“As Apple announces a spring release for its latest Mac OS, many analysts suspect Vista’s January update may be delayed until later in the year,” Ina Fried reports for CNET News.
“Apple chief executive Steve Jobs first talked about Leopard at last year’s developer conference, saying it would arrive in late 2006 or early 2007. Vista, meanwhile, has suffered through many delays, most recently missing its target of being ready for PCs on sale in this year’s holiday shopping season,” Fried reports.
Fried reports, “Apple has been making hay about Vista and its many delays since the Windows update was still known by the code-name Longhorn. At the 2004 developer conference, the company welcomed attendees with signs saying ‘Redmond, we have a problem’ and ‘Redmond, start your photocopiers.’ The jabs continued on Monday, with Apple displaying posters such as ‘Mac OS X Leopard: Introducing Vista 2.0’ and “‘Hasta la vista, Vista.’
Fried reports, “Jobs also said the Mac maker was holding back on some of Leopard’s features. He outlined 10 new things in the operating system, but said that there were more that the company was not talking about. ‘We don’t want our friends to start their photocopiers any sooner than they have to,’ he said. In particular, Gartenberg noted that Jobs pointed to a new version of the Front Row media software, but did not offer any details. The current version allows remote-control access to pictures, music and videos, but stops short of the TV-recording features offered by Windows XP Media Center Edition. ‘I suspect there is a lot more to Leopard that Apple is holding back,’ Gartenberg said.”
Fried reports, “Even though Apple is largely on track with Leopard’s timing, some analysts noted that the company could have scored an even bigger coup had it had the revamp ready in time to include on Macs for this year’s holiday shopping season. ‘They had a huge, gaping window of opportunity if they could ship this fall,’ said IDC analyst Bob O’Donnell. But now there’s ‘a good chance’ that Leopard won’t ship until after Vista, he said.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Some people are delusional. Apple already has a massive lead as this Christmas it’s Mac OS X Tiger vs. Windows XP. No contest, as usual. Let’s get real here: Mac OS X Tiger vs. Windows Vista is no contest, either. Leopard vs. Windows Vista will be like a thermonuclear bomb vs. a past-dated bag of Pop Rocks.
Related articles:
Analyst: Apple’s new Mac OS X Leopard sets new bar, leaves Microsoft’s Vista in the dust – August 08, 2006
Gartner analyst: It’s a ‘distinct possibility’ that Mac OS X Leopard will ship before Windows Vista – August 07, 2006
Apple WWDC banner: ‘Mac OS X Leopard. Introducing Vista 2.0’ – August 07, 2006
Ballmer analyzes Microsoft’s One Big Mistake, Vista… er, ‘One Big’ Vista Mistake – August 02, 2006
Microsoft Windows Vista demo goes bad – July 29, 2006
Sophos: Apple Mac OS X’s security record unscathed; Windows Vista malware just a matter of time – July 07, 2006
Leopard attack on Vista: Apple taunts Microsoft with much faster operating system launches – July 05, 2006
What Microsoft has chopped from Windows Vista, and when – June 27, 2006
Microsoft botches another copy job: Windows Vista Flip3D vs. Apple Mac OS X Exposé – June 26, 2006
Windows Vista rips-off Mac OS X at great hardware cost (and Apple gains in the end) – June 13, 2006
Computerworld: Microsoft Windows Vista a distant second-best to Apple Mac OS X – June 02, 2006
Thurrott: Microsoft collapsing under its own weight, Gates has driven Windows Vista into the ground – April 20, 2006
It’s better if Leopard ships after Vista. Tiger already has a huge advantage over XP. Let MS come out with Vista and then just when they “think” they’ve caught up with Apple, here comes Leopard. There’s far more bang for the back with that scenario than if Leopard beats Vista, and then Vista ships as the “latest and greatest”…that’s surely how MS would spin it.
I don’t understand why analyst firms insist on paying people like IDC analyst Bob O’Donnell….
He obviously doesn’t know anything he’s talking about if he believes that Leopard is a one-on-one competitor to Vista…..
Mac OSX Panther is a more advanced OS that Vista…
Who buys IDC reports w/ ‘insights’ like this one? LOL!
This guy doesn’t know enough to be reporting. In order for Apple to be ready for the holiday season, they’d need to have it final by about October, so they can start making it and get it to shelves in November. That means they would have to cut out about 4 months of development, which is a lot of time, especially toward the final stages. Leopard is going to be sweet, and I believe there are many many sweet features not yet talked about that will blow Vista and the next 3 OS’s Microsoft can create over the next 15 years (assuming 5 years between OS’s for Miscrosoft).
Apple always updates all of their hardware first and then the operating system. I’m sure they would rather sell you a computer and then an additional software upgrade than giving it to you all in one shot. Mac users have no problem upgrading the operating system, but I don’t know any Windows users who have ever done that. They would wait to buy the computer. Not Mac users.
Is Ina Fried a man or a woman??
Plus another thing that these moron analysts are missing here is that every Mac shipped from now on forward will run both OS X AND Windows. So it’s not like consumers have to pick between the two, they can have them both on one system, but only if they buy a Mac.
Duh, that’s Apple put the banners up.
from the article:
The jabs continued on Monday, with Apple displaying posters such as ‘Mac OS X Leopard: Introducing Vista 2.0’ and “‘Hasta la vista, Vista.’
I’d say that gets the point across quite nicely. Apple isn’t leaving it up to the reporters “opinions”.
Steve is a genius. First, more free press. The press is now comparing OS X and Vista as equals and in a race to see who will be first out and the winner. Second, ship just before Vista and let the free press tell everybody what a great product Leopard is and how they are ahead of the yet to be release Vista. Mr. Jobs is in a no lose situation. He has a superior product ready to go. Redmond knows it. Cut throat business at its best.
We all know that NOTHING about Apple or the Mac even comes close to being correct when it originates at CNET.
NOTHING.
Hey, iMacattack . . .
I like your scenario, but let’s take it further . . . What if vista comes out and is compared to 10.4 & consensus is that it is inferior to 10.4, AND THEN 10.5 released!
Leopard getting released early for holiday sales is a non issue. Apple has more pressure on them to release a new iPod nano or iPod video for holiday sales or an iTunes Movie Store.
Can’t wait for Leopard and I will be purchasing a new Mac to run it. Here’s to hoping that iMacs get a Blu Ray disc drive in January.
Apple also missed the boat by not having Leopard ready last year! Or the year before that! :-;
Ina was born a man. Now, not so much.
Again, why should anyone worry if Leopard might possibly be 3 months “late” when Windows Vista is already 3 YEARS late!?!
this is completely off topic… but apple needs to seriously upgrade their macminis… the gap between the new power macs and mac minis are HUGE! they need to change the graphics card…
Both tactics can work well for Apple…
If Apple is first, especially ready by holiday season, then Apple looks like they can get things out ahead of the schedule, and Microsoft will look even worse than they had before.
If Apple is after Vista, then the Mac can steal some thunder and display all of its innovations. People will look at Vista and wonder if they have to wait another 5 years for what Mac has today.
If I had to make that decision, I’d choose to get Leopard out in November. This way, Mac’s latest innovations will already be well known when people see Vista, and compare the two. There is no way that Microsoft can delay Vista any further to try to add Leopard-like features. November is best just for the financial and advertising boost, but as long as Mac comes out before Vista, no one can claim that Apple was copying Microsoft.
I don’t think it matters much which is released first. I can’t see too many people saying, “Oooooh, now that Macs have built in backup/restore I’ll make the big switch!”. People make changes when the time is right for them. Too many factors involved to just pin it on beating a competitor’s iteration to market. And, as some have said, how much direct competition is there between Apple and MS? Not as much as we geeks like to go on about. Mac marketshare is growing nicely. Leopard should keep that going.
Panther was better than Vista.
Is it me, or does it feel like people are waking up? Like those PC drones are noticing the Mac for the first time, and are really starting to consider it as a real choice in their next computer? I know this is happening, but I mean in a big, big way.
Again, maybe it’s just me….
MW: Windows was then, OS X is now.
Am I the only one who suspects that there really may be not any actual new secret features of major significance in Leopard? Just curious.
“But now there’s ‘a good chance’ that Leopard won’t ship until after Vista, he said.”
Yea, right. Everything points to the fact that Vista is not ready for prime time anytime soon or later for that matter. There speech demo was a good example of a total failure being part of Vista. From what I’m hearing the specs to run Vista are outragiously high and the way Vista stands now everyone would have to have a dualcore or better to run it with any kind of performance. When I talk performance it’s more like OSX beta when it was first released. Steve Jobs says Spring, but what if he just said that to throw off Redmond. He likes the one more thing type of surprises and could spoil this race sooner than you think.
iBookin’:
Very true…really Apple holds the cards in all OS scenarios b/c they have the superior product. So I agree that Vista will get a fair amount of press upon release that it doesn’t compare to Tiger. But there will be such a cacophany of voices spouting their views when Vista releases that Joe Average consumer will probably just assume Vista is better because it just came out. New = better. But then to close the argument for anyone still on the fence, here comes Leopard. And when M$ has to wait at least 3 more years for another update, Apple will have plenty of time to hammer home their superiority in ensuing years…assuming they keep up their incredible pace of new OS releases. And I have no reason to believe they won’t just as I don’t think anyone can even imagine when the next OS will ship after Vista. One gets the sense that even MS has a hard time thinking that far in advance seeing as they need every ounce of energy they have just to get Vista out the door.
Leopard last year? What are you talking about?
The more I think about it I think Vista should come out first so Apple can rip them a new one when Leopard shows all of its spots so to speak. Let Redmond have there thunder and then Apple can release leopard and from thunder we go to Apple’s hurricane and blow them away. It will be really fun. Just by what Apple has shown us already you know Leopard is far more advanced than Vista.
Alec,
Make sure your foil hat is on, shiny side out.
Your conspiracy theory is unfounded.
This is like watching a car race, seeing one car continually lap another car, and then have people say oh look, that car is actually ahead of the faster car.
The race has been over. The real question is will VISTA ship before Ocelot or whatever follows Leopard.