Next Mac OS X is released when Longhorn is released?

[Gary King]

Doesn't it piss you off, even a little bit, that the next version of Mac OS X will be released when Longhorn is released? At least, according to Steve Jobs. I mean, that seems very childish to me. I know it's a business move, but it also promises and guarantees that no new, innovative features will be brought to Mac OS X - until Longhorn is released. So, also technically, Mac OS X users are hoping for Longhorn to be released ASAP so Mac OS X 10.5 can be released as well? I thought Apple was all about innovation and bringing out the best operating systems possible?

Thoughts?

 

[mduser63]

I'm not really sure what you have a problem with. Most people weren't expecting 10.5 to come out until well after Longhorn. It's coming sooner than people had expected.

 

[kgarner]

It's only like a year and a half away. There was just under a year and a half from Panther to Tiger. IT just happens that Apple will be relaesing their next version about the same time as Longhorn. That is of course assuming Longhorn gets released. It's been delayed several times already. Not if Steve help Leopard until Longhorn was released it would be stupid, but this is just coincidence as far as I am concerned.

 

[Applespider]

If Microsoft announced that they'd had a breakthrough and would ship Longhorn in summer 2006, Leopard would no longer be coming out at the same time.

The next Mac OS X will be due out in late 2006/early 2007 if it follows normal timescales. It so happens that Longhorn is due out around the same time. Depending on what 'killer OS app' Apple come up with this time to market, it could be a great marketing opportunity. Woo hoo... Longhorn gets to OS X level... and OS X jumps ahead again...

 

[ITASOR]

There are alot of people who need and want to use both Windows and Mac, like myself. It is stupid to make them both come out that close in a time frame, because raking up $400 for a new os isn't easy. If they came out 2-3 months apart, that would be different. Heck, I'm not buying longhorn until sp2 anyway.

 

[Linkjeniero]

There are alot of people who need and want to use both Windows and Mac, like myself. It is stupid to make them both come out that close in a time frame, because raking up $400 for a new os isn't easy. If they came out 2-3 months apart, that would be different. Heck, I'm not buying longhorn until sp2 anyway.

I can't understand comments like this one... what's the difference? If you can't afford to buy them together, then buy just one and wait until you have the money for the other! For you, it's the same as if they were released 2-3 months appart, and it's better for those who can afford both right away, AND for the great majority that's only going to get one of them. Or is it going to kill you knowing that the OS you chose not to buy right away is already out there? . And it's hardly stupid to not give the competition a head start with their new product .

 

[dotdotdot]

Just so you know, this is currently the fifth version of OS X (10.0, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, and now 10.4) since the year 2000. That roughly equals a new operating system every year. Compare OS X 10.2 to OS X 10.3 - one year, tons of innovation. Compare OS X 10.2 to OS X 10.4 - two years, totally different OS. Even 10.3 to 10.4 - new design, one year difference. Saying that 10.5 will come out at the time of Longhorn will make this version a year LATE compared to the rest of OS X.

Also, lets remember - 10.5 will be the first OS to FULLY support Intel. While there are developer versions of 10.4 out now, 10.5 will be the first Mac OS to fully support Intel. That's not innovation?

Also, it should sport a different look, like all versions of OS X have, so the interior AND exterior will be different. So, from 2000 to 2007, Apple will have released 6 versions of OS X.

Thanks to Google:

OS X 10.0:

OS X 10.2:

OS X 10.4:

 

[JzzTrump22]

Doesn't it piss you off, even a little bit, that the next version of Mac OS X will be released when Longhorn is released? At least, according to Steve Jobs. I mean, that seems very childish to me. I know it's a business move, but it also promises and guarantees that no new, innovative features will be brought to Mac OS X - until Longhorn is released. So, also technically, Mac OS X users are hoping for Longhorn to be released ASAP so Mac OS X 10.5 can be released as well? I thought Apple was all about innovation and bringing out the best operating systems possible?

Thoughts?

I don't know how you are thinking no new features will be brought to 10.5, Apple is genius for doing this. They will probably come out with another 200+ features by the time it is released. It's also showing that it only takes Apple about 2 years to make a new OS instead of Microsoft that takes about 7! Plus Leopard will blow longhorn out of the f*ckin water!

 

[firststrike101]

Apple is probably releasing the new OS because of the IBM to Intel switch. Makes sense to me since they have to rewrite a bunch of programs anyways.

 

[jcgerm]

Also, lets remember - 10.5 will be the first OS to FULLY support Intel. While there are developer versions of 10.4 out now, 10.5 will be the first Mac OS to fully support Intel. That's not innovation?

More of an adaptation than innovation. It would be pretty crappy to release a new Intel hardware line and only a PPC version of 10.5 .

 

[Darwin]

More of an adaptation than innovation. It would be pretty crappy to release a new Intel hardware line and only a PPC version of 10.5 .

True

Of course there will be new features as well

 

[JW8725]

I'd like to know what the holdup with LongHorn is? Its been out on Beta for ages and ages?? Why the massive delay?

 

[stridey]

I'd like to know what the holdup with LongHorn is? Its been out on Beta for ages and ages?? Why the massive delay?

... It's made by microsoft.

 

[RacerX]

Doesn't it piss you off, even a little bit, that the next version of Mac OS X will be released when Longhorn is released? At least, according to Steve Jobs. I mean, that seems very childish to me...

Thoughts?

Are you mistaking the fact that 10.5 is scheduled for around the same time as when Microsoft has "projected" Longhorn's release as trying to release 10.5 when Longhorn is released?

Both 10.3 and 10.4 were supposed to have been released about the same time as some of Microsoft's "projected" release dates for Longhorn. And the way things are going for Microsoft, Longhorn may actually get into people's hands by the time 10.6 is out.

It looks like you are reading way to much into all of this. Apple is spending the next year creating new hardware and is going to need to modify Mac OS X to run on that hardware... which is a big task even with there already being a version of Mac OS X for Intel.

Apple is getting the their hardware and software "ducks" in a row before jumping into development of a new version of Mac OS X. And none of this has anything in the world to do with Microsoft or Longhorn.



Now, if you had asked if Jobs continually picking on Microsoft about their inability to finish Longhorn was sort of being childish... I would say that I would agree with that. But I don't see all that much harm in it.

 

[Duff-Man]

Duff-Man says....I think a lot of people are putting the Intel cart before the "full 64-bit" cart. Apple has pretty much already shown that PPC or Intel is not really that much of an issue. I think they are planning 10.5 around not only thye Intel switch but also the 64-bit processors.

And as for timing...I don't think the *projected* timing of Longhorn's release has much to do with it. Like posted already - look at the history of OS X releases....a year and a half is no big surprise. Stop looking for "conspiracies" where there aren't any....oh yeah!

 

[jdechko]

Duff-Man says....I think a lot of people are putting the Intel cart before the "full 64-bit" cart. Apple has pretty much already shown that PPC or Intel is not really that much of an issue. I think they are planning 10.5 around not only thye Intel switch but also the 64-bit processors.

This is true. The G5 is a 64-bit processor and Apple isn't going to "downgrade" their pro lineup. While the average user doesn't need the 64-bit goodness provided in the G5, there are many professionals who need all the power (and the 8 Gb of RAM) provided by the PM G5's. Apple isn't going to abandon its target market.

And as for timing...I don't think the *projected* timing of Longhorn's release has much to do with it. Like posted already - look at the history of OS X releases....a year and a half is no big surprise. Stop looking for "conspiracies" where there aren't any....oh yeah!

Again, true. Apple is going to release its products when they are ready to be released. Steve Jobs is a great businessman. He knows how to focus on his own company and stick to the business plan. Nothing "just happens" for Steve. Regardless of anything Microsoft (or Dell) does, Jobs is going to keep to his schedule.

Edit: On a side note, I find it amusing that Apple really has kept 2 operating systems going at the same time. So they have effectively written what, 8 operating systems since Microsoft released XP...

 

[thequicksilver]

I'm sorry, but to me your point doesn't make the slightest bit of sense. How on earth does 10.5 coming out at a similar time to Longhorn mean that it isn't going to be innovative?

If anything, 10.5 will have to be more innovative than any previous version of X, because with Microsoft's new OS coming out at the same time, 10.5 is going to have to be very special to even get any airtime/column inches in the mainstream non geek press.

 

[jcgerm]

... It's made by microsoft.

Exactly...so I wouldn't call it a "delay." It hasn't been in beta for ages though.

 

[jayscheuerle]

I don't know how you are thinking no new features will be brought to 10.5, Apple is genius for doing this. They will probably come out with another 200+ features by the time it is released. It's also showing that it only takes Apple about 2 years to make a new OS instead of Microsoft that takes about 7! Plus Leopard will blow longhorn out of the f*ckin water!

Any new OSX release has never had more than 3-4 new features, regardless of what Apple says. A feature should be an obvious change. They may have 200 changes, but you'd have to be a kool-aid sippin' Apple polisher to list more than a half-dozen obvious changes between 10.3.9 and 10.4.

10.4 is a pretty polished system. Adding features for features' sake is a Microsoft tactic and simply results in bloatware (oh yeah, 10.4 comes on a DVD, right?). Unless Apple makes some major paradigm shifts and throws the desktop metaphor out the window, their OSs will continue to just be $129 refinements. I'm happy with OSX and I'm sure it can be refined for years to come with tons of under the hood changes and a handful of new features...

 

[Gary King]

Any new OSX release has never had more than 3-4 new features, regardless of what Apple says. A feature should be an obvious change. They may have 200 changes, but you'd have to be a kool-aid sippin' Apple polisher to list more than a half-dozen obvious changes between 10.3.9 and 10.4.

10.4 is a pretty polished system. Adding features for features' sake is a Microsoft tactic and simply results in bloatware (oh yeah, 10.4 comes on a DVD, right?). Unless Apple makes some major paradigm shifts and throws the desktop metaphor out the window, their OSs will continue to just be $129 refinements. I'm happy with OSX and I'm sure it can be refined for years to come with tons of under the hood changes and a handful of new features...

Agreed.

Also, another thing:

I don't know THAT much about Longhorn, but what I do know (I think) is that the windows in it will be 3D, so you can turn them around, etc.

Will the next version of OS X have this kind of feature? I'm pretty sure it will be something spectactular and revoluationary (although Solaris already has this - but who cares much about that? )

 

[me_94501]

Doesn't it piss you off, even a little bit, that the next version of Mac OS X will be released when Longhorn is released? At least, according to Steve Jobs. I mean, that seems very childish to me. I know it's a business move, but it also promises and guarantees that no new, innovative features will be brought to Mac OS X - until Longhorn is released. So, also technically, Mac OS X users are hoping for Longhorn to be released ASAP so Mac OS X 10.5 can be released as well? I thought Apple was all about innovation and bringing out the best operating systems possible?

Thoughts?

I don't think there's any direct connection between 10.5's release date and Longhorn. If Longhorn gets shoved back to 2009, Leopard isn't getting shoved back as well.

Also, late 2006/early 2007 falls roughly within Apple's new release schedule (April 2005->October 2006 for example is 18 months, just slightly longer than Panther->Tiger). And OS X is a pretty mature, robust OS as it is. It is out of the formative stages of 10.0, 10.1, and 10.2, where more frequent updates were, well, necessary to bring OS X on par feature-wise and performance-wise with the competition.

 

[jayscheuerle]

I don't know THAT much about Longhorn, but what I do know (I think) is that the windows in it will be 3D, so you can turn them around, etc. Will the next version of OS X have this kind of feature? I'm pretty sure it will be something spectactular and revoluationary..

You're being facetious, right? I've seen movies of this stuff, but it's purposeless fluff. Don't Widgets turn around in 3D so that you can enter info on their back sides? At least that has a purpose.

Microsoft has a difficult time understanding that doing something because you can does not mean you should.

 

[Gary King]

You're being facetious, right? I've seen movies of this stuff, but it's purposeless fluff. Don't Widgets turn around in 3D so that you can enter info on their back sides? At least that has a purpose.

Microsoft has a difficult time understanding that doing something because you can does not mean you should.

True. Again, as I said, I don't know much about Longhorn. Just what the general public knows.

Longhorn looks somewhat promising, though. It must at least be a new threat to Mac OS X.

 

[aricher]

 

[dsharits]

Heck, I'm not buying longhorn until sp2 anyway.

I wouldn't buy Longhorn if you paid me and gave it to me for free.



Well, okay, I might then. I could always use a new set of coasters.