My analogy does work. In the case of comparisons to an audio CD, this is a conversation I have often. If the CD is encoded into a computer, and shared over AirTunes, to both our stereo and also our TiVo, and to all of our wireless computers with iTunes, as well as on several mp3 devices, then the CD is being used in potentially 6-10 applications at any given time, for only having purchased one audio CD license. Sure, it's less than chanceable that the same thing is playing in more than one place at the same time, but it's happened. More likely when you consider the number of tracks on a particular new album we've bought, like say the 2-disc DreamGirls soundtrack that has like 40 tracks on it altogether. (Just when I've had my fill, someone else in the house feels a need to listen to it. Ugh.)
I totally understand about a CD being played all too much!! Must drive you nuts with that many stereos playing it!
But about the CD vs. software issue- I agree with your thoughts on a CD being played on AirTunes, but that CD is not imperative to the operation of the stereo it is playing on, where as the software OS is. You can't have one mac in the house and "airTune" the OS to the other Macs. You have to install that software onto the computers for them to run.
As far as the upgrade, your analogies with cars and phones all fail. Cars and phones are physical objects that have each individually had materials and workmanship and custom work put into, and to steal or take them would be not only depriving the company of those raw materials, but depriving another customer of the opportunity of buying them. In the case of software, music, movies, whatever, making a copy might be ethically similar to stealing, but it is not literally and physically similar. All I am depriving Apple of by installing OS X on more than one machine is my additional $69 (or $129, as I forget if students can buy at the discount price more than once per year)... and as I've said I don't think that it should be on a per-machine basis. I'd pay more for Leopard, but I don't think I should pay 2, 3, 5, 8 times as much if I were to install it on ALL of my machines and my mom's (who lives out of town btw, and any machine update that cuts down on problems and adds ease of use is good for her since I can only do so much remotely). The other problem with your car analogies is that cars are known to be updated every year, and the old model year cars are discounted when the next year is approaching. Is Apple discounting Tiger? Does Apple release a new OS every single year on an exact timeframe? Does everyone know that Leopard is coming out? Do salespeople in the stores tell people before they buy a new Mac that Leopard will be out soon, and how much it'll cost them?
Products such as cars are not just raw materials...marketing, management, human resource services, cleaning of offices/factories, etc. all have to be paid for.
With software and services you have physical "products" that must be paid for such as computers for programmers, desks, heat, chairs, buidlings, DVD's, manufacturing materials/machines, etc.
So as with any product, service, or "software" product the producer/provider is deserving of getting what they want for their products...free market!!! If you buy one then pay for one. If you buy two pay for two. In fact, Apple is being generous by giving a family the option of getting many at a discount. I don't see car companies doing that.
I don't see how depriving a customer is any part of this discussion- just don't see the connection. They just produce more in demand is high.
Phones are also a bad analogy, because you're getting the phone as a tool to use the service, which is the real product. And I'm pretty sure you won't be buying 4 $40 plans with 400 minutes, you'll get like a $120 plan with 2000 minutes shared, or something similar (which is akin to a family pack). Now, if all of the phones are really being used, including simultaneously, then I think that is fair, and good for you. But in the case of my half-dozen computers lying around, I am not using wireless towers and wireless network services, and I am not contributing to network bandwidth of the provider like you would be. Wireless towers cost beyond what you can imagine, with continual upgrades and upkeep and colocation fees and e-911 usage. So that's not really the same.
Well, I am pretty sure you won't be buying 4 $129 copies of Leopard...you would have to purchase a family plan similar to what you note above! Leopard upgrade is not necessary for a Mac to continue working- it is not required by any means.
And yes, your cloning machine would be unethical at the very least in that the TV company designed the TV, tested it, decided how it would work, wrote software for the onscreen menu, tested materials to be used for the internal workings of the TV, etc. And why would it matter it is for in your own house...or for friends? If you need two gatorades(product) but you are using them in your house do you only have to pay for one? IF you need two toilets unclogged (service) do you only have to pay for one to be unclogged by a plumber cause they are in the same house? NO!
Also, I think you mean ethical, not moral. Morals are subjective and morality is based on the way things affect others. I clearly spelled out with my example situation and my analogies of the magical duplication machine how in some scenarios, morality does not come into play because the only arguable negative effect (the case of a party not supplying Apple additional revenue for additional Leopard disc copies) is not an option, and no one is being deprived of any monies.
If morality is based on the way things affect others...and you say no one is being deprived of any monies...I would have to disagree with your other comments as someone might be deprived of monies. If everyone used your arguments of duplicating and not purchasing multiple items (incl. copies) what would happen- people might lose their jobs who work in those companies which in turn deprives them of money. And not just those companies...remember the employees of Apple are not the only ones affected...marketing firms that buy ad space, create ads, etc. manufacturing plants that make the products, shipping companies, cleaning services, companies that make the desks, chairs, etc., the retail space owners that lease space to Apple for their stores, the printing companies that print sales material for Apple, the loggers that cut the trees for the paper that the printers use, and so on. They are are affected to some extent if Apple didn't make enough money to survive. Obviously many of those are not affected in a drastic way, but they are affected to some extent at least. This is actually one of my pet peeves- is that we are not just talking about one company here...but many different organizations that are all affected in various ways. Same reason why Walmart is so bad for our world! But that is discussed on another thread.
I am done here- written plenty- (too much by most people's standards) and seems as if we are at a stalemate anyway. Good luck with your multile copies of Leopard.
Oh yeah, one more thing- you said your mom deserves a more stable copy of an OS...actually leopard will probably be less stable than what she is running now so good luck with that!!
