Leopard Question - Hypothetical...

[ziwi]

OK. So I own a G5 and will be looking at a MacBook after Leopard comes out. How does one go about 'family-sizing' the new OS so that one can have it on both machines?

Am I shafted and forced to purchase an additional copy for the old machine?

 

[aaronw1986]

If you wait to buy a macbook which comes with leopard, yes you will need to buy a copy for the G5. I don't see why this is being "shafted". If you buy a macbook now, you could buy a family pack of Leopard (costs more, but allows for up to 5 installations). If you buy a new car, do you expect the old car to somehow be upgraded, or would you be shafted in this situation also?

 

[iPhil]

buy the Macbook now and buy the family pack of Leopard .. its $40 per unit not $129 for single user

 

[ziwi]

If you wait to buy a macbook which comes with leopard, yes you will need to buy a copy for the G5. I don't see why this is being "shafted". If you buy a macbook now, you could buy a family pack of Leopard (costs more, but allows for up to 5 installations). If you buy a new car, do you expect the old car to somehow be upgraded, or would you be shafted in this situation also?

I wasn't suggesting that at all - essentially I wanted to know if I could 'upgrade' to the family pack on the new laptop when I get it or if that was not possible and would have to be forced to go full price on the OS for the old machine. It seems like from the replies that that is doable.

I just did not see it as a configuration option in the online store.

 

[aaronw1986]

If you buy a macbook now, you will need to get a family pack, since you will have 2 computers needing Leopard. However, if you get a macbook with leopard already, it's cheaper to just buy a single license for the G5.

 

[robbieduncan]

I wasn't suggesting that at all - essentially I wanted to know if I could 'upgrade' to the family pack on the new laptop when I get it or if that was not possible and would have to be forced to go full price on the OS for the old machine. It seems like from the replies that that is doable.

I just did not see it as a configuration option in the online store.

You cannot turn the restore DVD (this is not a retail OSX purchase) into the family pack.

 

[ziwi]

You cannot turn the restore DVD (this is not a retail OSX purchase) into the family pack.

Ok. So there is really no good way outside of buying an individual license for the old machine.

Thanks.

 

[ortuno2k]

I think you think that the family pack gives you extra features - it doesn't. It legally allows you to install it on multiple computers, that's about it.

Like others have said, if you buy a Mac now with Tiger and would like to install Leopard in the future on two computers, you'll need to purchase the family pack, where, if you buy a Mac WITH Leopard installed, you'll only need a single (and cheaper) license of Leopard to install it on a SINGLE machine.

You can only install and re-install the software that came with your Mac to the same or similar-model Mac. You can't use a Macbook restore/installation media to install it on an iMac or MacPro, and so on.

Hope this helps.

 

[iW00t]

If you have an external firewire disk you can install Leopard onto that disk using the Mac it came preloaded with, and then boot up your other Mac using that firewire disk and cloning it in using SuperDuper