Well, I get up and it’s a tuesday and it’s 2008 so, there was little surprise when I saw that the Apple Store wasn’t up.

New Toys on the way.

J

Microsoft already giving up on Windows Vista: “It seems that Microsoft is already giving up on Vista and is setting up business users to switch from XP to Windows 7…”

(Via MacDailyNews.)

I only link to this because its probably about time companies start looking for a replacement. Vista was announced in July 2001. This was before Windows XP was even released. Using this as a guideline and the fact that Vista is a complete disaster, here are some things to think about.

6 Years Later.

That’s what it took Microsoft to go from rumor to released product. If we use this as a guideline on when you are likely to see a new product from MS, you are looking at 2013. Which means if you are a Windows XP user, your OS is going to be 12 years old at that point. I’ll make two analogies here. The first being to buy a brand new computer and then installing Windows 95 on it. Sure it will run fast, but it’s 13 years old and there are plenty of things you aren’t going to be able to do with it. The second is to have a 13 year old cell phone. By 2013 Windows XP is going to be looking VERY VERY dated. The fact is that Microsoft has YET to hit a release date on an OS. Windows 95 was supposed to be Windows 4.0 and it was about 2 years late. Vista took 6 years. When you stack up Windows XP against Tiger (that would be comparing the two Current -1 versions of the OS) Windows XP already looks dated. It’s not going to get better in 6 more years when Windows XP is 13 years old and the interface is 18 years old. Keep in mind that Microsoft has been using the same basic interface now since 1995, 18 years now.

Leopard On Your Dell

The other unspoken test here is when we are going to be able to take Leopard and install it on my Dell Desktop I have sitting here. You notice I said, “when” not “if”. It’s coming, it’s going to happen. The first real hint was from Steve Jobs at Macworld 2007. When Apple changed their name to “Apple, Inc.” from “Apple Computer, Inc.” that was the first sign. Through all of the hubbub there was a hint in that keynote that got lost in the iPhone news. “Apple is a software company.” Now, this is on a day when they announced one of the most revolutionary HARDWARE products in history. Yes, argue if you will, but you can not deny that the iPhone has changed the rules. That is the key to seeing what’s coming. Michael Dell has been wanting to install OS X on his machines for some time now. I’m sure Sony would love to get away from Microsoft. The day that Apple does do it, and mark my words, they will, things are going to change rapidly.

What happens when…

At some point you are going to be FORCED to upgrade to Windows Vista. There are two reasons. The first is when you buy a new computer. You aren’t going to be able to buy Windows XP on systems forever, OEMs are going to not be allowed to sell it. Second, to force the point, Microsoft has Windows Genuine Advantage. Eventually, they will turn it off for Windows XP and if you have to reinstall, it’s not going to activate and then you will be sitting there with a completely unpatched or updated operating system. That’s not a tenable position in the Windows world. Apple does not have an activation system in OS X. Well they do, but only on the server version. There are no serial numbers in OS X. There is nothing to activate or register. This also means that if I need to, or want to reinstall Jaguar, Panther or Tiger on my 5 year old Powerbook I can and I don’t have to worry about if I’m going to get the updates or not. Now, Apple doesn’t support all the old hardware in the new operating systems, and they make some machines obsolete with the new version of the OS. But even Leopard supports machines purchased in the last 6 years. Try installing Vista on a 6 year old Laptop and see how it runs. But most application that are out there don’t REQUIRE you to have the latest version of the OS. There are many that do, but not the big ones. Look at Quicken, Office (Office 2008 System Requirements. If you notice it only requires Mac OS 10.2.8. The Current Version of OS X is 10.5.1. So to make the parallel, look at the system requirements for Office 2007 for Windows (Office 2007 System Requirements). The Windows Version not only requires that you have XP, but XP Service Pack 2. To get Windows XP Service Pack 2, you have to have Windows Genuine Advantage installed and active. The Mac version of Office will run on the version equivalent of Windows 98/Me. Adobe doesn’t require the latest version either. Creative Suite 3 requires 10.4.9.

Buy A Mac

Until Apple does release the “Clone” version of OS X, you would be wise to make the switch to the Mac. The Mac is the only computer you can buy that can run Any OS you want to run. Want to run Windows, that’s not a problem. Linux, ok. Mac OS? well, of course. You can’t do that with a Dell or HP. Yes, there is a learning curve to get the most out of the Mac. But it’s worth it once you unlearn some of the bad habits that Windows has taught you. But in the end you’ll be better for it.

Last but not least

Software… Without software, the computer is just a paperweight. There is plenty of software out there to be sure. However, many people just don’t know how much software is out there for the Mac. Oddly, a lot of Mac users have the programs and there is just no equivalent on the Windows platform. Things like Billings, or OmniOutliner. Then you get into applications that do exactly what a windows counterpart does, but do so in such an elegant and intuitive way that you wonder why Windows applications have to be so difficult to use. A prime example of this is FTP. There aren’t a lot of people who use FTP that much any more, but my favorite FTP Application of all time is Panic’s Transmit. These are just a few examples. These are things you should really look into when making your next computer purchase. And remember, if you don’t like OS X, that’s ok, it’s not for everyone, just install Windows on your Mac. But honestly, if you aren’t afraid to ask for help on how to do something and you give it a real chance, if you try it, you’ll love it.