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And a billion MacMacs jump off a building. This will be seen in time as a good thing.
People get a grip. This isn't like Microsoft's problems with Longhorn/Vista. It's a single delay. Now, if they get close to October, and delay it again? Then you have a problem. But please, one delay in the OS? Oh wait, AppleTV was delayed, OHMYGODWTFKHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!111
However, to all my IT compatriots continually bitching that Apple doesn't have roadmaps: Now do you see why I say roadmaps are bullshit with perfume? Face it, what good would a Leopard Roadmap have done you as of yesterday?
Not one damned bit.
Stop drinking the Roadmap Flavor-Aid.
Technorati Tags: Apple, Mac OS X, Leopard, Roadmaps = Bullshit
Posted by John C. Welch at 10:23 | Permalink
Comments
The delay is a good thing. Leopard was far from finished and the publicly announced new features were hardly compelling. Take more time to get it right.
But, it does disturb me that they appear to have publicly announced that they have at least temporarily cannibalized the OS for the sake of a phone.
I feel like a curmedgeon and I fully admit in advance that I am most certainly wrong, but to me computers are Serious and phones are toys.
I guess I should elaborate... I think of computers and I think of writers writing their novels, scientists sequencing genetic codes, musicians recording their latest brilliant works, and engineers designing aircraft parts.
When I think of cell phones, I think of annoying teenagers talking at the movies, mommies chatting while driving their SUVs, and self-important executive pricks loudly berating someone while in line at the airport.
Did Apple just say they prefer the be associated with thelatter and not the former?
Posted by: Mike | April 13, 2007 10:49 AM
I see your point about over-reacting, John, but a delay that long can have some big impacts.
I work for a university department here in the UK, and I'm hoping to get the funds released to replace the macs in one of our class rooms (sadly the only full mac classroom in our uni). That's 30 licences I have to add to my quote now, adding about £1000 to the quote. Money being tight here, that might make the difference between being able to move to the intel platform and not.
I know the initial release would have been buggy. But it will be anyway until it's undergone some real world testing.
There is another issue (although it could also be a possible silver lining): for education and business there is a thing called the Apple Maintenance program which provides all new OS versions over three years. It costs just a little more than a single new OS license. I know of some of my opposites at other institutions who paid for this as an alternative to buying Tiger because it would fit in with Apple's timescales for Leopard. Now that Leopard is delayed, it's essentially massively devalued their investment - unless apple decides to be generous. I wouldn't be.
Anyway, let us have our bit of a whinge: you know we'll just end up buying it anyway.
Posted by: Tom Hillman | April 13, 2007 11:07 AM
My concern is more the length of development these days. Through Panther, OS releases were on an annual schedule. For Tiger, this stretched to a year and a half. For Leopard, we're going on two and a half years, and quite frankly, don't seem to have as much to show for it as in the earlier releases.
One of the reasons this isn't big news is there are no compelling reasons to upgrade (for many, the same could be said of Tiger if you don't need Spotlight - how many out there are STILL running 10.3.9?).
Posted by: Joshua Ochs | April 13, 2007 11:10 AM
"And a billion MacMacs jump off a building."
Ironically, my Mac Pro is named "MacMac" (in honor the MacBook). And last night i had a drive failure.
It must have heard that Leopard was running late and committed suicide.
Posted by: Robert | April 13, 2007 1:48 PM
But, it does disturb me that they appear to have publicly announced that they have at least temporarily cannibalized the OS for the sake of a phone.
Since the iPhone runs OS X, how are they cannibalizing it? If you look at jobs.apple.com, it's not like Apple isn't hiring, but there's not a lot of people out there who are going to walk in and be up to speed on low level OS X coding with anything resembling speed.
I work for a university department here in the UK, and I'm hoping to get the funds released to replace the macs in one of our class rooms (sadly the only full mac classroom in our uni). That's 30 licences I have to add to my quote now, adding about £1000 to the quote. Money being tight here, that might make the difference between being able to move to the intel platform and not.
Huh? Why would you want a bunch of machines that are running leopard before you can test them properly. Just buy the machines. Get an ADC membership and test leopard properly. Hell, your school should have its own Apple Rep who can get you a couple of copies of leopard once its released. Look at it this way, if you buy the machines now, you have systems that will fit into your infrastructure in a far more predictable manner. That's a good thing.
My concern is more the length of development these days. Through Panther, OS releases were on an annual schedule. For Tiger, this stretched to a year and a half. For Leopard, we're going on two and a half years, and quite frankly, don't seem to have as much to show for it as in the earlier releases.
Try more like two years. Mac OS X 10.4 will be two years old when Apple releases leopard, and frankly, Mac OS X 10.4 was a useless pain in the ass until 10.4.3 anyway, so you may as well lop off a few months from that two years bit.
Posted by: John C. Welch | April 13, 2007 2:47 PM
"OHMYGODWTFKHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!111" is the new "OMGWTFBBQ!!!!!~!!!"
Posted by: Arden | April 13, 2007 2:54 PM
Bonus points for correct use of Flavor-aid.
Posted by: Sigivald | April 13, 2007 4:54 PM
And a billion MacMacs jump off a building
And that, my friend, may be the best thing to come from this delay...
Posted by: Debbie G | April 13, 2007 7:00 PM
Maybe integrated hypervisor, but at least extra time for testing might deliver an Enterprise ready product....
Posted by: Asam Bashir | April 14, 2007 5:03 PM
Dunno about the hypervisor, but I agree with a bit more testing. Mac OS X 10.4 was a mess until 10.4.3
Posted by: John C. Welch | April 14, 2007 8:46 PM
//Huh? Why would you want a bunch of machines that are running leopard before you can test them properly.//
I wouldn't. I want a bunch of machines with the leopard *license*. I already have enough Tiger licenses to run the machines until I'm happy with leopard.
Chances are there'll be a demand for leopard at some point within the year: *when* that money is spent is only important in that we'll have more chance of getting the spending approved at the start of budgets.
No one likes bureaucracy, but it's a fact of life :(
//Just buy the machines.//
OK ;)
Posted by: Tom Hillman | April 16, 2007 3:50 AM
Tom:
Don't know if this helps, but I talked management into buying AMP agreements with every new Mac a couple of years ago. Looking at what we pay in MS licensing fees, AMP is a bargain, and it saves me getting into the "Oh shit, now I have to bump up the quote" fix. And since most of our machines are on a four-year cycle, we make use of every agreement.
As for the delay in general, I think it's a damn good thing. I don't want a shoveled-out-the-door, crippled, buggy OS dropped on my desk in the name of making a self-imposed deadline. And by announcing the delay now, Apple has conveniently saved me several months of "Well what if they drop Leopard next month."
And believe me, based on the latest seeds, you definitely don't want it yet.
Posted by: Brian | April 16, 2007 8:25 AM
Tom:
I wouldn't. I want a bunch of machines with the leopard *license*. I already have enough Tiger licenses to run the machines until I'm happy with leopard.
There's a number of ways to get leopard licenses for testing. However, Apple ships machines with one OS license, and I don't see that changing.
Brian:
I don't try to rag on this too much, and I don't actually think you stepped over it, but as a friendly reminder to all since your comment brings it to mind:
Regardless of our personal opinions of NDAs, let's strive to go with the letter and spirit of them.
Posted by: John C. Welch | April 16, 2007 3:38 PM
