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musiclindsey

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 11, 2012
4
0
Ok, so for my birthday my mom got me the new iPod nano. She didn't know that I could not use it because our iMac has os x 10.4.11 and it requires os x 10.5.8 or later. I haven't been able to use my birthday present for almost a year now and I don't know what to do. I've looked at many reviews and such from customers trying to get help, but I just don't understand what I need to buy. I don't want to waste my money by getting the wrong thing. My processor is a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. I have 1 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory. My iTunes version is 9.2. and I really need some help so I don't get the wrong thing and so I can actually use my iPod.
 

joe-h2o

macrumors 6502a
Jun 24, 2012
997
445
Ok, so for my birthday my mom got me the new iPod nano. She didn't know that I could not use it because our iMac has os x 10.4.11 and it requires os x 10.5.8 or later. I haven't been able to use my birthday present for almost a year now and I don't know what to do. I've looked at many reviews and such from customers trying to get help, but I just don't understand what I need to buy. I don't want to waste my money by getting the wrong thing. My processor is a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. I have 1 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory. My iTunes version is 9.2. and I really need some help so I don't get the wrong thing and so I can actually use my iPod.

If you have a Core 2 Duo iMac then you can install OS X 10.5 Leopard, or OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard (and then the later versions of iTunes are free downloads).

You can find copies of 10.5 or 10.6 available from several resellers (don't pay some of the outrageous prices listed on amazon - Apple might even be able to sell you a copy if you phone them up). Alternatively you can look on ebay - there are a few on there for about $25-30 which is around the original cost of the software.

Then you'll be able to enjoy your new Nano!

Here's one, for example:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Mac-O...perating_Systems_Software&hash=item3ccc3a1310

But you can get by with either 10.5 (Leopard) or 10.6 (Snow Leopard).
 

musiclindsey

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 11, 2012
4
0
If you have a Core 2 Duo iMac then you can install OS X 10.5 Leopard, or OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard (and then the later versions of iTunes are free downloads).

You can find copies of 10.5 or 10.6 available from several resellers (don't pay some of the outrageous prices listed on amazon - Apple might even be able to sell you a copy if you phone them up). Alternatively you can look on ebay - there are a few on there for about $25-30 which is around the original cost of the software.

Then you'll be able to enjoy your new Nano!

Here's one, for example:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Mac-O...perating_Systems_Software&hash=item3ccc3a1310

But you can get by with either 10.5 (Leopard) or 10.6 (Snow Leopard).
Thank you. I really did not want to pay some of apple's prices. So all I have to do is buy a Leopard? and that will just be a dvd that I put in my computer and it will set up all by itself?
 

dukebound85

macrumors Core
Jul 17, 2005
19,131
4,110
5045 feet above sea level
Thank you. I really did not want to pay some of apple's prices. So all I have to do is buy a Leopard? and that will just be a dvd that I put in my computer and it will set up all by itself?

Yes.

I would reccomend SL over Leopard though. You don't need to get Leopard to upgrade to Snow Leopard. You can go from Tiger to SL
 

joe-h2o

macrumors 6502a
Jun 24, 2012
997
445
Do you know which one is cheaper to buy?

Since they're not actively sold by Apple any more, that is hard to answer.

The copy of Snow Leopard (10.6) I linked above on ebay is currently $30. I would expect to pay about that much for either one, with 10.6 being the better choice.

Apple will probably sell you a copy for the original cost (about $29) if you contact them directly with your problem. They might even ship you a copy for free since you bought a new iPod Nano and can't use it currently.

It will be a DVD that you put in your iMac and run. It will then walk you through the upgrade process.
 

musiclindsey

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 11, 2012
4
0
Since they're not actively sold by Apple any more, that is hard to answer.

The copy of Snow Leopard (10.6) I linked above on ebay is currently $30. I would expect to pay about that much for either one, with 10.6 being the better choice.

Apple will probably sell you a copy for the original cost (about $29) if you contact them directly with your problem. They might even ship you a copy for free since you bought a new iPod Nano and can't use it currently.

It will be a DVD that you put in your iMac and run. It will then walk you through the upgrade process.
Ok thanks, I'll call them and see what they can do. I'll definitely get Snow Leopard because it seems better. If I get SL will it make my mac run faster or slower?
 

seble

macrumors 6502a
Sep 6, 2010
972
163
Ok thanks, I'll call them and see what they can do. I'll definitely get Snow Leopard because it seems better. If I get SL will it make my mac run faster or slower?

Depends, for me it was a little bit slower then Leopard on my 2006 MBP, but it was similar to Tiger. Good luck :)
 

MeFromHere

macrumors 6502
Oct 11, 2012
468
16
Ok thanks, I'll call them and see what they can do. I'll definitely get Snow Leopard because it seems better. If I get SL will it make my mac run faster or slower?

Apple is still selling Snow Leopard, because the last version provides the Mac App Store and you need the App Store to upgrade to Lion or Mountain Lion:

http://www.apple.com/osx/how-to-upgrade/

"If you’re running OS X Leopard and would like to upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion, first you’ll need to upgrade to OS X Snow Leopard. You can purchase OS X Snow Leopard for $19.99 by calling 1-800-MY-APPLE (1-800-692-7753)."

You should be able to get Snow Leopard direct from Apple, even though you're not running Leopard on your system.
 
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