Amazon) for MobileMe.
Just let me access iCloud with Snow Leopard.
Please, Apple...
 
jameslmoser

jameslmoser

macrumors 6502a
Sep 18, 2011
696
669
Las Vegas, NV
Comeagain? said:
In June you will.
Click to expand...

Yep, I have already made plans, and it isn't to iCloud (formerly MobileMe, formerly .Mac, formerly .Tools... you get the idea...). If apple spent as much time on improving these services as they did rebranding them, they might be worth using. Instead, they significantly downgraded with this last move.
 
R

righteye

macrumors 6502
Aug 29, 2011
337
47
London
jameslmoser said:
Yep, I have already made plans, and it isn't to iCloud (formerly MobileMe, formerly .Mac, formerly .Tools... you get the idea...). If apple spent as much time on improving these services as they did rebranding them, they might be worth using. Instead, they significantly downgraded with this last move.
Click to expand...

Yes, unfortunately i do get the idea.... What plans? please tell because i'am not putting Lion on my computers it cocks up to many things and the clocks ticking i need alternatives
 
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