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Isn't it about time for iLife to be integrated with Mac OS X?

S

sinstoic

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 15, 2007
79
0
Well, we all know that when you buy a new Mac, you get iLife bundled for free along with Mac OS X. I believe for beginners, iLife suite is what attracts them to Mac (as those are the applications they'll be using first and for a long time).

If you buy a Mac now, you'll get Mac OS X Tiger along with iLife '06. Come October 2007, when Leopard is likely to be released, you will shell out money and upgrade to it. But wait if at all there is a new iLife suite, you'll have shell money for it again!

Why isn't Apple integrating iLife suite with Mac OS X especially when iLife suite is the star attracting people towards Macs? Is it only to make more profits? (Recently Apple has split the old ProCare to New ProCare and One-to-one to make more money)

As buying a Mac now means upgrading to both Leopard and the latest iLife suite later, most of my friends aren't buying Macs until both Leopard and new iLife suite are released and bundled with new Macs. (Even if they announce Leopard launch date during WWDC 2007 and give free upgrades to Leopard, when released, for Macs bought from then on, one still has to pay for the iLife suite!)
 
I don't know that they will, but since iLife 07 is so late it may be bundled with Leopard,, or they may just skip 07.
 
With Apple trying to stick to a 18-month OS upgrade cycle, iLife is likely to follow the same. With this iLife versions are likely to be called something else than the year in which it is released. Rumors suggest that iLife will take on the name of the OS with which it is being released. (for e.g., when Mac OS X Leopard is released, the iLife released along with it might be called iLife Leopard)

Don't you feel, iLife should be a part of the OS? I feel cheated that I have to pay for both Mac OS X and iLife upgrades separately.
 
there have been rumors of this happening.
i hope it does. makes more sense, but i'd also expect a bit more development of the apps too. and i think iWork should be included free with new Macs and OS upgrades.
 
sinstoic said:
Don't you feel, iLife should be a part of the OS? I feel cheated that I have to pay for both Mac OS X and iLife upgrades separately.
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No one's forcing you to upgrade both (or upgrade at all, actually). If you don't feel it's worth it, don't shell out the $$. Simple as that.
 
From the choose a vista mac advert - "Macs just have one version with all the stuff you need on it."

Make it true, Steve. Make it true. :cool:
 
PlaceofDis said:
i think iWork should be included free with new Macs and OS upgrades.
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In the long term, an OS X that included iLife *and* iWork would be a very compelling commercial version of the all-inclusiveness that Linux offers. You end up needing almost no additional software to do the major tasks. Who knows? It might just happen.

Didn't they also offer some kind of combination upgrade package at one point, that included Tiger, iLife, and maybe iWork? Or maybe I'm just misremembering?
 
mkrishnan said:
In the long term, an OS X that included iLife *and* iWork would be a very compelling commercial version of the all-inclusiveness that Linux offers. You end up needing almost no additional software to do the major tasks. Who knows? It might just happen.

Didn't they also offer some kind of combination upgrade package at one point, that included Tiger, iLife, and maybe iWork? Or maybe I'm just misremembering?
Click to expand...

thats the exact reason i think it should happen. it'd make for a very, very compelling package.

i think they offered a discount with Tiger and iLife. not sure though.
 
It use to be free before it was called iLife. I think the first iLife was free if you download the apps but iDVD could not be downloaded and you had to pay $50 bucks for it along with the other apps on CD.

I would like to see the XP / Vista iPhoto feature integrated but not having to deal with the physical structure of how the photos are stored is very Mac like so maybe it is good the way it is now.
 
PlaceofDis said:
and i think iWork should be included free with new Macs and OS upgrades.
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I agree; definitely with new Macs, I'm not so sure about with upgrades (i.e. exactly how iLife is currently distributed).

I doubt they're making much revenue from iWork anyway, so ultimately it might generate more revenue as a "free with Mac" feature than as a separate, paid product.
 
sushi said:
Nope. One is an OS and the other is a AV productivity suite.

Just like Windows and Office for Windows is sold separately.
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Windows and Office are sold separately (I have never seen office bundled for free) so is Mac OS and iWork.

XP and Vista have some kind of AV tools though not in a neat integrated fashion and is part of the OS. Similary iLife should be a part of the Mac OS.
 
mkrishnan said:
Didn't they also offer some kind of combination upgrade package at one point, that included Tiger, iLife, and maybe iWork? Or maybe I'm just misremembering?
Click to expand...

They had a discount on the first version of iWork when it came out, if you bought the OS or iLife at the same time.

As for the combo upgrade package...never happened, yet. That's something that's been proposed on here a number of times for Leopard (by numerous people, including myself). I've thought that would be a great way to get iWork onto more computers. I think they should keep the OS offered separately for those that don't need iWeb, Garageband, iMovie, or iDVD...but offer a discounted bundle for those that want creativity/productivity packages.
 
TheAnswer said:
No one's forcing you to upgrade both (or upgrade at all, actually). If you don't feel it's worth it, don't shell out the $$. Simple as that.
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You didn't get my point. iLife in the first place should be a part of the Mac OS (and not a separate add-on) just like FrontRow. How will it be if Apple offers FrontRow and Apple Remote separately?
 
I would be surprised if iLife were completely integrated into Mac OS X.

I would think cries of monopoly and governmental suits over antitrust would follow. Don't forget that Apple is currently under suit over possible antitrust violations because the iTunes is so tied to the iPod.. which might be why Steve Jobs had his "open letter" about DRM and they started offering non-DRM'd songs from iTunes.
 
I feel many use iLife more than iWork, so integration of iLife is more important than iWork. Anyways, with iWork missing spreadsheet and database software, i feel it is an incomplete suite.
 
sinstoic said:
You didn't get my point. iLife in the first place should be a part of the Mac OS (and not a separate add-on) just like FrontRow. How will it be if Apple offers FrontRow and Apple Remote separately?
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Those two require each other pretty much.

There are some users out there that don't need any of the iLife apps (except for iTunes, which they can download)...these are either users that only surf/type/email or Pro users that have Aperture and FCS 2 and use those instead of the iLife apps...why force people to pay more just to add tons of software they may not need? (unless you are asking Apple to include iLife with the OS, but keep the price the same?)

yellow said:
...I would think cries of monopoly and governmental suits over antitrust would follow. Don't forget that Apple is currently under suit over possible antitrust violations because the iTunes is so tied to the iPod...
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There's also a similar issue in Europe, where Microsoft was force to sell a version of Windows that didn't include either Internet Explorer or WMP (one of the two, can't remember which).
 
TheAnswer said:
There's also a similar issue in Europe, where Microsoft was force to sell a version of Windows that didn't include either Internet Explorer or WMP (one of the two, can't remember which).
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That's basically what I'm using as my platform for no integration. I think (IIRC) it was IE in the US (the DOJ pussied out), and maybe IE and WMP in EU?
 
EGT said:
From the choose a vista mac advert - "Macs just have one version with all the stuff you need on it."
Click to expand...

All we're talking about here is upgrades. For any new mac purchaser you get the most recent version of the OS and the most recent version of iLife (put aside the short interim period when machines with older version are in supply chain).

So, what you're really asking for is to have upgrades that will upgrade the whole package simultaneously. What's the benefit?

First off, they'll probably charge more--I'd prefer to make a choice and get the new OS but not the new iLife, or vice versa.

Second, it makes the upgrade schedule less flexible--they couldn't upgrade the OS once every 18-24 mos, but iLife every year. The two would be a simultanoues release. Or, they'd have to sell a split package, so you could get the iLife upgrades but not the OS upgrades, or vice versa.

Now, if you're talking about dot upgrades (e.g., 10.4.1 to 10.4.2), those are free for both iLife and OS X. So basically what you're saying is that as long as the OS hasn't been upgraded to an entirely new version, you should continune to get free iLife upgrades. Not sure I see that. It's back to these problems--less flexibility for upgrade cycles.
 
sinstoic said:
You didn't get my point. iLife in the first place should be a part of the Mac OS (and not a separate add-on) just like FrontRow. How will it be if Apple offers FrontRow and Apple Remote separately?
Click to expand...

I would love if Apple offered FronRow and the remote as an option. I have no need for either
 
I'd be happy with an upgrade discount, especially if purchased within 18 months. (12? 24?) Even if it were only $20 it would feel good and might even incentivize me to jump to a new release sooner.
 
yellow said:
I would think cries of monopoly and governmental suits over antitrust would follow.
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We have already seen ProCare being split (for monetary rather than antitrust reasons). If this continues Apple may soon make FrontRow a separate package and god knows what else. With this will Apple Mac OS X will be a plain jane OS (Okay, I am taking things too far).

Today, an OS is expected to come with basic utilities so that most simple work can be done right away. Imagine Safari, Mail and iChat AV being bundled with iLife and not with Mac OS. In the days of Netscape, browsers were not part of any OS. Today it is hard to imagine any OS not providing a browser. Similary, with everybody owning a digital camera and most of them buying a video camera, basic tools to manage their content should be a part of the OS.
 
TheAnswer said:
iLife and FrontRow. Those two require each other pretty much..
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Exactly! How useful is FrontRow without iLife? When FrontRow is part of the OS, why not iLife?

Apple does not lose money by offering iLife for free. Apple clearly knows that newbies are attracted to iLife and therefore offers it for free with new Macs.

The other day, I went to the Apple Store and asked for a Mac demo. Due to the crowd, he was brief. Out of the 20 minutes he spent with me, 15 minutes were spent on the iLife applications. My cousin (a complete newbie to Mac and Mac OS but with years of experience in PC, Windows XP and now an expert on Vista) thought that iLife was part of the Mac OS just as Vista integrates some similar applications. There is even a Mac vs PC ad that makes you feel so!

I asked the Apple guy why they haven't integrated or atleast bundle iLife with Mac OS upgrades. He sheepishly told me that was due to most of their customers upgrading to Pro applications. NOT TRUE! Most of my friends and their parents will never need Pro applications.
 
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