Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Future Apple's iPad OS Upgrade Pricing Policies Revealed as Apple Seeds GM iPad SDK, Firmware and Licensing Agreement

iPhone OS 3.0 was released after changes in accounting rules (GAAP vs non-GAAP revenues). So, Apple now is free to not charge updates for iPod touch.

Sorry for my English...
 
NeedleStripe said:
Or can somebody explain why they would want to oblige themselves to provide 4.0 for free but not 4.1? They may well provide all 4.x releases for free to 3.x customers, but why not say so in the license?
Click to expand...


I'm pretty sure thats why they said "4.x", not 4.0. Same way that it ships with 3.2... and they said 3.x.

The X, you see, is a variable:
"a quantity or function that may assume any given value or set of values."
 
NeedleStripe said:
Or can somebody explain why they would want to oblige themselves to provide 4.0 for free but not 4.1? They may well provide all 4.x releases for free to 3.x customers, but why not say so in the license?
Click to expand...

I'd say the wording quoted in the article is very unclear. You could reasonably interpret it as "4.0.0 is free, but 4.0.1 isn't", or "4.9.99 is free, but 5.0.0 isn't", or even "if you bought an iPad with 3.2.7, then 4.2.7 is free, but 4.2.8 isn't". Which would be quite reasonable in my opinion, because everyone would get about the same amount of free updates, no matter when exactly they buy an iPad.
 
NeedleStripe said:
Apple doesn't say they'll give you anything after 4.0 for free. They reserve the right to charge you for 4.0.1. This makes no sense to me.

Of course they'll provide free bugfix releases. Apple is fanatical about stability, which was the stated reason for having dictatorial control over the app store. I can't imagine them not providing 4.0.1 for free. They can charge for it, but they won't. Right?

But then there will be a fee to upgrade to a later 4.x release? That's crazy. Apple is the king of simple product lines, and now they're telling me that an upgrade from 3.x to 4.0 is free while an upgrade from 3.x to 4.1 costs money? I'd rather they keep it simple and charge only for major updates.

Apple, please, either provide major releases, and all point releases thereto, for free--"up to but excluding the second major release"--or don't include the next major release at all--"up to but excluding the next major release".

Or can somebody explain why they would want to oblige themselves to provide 4.0 for free but not 4.1? They may well provide all 4.x releases for free to 3.x customers, but why not say so in the license?
Click to expand...

Apple will provide you any iPad OS software updates that it may release from time to time, up to and including the next major iPad OS software release following the version of iPad OS software that originally shipped from Apple on your iPad, for free. For example, if your iPad originally shipped with iPad 3.x software, Apple would provide you with any iPad OS software updates it might release up to and including the iPad 4.x software release.
Click to expand...

It's a little bit more formal than people are used to but what they are saying is that they'll include free updates of minor versions up to the next major version but the first major release will be included for free, just not the second major release. Basically they're saying that all minor and first major release is included as well as the minor releases for it. (Note they said 4.x, which means all releases of OS 4, not 4.0).

1st gen iPad: Shipped with OS 3.2 (all 3.x is free), gets OS 4.x free (including 4.x). OS 5 is not free
2nd Gen iPad: Shipped with OS 4.0 (all 4.x is free), gets OS 5.x free (including 5.x). OS 6 is not free
 
The way I read this is iPad/iPhone OS 4.0 is really what the iPad is intended to be, 3.2 is merely an adaptation of the iPhone OS to fit the minimum requirements of the initial launch of the iPad. It will be interesting to see what 4.x consists of for sure! Not a bad PR move either ("Free updates!") although you can bet OS 5.x+ will cost you $$$.
 
I guess no one should be surprised, but for the price tag of the most expensive 3G version of the iPad, paying for an OS update seems silly.
 
Slow, slow, slow.

Between the 3.2 GM Seed for iPad and the 10.6.3 update - I think the servers are getting slaughtered.

Over 2 hours (and counting) to get the SDK - which is mandatory for all new App Store submissions.
 
I think that's fair to offer at least one major OS upgrade for free while asking users to pony up for future ones. After all, no one would expect free Windows upgrades for the lifetime of their PC or Mac OS upgrades for the life of their Mac, so why expect free major OS upgrades for the iPad? It is more of a computer than it is an iPod.
 
lethalOne said:
Between the 3.2 GM Seed for iPad and the 10.6.3 update - I think the servers are getting slaughtered.

Over 2 hours (and counting) to get the SDK - which is mandatory for all new App Store submissions.
Click to expand...

Don't forget the high quality iPad tour guides that's been watched right now. I had to wait 30 min just to load the whole video (the last one on the list).
 
jessica. said:
I guess no one should be surprised, but for the price tag of the most expensive 3G version of the iPad, paying for an OS update seems silly.
Click to expand...

huh? I spend way, way more on my MBP and I still was charged for Snow Leopard.

Incremental updates should be free - major updates should and generally do cost money.
 
By the time iPhone OS 5.0 is released, it is doubtful that this current generation of hardware will still be relevant (that is, I doubt Apple will stick to a strict 'one major release every 12 months' schedule now that the OS is maturing a bit). But this theory that tax and/or accounting law makes it illegal to not charge for software updates is a complete load of crap.
 
lethalOne said:
huh? I spend way, way more on my MBP and I still was charged for Snow Leopard.

Incremental updates should be free - major updates should and generally do cost money.
Click to expand...

And this is the line Apple will have to balance. People are used to and expect to pay for OS updates on their computers. People are not used to paying for OS updates on something that is closer to an appliance.
 
To address the few hysterical posters in this thread. Apple is never going to charge you for a .1 release. The only time you will see a possible charge is a major 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 update.
 
mdatwood said:
And this is the line Apple will have to balance. People are used to and expect to pay for OS updates on their computers. People are not used to paying for OS updates on something that is closer to an appliance.
Click to expand...
I think the distinction there is that most people aren't used to getting OS updates on such devices.

Windows CE and later Win Mobile generally had to be hacked onto devices that didn't ship with it (I went through a number of PDAs and early smartphones requiring all kinds of unofficial hoops to get newer releases to run); firmware updates for other devices rarely did anything worth noticing from the customer's perspective.

As for the story, it doesn't say anything about charging in the future--it reads essentially as an assurance that OS 4.0 will be supplied without charge along the lines of the up-to-date program for computers shipped shortly before major updates. OS 5.0 may or may not be released with the same license language, may or may not be free to all customers, and may or may not run on first generation iPads.
 
Gonna try to flash this 3.2 to one of my many spare iPhones... stay tuned. It probably won't work.
yup, just says "This firmware file is incompatible" fooey.
 
- iPod Touch users should still be charged for updates including 4.0... no other iPod/Mac/Apple Product gets free updates to next generation OSs
- iPhone users across all generations should NOT pay for any updates... we pay enough with the worst contracts ever
- iPad Wi-Fi only users should be charged for all updates... you want a 4.0 iPad wait until the OS is released then all iPads will be shipped with it...
- iPad 3G users should be given a discount at the minimum (unless Apple doesn't take a cut of the 3G service)
 
Wasn't it less than 6 months ago that Apple completed the change in their accounting practices that allowed iPod Touch owners to receive the new firmware updates for free? By not recognizing the revenue over a period of time, as they previously did, I would think the iPad would be covered for future updates. Unless I'm missing something.
 
NeedleStripe said:
Apple doesn't say they'll give you anything after 4.0 for free. They reserve the right to charge you for 4.0.1. This makes no sense to me.
Click to expand...

Actually, if you bother to read, then 4.x (which means anything beginning '4.' will be free).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back