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OSX on Non-Apple Computers: How Much Would You Pay?

OSX on non-Apple Computers: How Much Would You Pay?

  • Total voters
    54
IJ am I to understand that you're asking us to value OS X in a manner similar to how Windows is valued?

The reason I ask is because as a consumer, my inclination is always to gravitate towards the lowest price option available, which would lead me to $50.

However, if the poll is really asking one to assess the relative worth of OS X on non-Apple hardware, then my number is quite different.

So which one should I go with?
 
Same as Vista Business. Ultimate does more of what's important so wouldn't be quite comparable, while Home Premium is less capable for some core stuff and therefore not directly comparable either. So give or take $250-$300 for a retail copy, and I'd expect to have to pay about $150 as part of the machine if preloaded (if such an agreement was available).
 
I voted $200 but in the end, I would rather save up and lay down the cash for an Apple machine running OS X. The support and experience with Apple is unbeatable.
 
CalBoy said:
IJ am I to understand that you're asking us to value OS X in a manner similar to how Windows is valued?

The reason I ask is because as a consumer, my inclination is always to gravitate towards the lowest price option available, which would lead me to $50.

However, if the poll is really asking one to assess the relative worth of OS X on non-Apple hardware, then my number is quite different.

So which one should I go with?
Click to expand...

Good questions, but I think you probably need to come up with your own answers in terms of setting a value. That's kind of what the poll is trying to determine. If what it would cost to run Vista on the same hardware figures into your calculation, take this into consideration.

We often hear the cry, "Apple, let us run OSX on generic PC hardware!" Okay, so if Apple did this, we know full well that they aren't going to give away OSX, and we also have to know that they're going to try to make up in the price some of what they'd lose in hardware sales, and also the cost of supporting OSX on a wide variety of hardware. Would the public pay enough to make it worth Apple's while?

To be honest, I've always thought not. The results of this poll aren't doing much to change that view.
 
I'd still buy a Mac.


But if Apple moved to software only, I'd spend up to 250 for the install, less for upgrades. Also it would have to work as well as it does now, if not, I'd strong look into Ubuntu as my main OS
 
IJ Reilly said:
To be honest, I've always thought not. The results of this poll aren't doing much to change that view.
Click to expand...

Ahh, now I understand where you're coming from.

Personally I wouldn't want to buy OS X to put it on other hardware; the hardware is part of the appeal (along with the very nice integration of features).

However, I did choose $200 in the poll because I thought this was a fair price considering a variety of factors.

Part of the problem is that OS X does not have grades (a very good thing for consumers-don't get me wrong) so it makes it harder to determine a rounded price. I could honestly go as high as $300 depending on what I was going to do with my copy (ie use it in the fashion that the higher grades of Windows can be used).
 
I'd be happier buying a non-Apple with OS X for actual work. For looking pretty - which is clearly all-important to many of you, but not to me for most of my OS X use - I'd stick with Apple.

Despite its tendency to be less stable than Vista, I have no major problems with OS X and many things I run depend on it. As long as the hardware combo for the non-Apple OS X is tested and supported by the manufacturer in a similar way to Windows is supported at the moment, I'd definitely have no qualms about buying OS X on non-Apple hardware. Given the inadequacy of Apple engineering, I'd actually welcome it.

Of course, I'd say this has a snowball in hell's chance of being officially sanctioned given how Apple makes money.
 
CalBoy said:
More importantly, what's the median and standard deviation?

Edit: The median is $200.

I'm too lazy to do SD though. :p :eek:
Click to expand...

Median is actually closer to $175.00, depending on how you interpolate. ;)

I'm tabulating these results in Numbers. I'd do a standard deviation, but I don't know how that function works.
 
I voted for $150 as I would be comfortable about paying that for it. However if it was as much as $250 I think I would still buy it but I would think about it quite a bit more first and perhaps skip an OS from time to time, i.e. would've stuck with 10.4 Tiger and wait for 10.6 Flat-Headed.

IJ Reilly said:
I'm tabulating these results in Numbers. I'd do a standard deviation, but I don't know how that function works.
Click to expand...

=STDEV(C2:C23)
 
IJ Reilly said:
Median is actually closer to $175.00, depending on how you interpolate. ;)
Click to expand...

I used the middle value, based off of 51 votes (that's when I last counted).

Edit: I miscounted. :eek:

The median is indeed $175.
I'm tabulating these results in Numbers. I'd do a standard deviation, but I don't know how that function works.
Click to expand...

I know in Excel you go to f(x) and find the "Statistics" tab, and then scroll down to STDV.

I'm guessing Numbers works similarly. I'd do a search for standard deviation.
 
xUKHCx said:
=STDEV(C2:C23)
Click to expand...

This results in 3.9. Not sure what this means.

ElectricSheep said:
Running the numbers by hand, I get a weighted average of $207.82, a weighted variance of $17,876.68, and a weighted standard deviation of $133.70.
Click to expand...

I'm using the arithmetic mean, which comes to $207.84. I've been rounding.

Anyway, I was expecting more interest in this poll, given the level of discussion about OSX on generic hardware.
 
weckart said:
Also bear in mind that 3rd party hardware manufacturers (ATI/NVIDIA/Soundcards) may not necessarily be inclined to write drivers for every piece of hardware that is launched onto the market, further increasing pressure on Apple to do so or make OSX look less inviting for the uncommitted.
Click to expand...

Yep. A lot of people seem to think all this hardware
will magically work without drivers and all that is
stopping people using it is Apple.

The reality is that it's hard work writing drivers. And
manufacturers aren't going to be inclined to do it
unless they get extra sales. Switchers from Windows
won't necessarily generate these extra sales.

This is partly what led to the demise of OS/2. People
didn't want to write drivers for it.
 
portent said:
Back in the late 1990s, when Apple tried licensing clones, it charged the manufacturers like Umax, DayStar and Power Computing up to $1000 per computer for a license to build a high-end machine.
Click to expand...

Sounds crazy. Still, Microsoft charge a ton for Windows Server 2008.
A standard non-OEM edition (I realize you're referring to OEM above)
can cost over $1000.

It's in business markets Microsoft really rakes it in, and Apple would
probably need to get very serious about that.

In fact, some claim Windows is merely used to leverage sales of MS's
more profitable business oriented products, such as Microsoft Office.

Let's not forget support services, either, such as $259-$515 + taxes
tech support calls:

http://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?gprid=3208

That's for small business users. Goodness knows what they charge for
their "enterprise" customers.
 
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