Win7 vs OS X 10.6

Draeconis

Draeconis

Draeconis

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Joined
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185
Oh dear, Microsoft are going to have a tough time in the near future :S

The pricing scheme for Windows 7 has been released today, indicating that the full 'Ultimate' copy of Windows 7 will set people back $320. To add to this, for us here in the UK, Microsoft have said there will be no upgrade version, because of issues they claim the Competition Commission have imposed on them.

Whereas we already know that OS X 10.6 will cost just $29.

"So what?" you might think "Windows 7 is a paradigm shift away from Vista". Is it?

OS X Will give people a full 64-bit environment, with improved multitasking support, OpenCL support for graphics card processing, and a load of other improvements to support reliability and stability.

Windows 7 gives users back the performance they lost from upgrading to Vista in the first place, and includes a nice shiny interface which, apart from the taskbar (which looks remarkably like the Dock now) is exactly the same.

So what are Windows users paying 10x more than we are for? Are there some spectacular features I've missed? Well, they get multi-touch I suppose, but then we already have that in a way, and (though I have an iPhone) the concept of touching the screen of a computer I would watch films on doesn't really appeal to me, and if anything it comes across as a gimmicky add-on to sell to the easily-impressed.
 
OS X 10.6 is $129 and $29 for a Leopard Upgrade.

Windows 7 is the Vista that Microsoft originally wanted to release. They'll be glad to get away from the 'V' word, which did nothing but bad things for their reputation imo.
 
Draeconis said:
So what are Windows users paying 10x more than we are for?
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The Windows name
Established corporate software
Unlimited hardware combinations with ability to mix and match

Your point about Snow Leopard costing $29 is moot, as it requires Leopard ($129) to run, so you'd be better off comparing Windows 7 upgrade pricing.
 
I suggest you read this:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/softw...oft-Reveals-Windows-7-Pricing---Promotions/p1

Specifically:
3 Pricing. Windows 7 E Home Premium will retail for £149.99 (Vista Home Premium costs £169.99), while Pro and Ultimate stick to their Vista equivalents at £219.99 and £229.99 respectively. Where it gets complicated is because no upgrade editions of Windows 7 E will be sold in Europe. Microsoft says this is because it would port across Internet Explorer from the previous OS and put it on shaky ground with the European Commission. Frustrating yes, necessary? Let's not even go there. More importantly however Microsoft aims to counter this by selling the full edition of Windows 7 E Home Premium for £79.99 between 22 October and 31 December. This is the same cost as the upgrade edition of Vista Home Premium. It is still working on potential deals for Professional and Ultimate.

4 Promotion. Perhaps most exciting however is Microsoft will reward early adopters who pre-order Windows 7 E Home Premium or Professional between 15 July and 14 August by selling them for just £49.99 and £79.99 respectively. No details of stock level have been locked down yet with Microsoft saying it will respond to demand, but this certainly represents good value for money. Again more details come tomorrow at microsoft.com/uk/win7preorder.
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You're being very economical with the facts, to be honest. You've mentioned several major improvements in Snow Leopard, and yet seem to believe that Windows 7 only represents performance 'repairs' and some minor interface changes. Have you actually used 7?
 
TheVoice said:
I suggest you read this:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/softw...oft-Reveals-Windows-7-Pricing---Promotions/p1

Specifically:


You're being very economical with the facts, to be honest. You've mentioned several major improvements in Snow Leopard, and yet seem to believe that Windows 7 only represents performance 'repairs' and some minor interface changes. Have you actually used 7?
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I'm going to hazard a guess that other than the first line, the OP is a paste from somewhere else.
 
Having just entered the Mac world (and very pleased with it too), I will definitely be looking forward to spending $29 for a major OS refresh. Apple have by far and away cornered the market doing something that Microsoft are failing to do with 7 - provide an upgrade path.

Undoubtedly Windows 7 is a great OS, it's quick and stable and I'm sure it'll run great in Boot Camp... provided Bill and Steve can get their respective acts together with regards to EFI/drivers/hardware support. *Ahem* temperature issues in Vista *ahem*!
 
Have Apple said how much the upgrade to Snow Leopard will be in the UK? Because we all know $29 doesn't mean £29. So I wouldn't be surprised if it cost the same as the Windows 7 upgrade £49.
 
mr.sly said:
Have Apple said how much the upgrade to Snow Leopard will be in the UK? Because we all know $29 doesn't mean £29. So I wouldn't be surprised if it cost the same as the Windows 7 upgrade £49.
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There won't be any Windows 7 upgrades thanks to the EU.
 
I must admit, I'm more looking forward to seeing snow leopard than I am 7. However, I think that's mainly due to my hate of MS Entourage.
 
PiKe said:
Can I buy OSX for a PC? No, so Apple, shut up.
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I think the reasons for it not running on PCs is pretty clear!

Slogan said:
OS X 10.6 is $129 and $29 for a Leopard Upgrade.
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Ah, I didn't realise the $29 was just the upgrade price, boo.

TheVoice said:
You're being very economical with the facts, to be honest. You've mentioned several major improvements in Snow Leopard, and yet seem to believe that Windows 7 only represents performance 'repairs' and some minor interface changes. Have you actually used 7?
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I've used it since the beta was released, on about 8 different computers. It's nice, don't get me wrong, it fixes a lot of the issues they had with Vista, but they're charging people quite a lot of money for what it is, and I don't really see why. If you think I'm being economical with the facts, then please point out the benefits of Windows 7 other than the ones I've mentioned. As far as I can see, they're just fixing Vista with this release, they're not really adding any new functionality, apart from Multi-Touch, which is a bit meh really, most people won't be able to use it anyway unless they buy the right screen.

It's interesting you bring up this "For a limited time it'll be £50-70". Ok, for a limited time, that's great. But what are you getting for your money even then? That's not even taking into account that all of these versions will probably be 32-bit, not 64 :/

PiKe said:
I'm going to hazard a guess that other than the first line, the OP is a paste from somewhere else.
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No, I got my information elsewhere, but I wrote all of that myself.
 
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Draeconis said:
I think the reasons for it not running on PCs is pretty clear!



Ah, I didn't realise the $29 was just the upgrade price, boo.



I've used it since the beta was released, on about 8 different computers. It's nice, don't get me wrong, it fixes a lot of the issues they had with Vista, but they're charging people quite a lot of money for what it is, and I don't really see why. If you think I'm being economical with the facts, then please point out the benefits of Windows 7 other than the ones I've mentioned. As far as I can see, they're just fixing Vista with this release, they're not really adding any new functionality, apart from Multi-Touch, which is a bit meh really, most people won't be able to use it anyway unless they buy the right screen.



No, I got my information elsewhere, but I wrote all of that myself.
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Multi-touch, Direct X 11, new taskbar which brings with it new features and much improved workflow, better networking, Windows Media Player 11, better support for projectors and multiple monitor setups. I'm sure if you searched in the Windows sub forum you'd find lots of post by Burnsy or NathanE explaining more of the new features and benefits.

All that for £49 if you pre-order for a full copy (not an upgrade) of Windows 7 is a bargain.
 
mr.sly said:
Multi-touch, Direct X 11, new taskbar which brings with it new features and much improved workflow, better networking, Windows Media Player 11, better support for projectors and multiple monitor setups. I'm sure if you searched in the Windows sub forum you'd find lots of post by Burnsy or NathanE explaining more of the new features and benefits.

All that for £49 if you pre-order for a full copy (not an upgrade) of Windows 7 is a bargain.
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Where do you pre-order? I need a copy for a Media Centre PC :cool:
 
mr.sly said:
Multi-touch, Direct X 11, new taskbar which brings with it new features and much improved workflow, better networking, Windows Media Player 11, better support for projectors and multiple monitor setups. I'm sure if you searched in the Windows sub forum you'd find lots of post by Burnsy or NathanE explaining more of the new features and benefits.

All that for £49 if you pre-order for a full copy (not an upgrade) of Windows 7 is a bargain.
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Multi-Touch on a computer is not really a proven technology, and I seriously doubt it will take off in this format (though I admit that's just speculation)

DirectX11, ok, that's pretty cool I guess.

The new taskbar is a little better than the Vista one admittedly, but it can be a little awkward to use, especially seeing as 'Show Desktop' is now in the far right for some reason, away from everything else.

The networking is much better, I really agree there, especially Wireless stuff, but again, why does this require a whole new OS release rather than just a Service Pack (think the changes XP SP2 introduced)

People already have Windows Media Player 11 in XP and Vista, I don't really know about the changes in Win7 but I can't see them as particularly ground-breakingly needing-a-new-OS to deliver them.

Better monitor support as well, it is better, but does that constitute a whole new OS?
 
EVH said:
Where do you pre-order? I need a copy for a Media Centre PC :cool:
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I couldn't possibly say because of the rules. But I'm sure a paragraph in this article will show you the way.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2009/jun/25/windows7-uk-prices

Draeconis said:
Multi-Touch on a computer is not really a proven technology, and I seriously doubt it will take off in this format (though I admit that's just speculation)

DirectX11, ok, that's pretty cool I guess.

The new taskbar is a little better than the Vista one admittedly, but it can be a little awkward to use, especially seeing as 'Show Desktop' is now in the far right for some reason, away from everything else.

The networking is much better, I really agree there, especially Wireless stuff, but again, why does this require a whole new OS release rather than just a Service Pack (think the changes XP SP2 introduced)

People already have Windows Media Player 11 in XP and Vista, I don't really know about the changes in Win7 but I can't see them as particularly ground-breakingly needing-a-new-OS to deliver them.

Better monitor support as well, it is better, but does that constitute a whole new OS?
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Sorry that was suppose to say 12, and it takes advantage of some of the networking features to allow you to stream music around your house. Along with other features.

As I said have a search there's more features than that included in Windows 7. And if you're trying to say a new OS isn't needed for the networking features, should Mac users have to buy a new OS just for the Expose feature on the dock? That could be added in a patch never mind a service pack.
 
*sigh* I kinda expected this battle, but I didn't expect it to be so... dull.

/me returns to his Mac and PC who sit side by side and do different things, with the Linux server supplementing some of the legwork.

An OS is an OS, doesn't matter who made, only that it does what you want it to do. And if that's gaming, you want Windows, if that's media editing, that's Apple, if you want no social life because you were busy compiling your kernel for the 27th time this week, that's Linux.
 
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