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Amazon Begins Accepting Pre-Orders for Mac OS X Snow Leopard

farleysmaster said:
Is this definitely true? I seem to remember Apple making a big deal about Tiger for Intel being a new OS.
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Yes and no.

No commercial versions of Mac OS X prior to Mac OS X 10.4.x for Intel were available for Intel based CPU's.

However, the foundation of Mac OS X (NeXTSTEP, Rhapsody) all had x86 (Intel) releases. Even a Developer release of Rhapsody (which commercially became known Mac OS X Server 1.x) had a full Intel-verison working.

So, the development of Mac OS X (NeXTSTEP, through Rhapsody, to Mac OS X 10.0.x till 10.4.x) has always been developed for x86 "just in case". The first "public developer" release of this Intel-based Mac OS X was Mac OS X 10.4.1 which ran on the Developer Intel "Power Mac": a Pentium IV.

I bet if anyone can get hold of the über-secret Apple-internal Mac OS X 10.0, 10.1, 10.2, or 10.3...
:eek::apple:
 
I Would Imagine

So after reading 5 pages I would imagine (though I don't know for sure) that Apple will configure this upgrade as follows:

1. Have a Mac that came pre-installed with Leopard (based upon model identifier) just install Snow Leopard onto a blank hard drive (in the system), no questions asked (or erase and install or whatever)

2. Have a mac that you upgraded to Leopard. Stick in your Leopard DVD, the system recognizes that you have it and then you'll be able to install Snow Leopard (again onto a blank hard drive or whatever).

That would be the most logical way to make this work.

Just my two cents ...
 
Cougarcat said:
IMO, it's a small price to pay for not having to deal with cumbersome CD keys.
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THIS statement is another reason i switched to Macs. Just about ALL of MS software deals with CD keys and I reformat my hard drive at least every two months.

IMHO, i could care less if i have to keep reinstalling Leopard then SL.
$29 is just only $29.

hasn't there always been an option to do a clean install when upgrading anyway?
 
It would be nice if Apple could dignify the UK/Europe with some form of acknowledgement and let us know when Snow Leopard will launch and for how much.

"Sometime in September" and "around £20 to £25" is far too vague, especially now pre-orders are being taken in the US.
 
This should address most of the SL questions

Okay, I can see by some of the repeating questions that many people here are new Mac users and don't completely understand how Snow Leopard will work out for everyone in terms of which one to buy. The process has been the same for every new release of the Mac OS. Here are a list Q&A's that should address everything, I hope.

Q. What is Snow Leopard?
A. It's Apple's latest upcoming next generation Mac OS X operating system stripped of the old PowerPC code and designed to be installed and used on Intel Based Mac computers only.

Q. When will Snow Leopard be released to the public?
A. Snow Leopard's target date looks to be September 25th.

Q. How much will Snow Leopard cost me?
A. U.S. prices are currently $9.95 (upgrade disc) for anyone who buys a new Mac from June 8th 2009-December 26th 2009 and $29 (upgrade disc) for current Leopard users, however a boxed set with the (non upgrade disc) has yet to be announced in terms of pricing.

Q. Why are there so many versions of Snow Leopard, is this like Vista Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate?
A. Snow Leopard ships in only one version with different pricing however depending on the purchase date and/or the configuration of your computer you may qualify for the cheapest price.

Q. I have a PowerMac G3/G4/G5, an iBook, a Powerbook, a white iMac G5 and a Mac mini G4. Can I install Snow Leopard on any of them?
A. No. Snow Leopard will only install on Intel Based Macs released since 2006.

Q. I just bought a new Macbook Pro and I qualify for the up-to-date program for Snow Leopard. If I swap my hard drive for a larger one or an SSD can I use my SL up-to-date (upgrade) disc to install the OS?
A. No. You cannot use your upgrade disc to install SL on an empty drive. You must use your included Leopard restore disc to install Leopard first, then pop in your SL disc and install Snow Leopard.

Q. I currently have an Intel Based Mac with Leopard installed. I want to run a clean install of Snow Leopard. Will I have to reformat my hard drive with Leopard first then install Snow Leopard?
A. No. Whether it's an upgrade DVD or boxed set DVD, Snow Leopard will allow a full reformat and install with Leopard pre-installed.


Q. Are the $9.95 and $29 Snow Leopard DVD's actually "upgrade" discs only?
A. No. Both prices include a full version of Mac OS X Snow Leopard. They are called upgrades because both will only install on Macs with OS X Leopard pre-installed. Each DVD will allow you to fully erase, format and install Snow Leopard once it checks for a pre-installed version of Leopard.

Q. Why would I want to buy the boxed set?
A. The boxed set will include a DVD of Snow Leopard that does not require you to have Leopard pre-installed. In fact you can install it on an empty hard drive. Also included will be the iLife suite.
Q. I bought a Macbook in May 2009, will I qualify for the up-to-date DVD?
A. No. You must purchase a new Mac from June 8th 2009-December 26th 2009.

Q. Will Snow Leopard work on my 2006 Macbook Pro?
A. Yes. Snow Leopard will install on any Intel Based Mac. Some features are only available due to your current graphics card and processor type.

Q. Are Mac OS X Tiger users left out in the cold?
A. No, however only the boxed set will work for Tiger users.

Q. When will Snow Leopard come pre-installed on new Macs?
A. Snow Leopard's released date is towards the end of September. It usually takes 1-2 months before new Macs will ship with it pre-installed.

Q. Can I install Snow Leopard on my Dell, HP, Alienware, Sager, Sony Vaio, MS Wind, any other non-Apple branded hardware or home built PC?
A. It's not supported and is against the End User License Agreement.
 
fmaxwell said:
Q: Can students get an educational discount?
A: Of course, but the student version will not include, or allow you to install, iTunes or Quicktime as Apple feels these could be a distraction from your studies.
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are you sure?

Apple has not (at least i think) made a separate "student edition" of an OS.

If anything, iTunes & QT is the high point of student usage ( I for one, own an iPod Touch and i take it to all my classes and i use it as a Keynote remote with presentations).
 
brad.c said:
True. Didn't SJ demo OSX running on an Intel box during the switch announcement?
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Yes. That was the same Mac OS X 10.4.1 "Intel Developer Release" which the € 999,- Intel "Power Mac" (the Pentium IV) had installed.

Man, just for coolness' sake.. I want one of those Macs. Apple had them all returned....
 
brad.c said:
MacsRgr8 said:
Yes and no.

No commercial versions of Mac OS X prior to Mac OS X 10.4.x for Intel were available for Intel based CPU's./QUOTE]

True. Didn't SJ demo OSX running on an Intel box during the switch announcement?
Click to expand...

Yeah he did- he also said that OS X for years had both PowerPC versions and Intel versions on the disk. I thought that was kind of cool and they knew that PowerPC might not cut it one day.
Click to expand...
 
I can't wait for it to be released.

1. it gives me an excuse to go to the apple store
and
2. it gives me an excuse to go shopping at buckle and express and hit on the hot girls there:)
 
naman34 said:
Actually that isn't the decision at all. Obviously, you were seeing the American website, so it says the offer is only for american and canadians. Just go over to your own country's apple website, and you'll find the same offer there as well. Obviously, they can't have the exact same offer throughout the word. So in a legal way, they are all different offers offering the exact same thing.
(btw, I checked myself, and they have the same offer in India, where they don't even have apple stores.. So no probs)
Click to expand...

I'm in the US. I thought it was only for the US and Canada.

MacsRgr8 said:
The first "public developer" release of this Intel-based Mac OS X was Mac OS X 10.4.1 which ran on the Developer Intel "Power Mac": a Pentium IV.
Click to expand...

I want to get one of the P4 PMs, just to say I have one. :cool:

brad.c said:
True. Didn't SJ demo OSX running on an Intel box during the switch announcement?
Click to expand...

Yup, WWDC '05. 3.4 GHz P4 with 2 GB RAM, IIRC.

HLdan said:
Q. I just bought a new Macbook Pro and I qualify for the up-to-date program for Snow Leopard. If I swap my hard drive for a larger one or an SSD can I use my SL up-to-date (upgrade) disc to install the OS?
A. No. You cannot use your upgrade disc to install SL on an empty drive. You must use your included Leopard restore disc to install Leopard first, then pop in your SL disc and install Snow Leopard.


Q. Are the $9.95 and $29 Snow Leopard DVD's actually "upgrade" discs only?
A. No. Both prices include a full version of Mac OS X Snow Leopard. They are called upgrades because both will only install on Macs with OS X Leopard pre-installed. Each DVD will allow you to fully erase, format and install Snow Leopard once it checks for a pre-installed version of Leopard.
Click to expand...

I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop saying that as fact. Because it isn't. We don't know how it works until we get our discs.

Q. Can I install Snow Leopard on my Dell, HP, Alienware, Sager, Sony Vaio, MS Wind, any other non-Apple branded hardware or home built PC?
A. It's not supported and is against the End User License Agreement.
Click to expand...

It's not supported, but very possible and, depending on the system, very easy to do.
 
HLdan said:
Q. Are the $9.95 and $29 Snow Leopard DVD's actually "upgrade" discs only?
A. No. Both prices include a full version of Mac OS X Snow Leopard. They are called upgrades because both will only install on Macs with OS X Leopard pre-installed. Each DVD will allow you to fully erase, format and install Snow Leopard once it checks for a pre-installed version of Leopard.

Q. Why would I want to buy the boxed set?
A. The boxed set will include a DVD of Snow Leopard that does not require you to have Leopard pre-installed. In fact you can install it on an empty hard drive. Also included will be the iLife suite.
Q. I bought a Macbook in May 2009, will I qualify for the up-to-date DVD?
A. No. You must purchase a new Mac from June 8th 2009-December 26th 2009.

...

Q. Are Mac OS X Tiger users left out in the cold?
A. No, however only the boxed set will work for Tiger users.
Click to expand...

10.6 installation will not work without a detectable installation of 10.5.

Um, how do you know?

EDIT: It's entirely possible there will be a cross referential check against the serial number of the target hardware and the known OS it shipped with. In that case, any device shipped with 10.5 natively installed may never have a visible verification process. But again, that's just an opinion.
 
It Been A Long Time Coming

Gotta love the "hype machine" running for what...the last year?

Everyone already knows it coming and cost $29 for 10.5 users. Whoopie do.

Between now and then MacRumors headlines will go something like this:

1) OS 10.6 is close
2) OS 10.6 is real close
3) OS 10.6 is really really close
4) I can almost smell it (nevermind...that is reserved for Windows 7)
;)
 
WeegieMac said:
It would be nice if Apple could dignify the UK/Europe with some form of acknowledgement and let us know when Snow Leopard will launch and for how much.

"Sometime in September" and "around £20 to £25" is far too vague, especially now pre-orders are being taken in the US.
Click to expand...

I reckon it will be £21. Apple charge $29 for their earphones, which is £21. I would think it would be the same pricing scheme.
 
Is there any real reason to buy the family pack? I don't really get it. Isn't the CD in the box exactly the same? I've used my current Leopard disc to reinstall OS X on my mac pro and imac and it worked fine.
 
brad.c said:
10.6 installation will not work without a detectable installation of 10.5.

Um, how do you know?

EDIT: It's entirely possible there will be a cross referential check against the serial number of the target hardware and the known OS it shipped with. In that case, any device shipped with 10.5 natively installed may never have a visible verification process. But again, that's just an opinion.
Click to expand...

How do I know? It's been that way since OS X 10.1. When did you become a Mac user? Also, I am speaking from experience, your philosophy is just wrong. If it doesn't require detectable instal of 10.5 then explain to all of us here why Apple says snow leopard upgrade is for Leopard users? How would it know unless it detected it? :rolleyes:

Shake 'n' Bake said:
I'm in the US. I thought it was only for the US and Canada.



I want to get one of the P4 PMs, just to say I have one. :cool:



Yup, WWDC '05. 3.4 GHz P4 with 2 GB RAM, IIRC.



I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop saying that as fact. Because it isn't. We don't know how it works until we get our discs.



It's not supported, but very possible and, depending on the system, very easy to do.
Click to expand...

Oh really? Point to me where it says otherwise. I would really appreciate it if you would check your facts and back them up before telling someone else they their statements aren't factual.:p

Shake 'n' Bake said:
I'm in the US. I thought it was only for the US and Canada.



I want to get one of the P4 PMs, just to say I have one. :cool:



Yup, WWDC '05. 3.4 GHz P4 with 2 GB RAM, IIRC.



I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop saying that as fact. Because it isn't. We don't know how it works until we get our discs.



It's not supported, but very possible and, depending on the system, very easy to do.
Click to expand...

If you want to promote using patched versions of OS X and people violating EULA's then you should post elsewhere in a forum that promotes such immoral acts. :p
 
Wonder if its worth to buy an iMac now or wait until the release of Snow Leopard.

Will they include snow leopard with all new purchases?
 
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