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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.

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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
 
Will MacRumors be covering the arrival of my cable bill? It usually arrives on the 25th of each month.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.

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.
 
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?
 
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?

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.
 
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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.
 
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.

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.
 
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
 
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.

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.
 
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.

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.
 
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.

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?
 
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.

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

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

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

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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...
 
In June you will.

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.
 
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.

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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