More on Mac OS X Tiger on April 15th

[jsw]

Based upon the stability trending I've been seeing in beta releases, I'd be a bit wary of buying Tiger in mid-April. The end-of-February release was OK but not spectacular, and I'll be very impressed if they can work out the kinks by April. Possible, I suppose.

 

[xsedrinam]

Even if this is true, I think I'm going to wait until June to install it, which is when I thought Tiger would ship. From what I've read, Tiger is still buggy, and I don't believe that it'll be ready for prime time this soon.

Remember how threads and fora were lit up the first two weeks of Panther's release? There were train wrecks everywhere; some self inflicted of course, but the FW foible and other issues were not. I hope the reports hold up and that Tiger does come out on the 15th of April. Nonetheless, I will wait 'til all projects are done in June before I bolt for the new OS.
X

 

[patseguin]

great god apple is insane! it will be a buggy release!

Why do people keep saying that? Are the ones saying that actually testing the OS?

 

[BillHarrison]

Why do people keep saying that? Are the ones saying that actually testing the OS?

I honestly doubt they are. The last release had a SHORT, yes, I consider anything less than 20 items in something so complicated as OS X SHORT, list of bugs. People went haywire. Its not even close to ready they claimed. Trust me folks, they coulda rolled with it at that point. When its released, there WILL be bugs. Panther HAS BUGS. Any OS has bugs. Deal with it, get over it, and move on. Otherwise, find a nice secure version of dos, and enjoy.

I just really dont get these people saying its not close to ready, cuz of a short list of bugs. If you HONESTLY think apple is going to stop the release because of a few KNOWN issues, you must not know the computer industry very well. It is VERY common to install something, and right in the release notes they point out what does not work properly. Its called getting it out. It is something that just has to be done, you have to hit a point where you say:

Stamp it

And work it out as it comes. Such is life. Nothing is perfect. If apple puts it out, will it be bug free? I can guarantee it will not. Will it work on 99% of the computers it should without a hitch? Yes. And that, my friends, is all apple can shoot for. There will be issues, such is life. Back up your data, upgrade, and enjoy. If there is a problem, you have it all backed up, right?

Bill

 

[NinjaMonkey]

Why do people keep saying that? Are the ones saying that actually testing the OS?

I don't get it either. Even if they are testing it, it has been pretty clear that Apple's internal builds have been ahead of what has been released to ADC beta testers.

 

[gopher]

Someone is about to eat crow if confirmed reports are wrong. Apple still hasn't completely resolved the FW debacle. There are some scattered reports of it happening even on Apple's own discussions board. As far as I'm concerned I'll get Tiger if only to be prepared for the onslaught of questions when I give tech support. But I'm definitely going to http://www.macmaps.com/backup.html clone twice before making inroads on it.

This is going to be an interesting April.

 

[iProbot]

...If it is a hoax and a prank I think Apple will be playing a very dangerous game, because as this one forum shows, people one way or another are getting excited and worked up over it. If Apple do not release it in April like it is rumoured too, it may have a lot of unhappy customers and potential customers on their hand who may just get tired of waiting....

Well, if THAT'S the case, we better start a LOT of rumors about G5 Powerbooks next tuesday... Oh. Wait! That already happened before....(I just can't wait! I'm sorry)

 

[feakbeak]

I honestly doubt they are. The last release had a SHORT, yes, I consider anything less than 20 items in something so complicated as OS X SHORT, list of bugs. People went haywire. Its not even close to ready they claimed. Trust me folks, they coulda rolled with it at that point. When its released, there WILL be bugs. Panther HAS BUGS. Any OS has bugs. Deal with it, get over it, and move on. Otherwise, find a nice secure version of dos, and enjoy.

I just really dont get these people saying its not close to ready, cuz of a short list of bugs. If you HONESTLY think apple is going to stop the release because of a few KNOWN issues, you must not know the computer industry very well. It is VERY common to install something, and right in the release notes they point out what does not work properly. Its called getting it out. It is something that just has to be done, you have to hit a point where you say:

Stamp it

And work it out as it comes. Such is life. Nothing is perfect. If apple puts it out, will it be bug free? I can guarantee it will not. Will it work on 99% of the computers it should without a hitch? Yes. And that, my friends, is all apple can shoot for. There will be issues, such is life. Back up your data, upgrade, and enjoy. If there is a problem, you have it all backed up, right?

Bill

I completely agree with you. I'm a software developer myself and you always have known issues that you are willing to ship with. So the comments about how it will be so buggy are probably from people who haven't tested the Tiger seeds at all.

However, I do believe it is valid to wait for two or three maintenance releases before upgrading your OS. Just to save you from the potential headache of running into the little annoying bugs, or possible large bugs - like the 10.3.0 FW issue. Backups will save your @$$ but it's still a pain and waste of time to get everything sorted out in the event of a severe defect. I'll probably wait until 10.4.2 or 10.4.3 to upgrade my Mac mini.

 

[twoodcc]

Let's hope the new OS is better than that song!

nothing is better than that song

 

[Punani]

Pre-Order Shipping

For the folks who pre-ordered OS X, did any receive it earlier than the release date?

I'm asking because I don't believe the Apple Store (or any reseller) will be selling the educational version (If they didn't care iLife and iWork at a discount...), and I don't want to wait for my university bookstore to stock it.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

I'm not going to give this a positive or negative rating because I'm still not convinced that Tiger will, in fact, be released on April 15th. If Apple puts up a countdown timer on April 2nd, I'll be convinced.

 

[jsw]

I just really dont get these people saying its not close to ready, cuz of a short list of bugs. If you HONESTLY think apple is going to stop the release because of a few KNOWN issues, you must not know the computer industry very well. It is VERY common to install something, and right in the release notes they point out what does not work properly. Its called getting it out.

They'd be insane to release anything like the 8A393 release. Yes, I'm sure they have something much better now. But 8A393 wasn't even close to being ready. It's one thing to release a buggy app. It's something entirely different to release a buggy OS. Yes, I understand that it's equally important not to spend forever trying to produce a perfect product. But, when it comes to operating systems, they had better be pretty well debugged before release, period. It's not the size of the bug list, it's the flavor and priority of the bugs on that list. 8A393 was clearly and immediately flaky on my system within moments of using it. It is certainly possible but seemingly unlikely that Apple has transformed that release into something ready for prime time in such a short period - even given that 8A393 was released internally within Apple prior to release to beta testers.

I don't think it's impossible that Apple will release Tiger on April 15th. I hope they do, as long as it won't create a flood of bad press. I'm perfectly willing to believe that they can transform 8A393 into something stable in a couple of months - but it isn't a stretch to call 8A393 buggy or flaky when bugs become visibly apparent moments after first logging on and continue to affect applications and the OS itself. It wasn't unusable, but it wasn't almost ready for general release, either.

 

[DaLazernet]

Still waiting!

Well, personally, I'm still waiting. I've been wanting a PowerMac for a long time now. I hopped back to the apple world with their tempting Powerbooks (I picked up a fully loaded 12"er a year ago), and have wanted to replace my desktop with a PowerMac since. However, the PowerMac design has become aged and I find its upgradability a bit lacking for such a large footprint. That, and I told myself - whats the point buying it when in a few months I'd have to shell out extra cash to get the next OS?

So, here I am, with OS 10.4 coming out, still wanting a PowerMac. Will I order one? Most likely no. Why? Because I feel that any day now a speed bump will come out in them and/or a styling change. All I'd like is a speed bump so I can afford a dual 2 for, say, $2k? Plus, I'm waiting for them to standardize the 512 MB ram across that line as well. Perhaps the capability do have TWO internal CD-ROM drives? I probably don't even "need" a G5 powermac for what I'm doing (web design and general purpose use with a little bit of graphic arts work) which are all swift enough on my powerbook, but I like the idea of being able to keep a machine for 5+ years, unlike many PCs I've been through.

Comon Apple - speed bump those PowerMacs and you'll have yourself an extra $2.5k in your pocket from me! (assuming I get upgraded options on it)...

- Eric

 

[Punani]

They'd be insane to release anything like the 8A393 release. Yes, I'm sure they have something much better now. But 8A393 wasn't even close to being ready. It's one thing to release a buggy app. It's something entirely different to release a buggy OS. Yes, I understand that it's equally important not to spend forever trying to produce a perfect product. But, when it comes to operating systems, they had better be pretty well debugged before release, period. It's not the size of the bug list, it's the flavor and priority of the bugs on that list. 8A393 was clearly and immediately flaky on my system within moments of using it. It is certainly possible but seemingly unlikely that Apple has transformed that release into something ready for prime time in such a short period - even given that 8A393 was released internally within Apple prior to release to beta testers.

I don't think it's impossible that Apple will release Tiger on April 15th. I hope they do, as long as it won't create a flood of bad press. I'm perfectly willing to believe that they can transform 8A393 into something stable in a couple of months - but it isn't a stretch to call 8A393 buggy or flaky when bugs become visibly apparent moments after first logging on and continue to affect applications and the OS itself. It wasn't unusable, but it wasn't almost ready for general release, either.

It would seem from the reports that were received from the February builds that most of the user-visible changes have been put into place and most of the frameworks are reasonably completed. There's no need for another build until the the RCs start coming out.

I think that's what the developer's releases are all about. Getting a basic foundation for developers to, at the very least get a start or an idea of what they need to prepare for when Tiger is released. Yes, it's buggy, but that's supposed to be a limitation developer's are willing to take. If one is using it in a production environment or for regular work, that's not what it's there for.

Apple is clearly very wary of letting their secrets out now. In fact, paragraph 15 of their lawsuit actually is a complaint about being unable to control the announcement of their news (This is against the law?).

 

[SeRgIo_42]

Will 32MB be enough ? That's the question.

Despite everything we have seen/read/heard abour Tiger,
I am only interested to see how well the minis, ibooks
and other 32MB-video-card-based macs will perform.

I do not see any scenario other than a success because
Apple would not release Tiger and at the same time
let down the recent breed of windows switchers who
bought minis and ibooks.

S.

 

[CubaTBird]

if tiger is released on april 1st.. will there be a keynote to watch

 

[Jinorasa]

Free Upgrade condition

I just received my first mac ever (12" pb) yesterday. Can I get a free upgrade? It's not fair!!

Normally a free upgrade will be provided for those purchase after new software launching and before ship. For example, Apple launch iLife05 in 10-Jan-05 and ship on 22-Jan-05, those who purchase iLife04 in between these period will get a free upgrade. This doesn't mean that some people playing fool to buy old version than upgrade later just for fun, but it's mainly for those who buy new hardware in this period.

 

[Jinorasa]

Despite everything we have seen/read/heard abour Tiger,
I am only interested to see how well the minis, ibooks
and other 32MB-video-card-based macs will perform.

I do not see any scenario other than a success because
Apple would not release Tiger and at the same time
let down the recent breed of windows switchers who
bought minis and ibooks.

S.

Don't worry, after tryout Tiger build 8A393, QuickTime 7 shows a wonderful performance. You might not see some special effect like water droplet wave effect when you select a new widget to be appear in Dashboard. But over all seems to be ok.

 

[gopher]

For the folks who pre-ordered OS X, did any receive it earlier than the release date?

I'm asking because I don't believe the Apple Store (or any reseller) will be selling the educational version (If they didn't care iLife and iWork at a discount...), and I don't want to wait for my university bookstore to stock it.

Several releases ago, I remember some people did get their preorders a day early. That may be as much due to the whim of the shipper as anything else.

 

[maverick808]

I completely agree with you. I'm a software developer myself and you always have known issues that you are willing to ship with. So the comments about how it will be so buggy are probably from people who haven't tested the Tiger seeds at all.

However, I do believe it is valid to wait for two or three maintenance releases before upgrading your OS. Just to save you from the potential headache of running into the little annoying bugs, or possible large bugs - like the 10.3.0 FW issue. Backups will save your @$$ but it's still a pain and waste of time to get everything sorted out in the event of a severe defect. I'll probably wait until 10.4.2 or 10.4.3 to upgrade my Mac mini.

You must be kidding me. The last seed, 8a393, is completely unusable due to its bugs. It kernal panics and finder locks up constantly. It is far far less stable than Windows XP.

 

[MontyZ]

I guess Steve Jobs has got his team of lawyers suing e-Week for reporting something from a "source." Seems they have the right to do so now.

 

[jcshas]

Pre-Orders?

Anyone know when Apple will begin to accept pre-orders?

 

[~loserman~]

I honestly doubt they are. The last release had a SHORT, yes, I consider anything less than 20 items in something so complicated as OS X SHORT, list of bugs. People went haywire. Its not even close to ready they claimed. Trust me folks, they coulda rolled with it at that point. When its released, there WILL be bugs. Panther HAS BUGS. Any OS has bugs. Deal with it, get over it, and move on. Otherwise, find a nice secure version of dos, and enjoy.

I just really dont get these people saying its not close to ready, cuz of a short list of bugs. If you HONESTLY think apple is going to stop the release because of a few KNOWN issues, you must not know the computer industry very well. It is VERY common to install something, and right in the release notes they point out what does not work properly. Its called getting it out. It is something that just has to be done, you have to hit a point where you say:

Stamp it

And work it out as it comes. Such is life. Nothing is perfect. If apple puts it out, will it be bug free? I can guarantee it will not. Will it work on 99% of the computers it should without a hitch? Yes. And that, my friends, is all apple can shoot for. There will be issues, such is life. Back up your data, upgrade, and enjoy. If there is a problem, you have it all backed up, right?

Bill

I agree. Panther still has bugs but they are very few and most people wont see them anyway.

Will Tiger have bugs? absolutely
If people are so concerned with a few bugs then wait a few months before you upgrade.
Apple could check Tiger for bugs themselves for years and NEVER find 1/100th the number they will be able to find by just going ahead and releasing it. Even though the beta and seed programs help it is nothing like what will happen when a General release takes place.

All you can really ask of Tiger when it releases is.... Is it stable enough to not kernel panic? Will 99+% of all software run without a hitch? etc.

Given a month or 2 after the release you will likely see an update. Probably 2 or 3 before the end of the year.
There will always be annoying little bugs that will plague any OS release.

 

[hayesk]

Apple has typically released their OSes on the 24th, haven't they? I don't believe April 15th. I'm more inclined to believe May 24th or June 24th.

 

[hayesk]

I just received my first mac ever (12" pb) yesterday. Can I get a free upgrade? It's not fair!!

What's not fair? That you received exactly what you were promised?