Snow Leopard: Apple's low-cost upgrade

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 09 June 2009 10:41

Opinion and Analysis

Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard is going to cost a lot less than Apple usually charges for major upgrades to its flagship operating system.

As soon as Apple said Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard was going to be an 'under the hood' upgrade with no new features from the user's perspective, speculation began over the likely pricing.

Mac OS X has traditionally cost $129. Many observers were sceptical that Mac owners would be reluctant to pay that much for Snow Leopard if it didn't deliver some fairly spectacular 'in your face' improvements.

And it looks like Apple has been thinking the same way, as it is only going to cost $US29, or $US49 for the five-user Family Pack - providing you're already running Leopard.

If your Mac is still on Tiger, you'll be expected to buy the Mac Box Set, which comprises Snow Leopard, iLife 09 and iWork 09. That costs $US169, or $US229 for the family pack.

There seems to be no indication at this stage whether the regular Snow Leopard upgrade will only install over Leopard, or if the Tiger upgrade is an 'honour' thing (but as you'll most likely want the new versions of iLife and iWork, it's a moot point).

If you buy a Mac between June 8 and December 26, and it ships with Leopard, the Snow Leopard update will be yours for a $US9.95 shipping and handling fee. The only catch is that you must request it within 90 days of purchase, and no later than December 26.

What other reasons might there be for a low-cost upgrade? Please read on.