So, Mac OS X 10.6 “Snow Leopard” comes out tomorrow, which leaves me in something of a financial quandary.
The base “upgrade” package will go for A$39. The Apple website says that this SKU is appropriate for users of 10.5, while 10.4 users (that would be me) would be better served picking up the Mac Box Set. This package includes iLife and iWork (A$129 each) as well as the OS for a total of A$229. This is a good deal, but still $190 more expensive than the OS on its own.
Wired suggests that the $39 box will probably work on a clean hard drive, and I don’t see a technical reason for it not to work, so I’m pretty confident that using 10.4 is not the barrier that Apple’s marketing implies.
The complication is that while I use iLife only occasionally, iWork is my productivity suite of choice (Open Office and variants being too slow) and I am fairly certain that the ol’ version of iWork that I bought will not be compatible. Even if it is, I’m probably due for an upgrade.
So, purchased separately, the components of the Mac Box Set cost a total of $297. That makes it a saving of almost $70. I guess the question is really how much do I want iLife?
[Update: Lifehacker has confirmed that the $39 “upgrade” disk will install clean for anyone, so it’s a valid upgrade for users with 10.4. Now I need to figure out whether I need to buy iWork (and maybe iLife) later, or just go whole hog.]
[Update 2: While the above works, it’s a violation of the EULA:
“If you have purchased an Upgrade for Mac OS X Leopard license, then subject to the terms and conditions of this License, you are granted a limited non-exclusive license to install, use and run one (1) copy of the Apple Software on a single Apple-branded computer as long as that computer has a properly licensed copy of Mac OS X Leopard already installed on it.”
Seeing as I’m going to fork out for it anyway, I might as well go whole hog. Dilemma resolved.]
2 replies on “Best way to upgrade to Snow Leopard?”
I’m not sure I want to upgrade. I checked out what was new and saw ical, address book, podcast, wiki and imobile. while I use ical and address book, newer versions aren’t a priority and I don’t make podcasts, wikis or use my mobile for computing needs.
The performance boost will be very useful for me, especially since I shoot high-res photos. Furthermore, the Google integration for iCal and Address Book are things I’ve been hankering after for ages.
I kept procrastinating on Leopard, and now that 10.6 is here, it’s a good opportunity to get up to date.