Apple Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard is “impressive and important,” Andy Ihnatko reports for The Chicago Sun-Times. “It’s an update that will revitalize your existing Mac even though you’ll be stumped for a quick five-minute demo that convinces the people around you that much of anything has changed at all.”
“The improvements in Snow Leopard fall into two categories,” Ihnatko reports. “They’ve made fundamental improvements in the OS that allow both system software and applications to wring the full potential out of the multiple CPUs inside every new and old Intel-based Mac. And while Snow Leopard might not feature any revolutionary new user features, you’ll find many neat little enhancements have been made and many minor annoyances that have been done away with.”
Ihnatko reports, “Snow Leopard is seriously faster than its predecessor… Time after time, Snow Leopard “caught me reaching.” That is, I’d launch a complicated app and my Mac would complete the task while I was reaching for my deskside beverage. Going for a sip of Dr. Pepper is a reflex action; under 10.5, I know I have time to get a drink and put the glass back on its coaster before my Mac is ready to receive visitors once again. The performance enhancements aren’t perceptible across the board, but in many operations the improvement is downright flamboyant.”
Ihnatko reports, “Normally, an Apple OS update costs $129. Snow Leopard will cost existing Leopard users all of $29 [which] represents perhaps the most emphatic middle finger that Apple’s ever extended towards Microsoft’s general direction. In the past five years, Microsoft has done far less with Windows than Apple has done with the Mac OS… $29? To make your Mac this much faster? It’s a gimme.”
There’s much more in this entertaining-as-usual and chock-full review – highly recommended – here.
Love the finger comment.
Hey, MDN, for your take you should re-use that “Ballmer laughs at the new iPhone price” video, only bleep out “$600” and “a phone?” So it’s like this instead: “$29…? For an OS? Are they kidding?”
Would be stellar
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I once read a column of his – where he stated that he had an ongoing argument with his wife on whether (or not) he should dispose of all the old Mac classics & 68k’s he had in his garage .. The ones he had collected over the years ..
Evidently– he had quite a few, and couldn’t bear to part with them …
Now THAT’S a Mac head !
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Andy …
“most emphatic middle finger Apple’s ever extended towards Microsoft’s general direction.”
Now THAT is “serious” funny shit …
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BC
“Ihnatko reports, “Normally, an Apple OS update costs $129. Snow Leopard will cost existing Leopard users all of $29 [which] represents perhaps the most emphatic middle finger that Apple’s ever extended towards Microsoft’s general direction.”
I don’t think so Andy. Apple doesn’t do that. Apple strives to make great products that users just want to use… everything else will come on its own (i.e., revenue, reputation, etc.). Apple earns by doing what it does best without having to resort to bashing the competition. The competition seem to be doing that by themselves by not being like Apple.
Great picture of Steve Jobs using that middle finger:
http://static.businessinsider.com/~~/f?id=4a2ea63a14b9b9ce001db34b
“….I don’t think so Andy. Apple doesn’t do that…..”
@bkire ..
Maybe not overtly … but when you think about it .. that’s exactly the connotation the entire tech industry will infer from Apple’s recent actions !
And, if that’s true — great !
We’ll all get a chuckle out of it — and move on !
@Cascadians —
Great pic — but
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are you sure His Steveness isn’t just holding up
one of those “funny” cigarettes ?
Another one of those discrete middle fingers that Apple inconspicuously displays is in the ‘Networking’ window. Open your ‘Browse Network’ window (Cmd+Shift+K) and look for devices on your network that have shared volumes. Macs will all be displayed with their respective icons (Mac Pro, iMac, MBA, MBP, White MB, Alu MB, Mini…); Windows (or Samba) shares will show as an old-fashioned beige CR-tube monitor with a blue screen on death on it. Every single time I open that networking window, I get a chuckle (I have a few Samba shares on my Macs). That’s probably the most elegant and discrete middle finger Apple has ever extended towards Redmond!
@John
Apple should print a quote from Steve Jobs saying, $200 for an OS Upgrade what kind of Bozo would do that?
Andy’s columns show the difference between just “reporting” and actually “writing.” He reminds me of O’Henry, who never used a short, common word when a long, obscure one would serve him better. And Andy tries to get facts straight. Much appreciated these days. Good stuff.
“…even though you’ll be stumped for a quick five-minute demo that convinces the people around you that much of anything has changed at all.”
Is that English?
Andy Ih-nat-ko!
Seriously check out the MacBreak Weekly podcast (Leo Laporte’s); Andy’s usually on and he’s always great!
Cascadians, et al …
Nice way-backer of Steve and IBM
Now … I don’t know much, but figured out a few things
Like … How Steve got us to where we are ?
Simple … He don’t take no shit and never quits
BC
And … aka Chris
So, you’ve read William Sidney Porter, eh ?
Always suspicious you were up to something
You Betcha …
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@ Ottawa Mark:
Took the jingle right out of my mouth.
@ BC Kelly,
The last great act of defiance,
1989 Tiananmen Square Protest Dude that held up the tanks and was never seen again gets my vote.
Ihnatko is easily my favorite macintosh writer. love the ‘middle finger’ bit.
can’t wait for SL!
Big Al … in case you wander back through again …
Yes, the China Tank Guy
Now, how about this – he’s perfect for the New Apple Board Member
He seems to know how to Think Different™
Plus, we already know he wants to Change The World™
He “gets my vote”
But, oh well, as they always said, “Who was that Masked Man?”
Guess he was just another Boy Scout chalking up another Good Deed
And will never get caught doing it, or it won’t count …
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BC
And the fact that it installs just fine on an Intel machine running Tiger is icing on the cake.
Bar none, Ihnatko is the funniest freak in the whole Appleverse. Just one question though, Andy: for a man so hot to do the upgrade thing, don’t you think you might consider doin’ the same with the Granny Glasses?
Just roustin’ ya. Please keep up the fabulous work.