Apple OS licensing

[dmetzcher]

Originally Posted by RacerX

Well, what if I was interested in switching to Windows? Is there a Windows test drive DVD that will run on my Mac? How is it any less arrogant for me to have to go to a PC store to try out Windows? I sure haven't seen this attitude hurting the sales of Windows.

Two things:

First, I should be clearer regarding what I meant by a demo CD. I'm not talking about something that runs the same as a Mac. I'm talking about something that shows off the look and feel of the OS, something that many Windows users who have seen my machine have drooled over. I'm not talking about installing apps or editing video here. Something very simple, that contains information about the OS, in addition to showing it off a bit, would be all that is needed. Something that can be given away in an Apple store, or something that a visitor to the Apple Web site san get sent to them would be great. You could even forget the CD. If Apple could somehow deliver the same experience via the Web (something small that can be downloaded), that would be even better.

Regarding the lack of a Windows test drive...
Who needs one? Most computer users are Windows users. If you are in an office, chances are that you are using a Windows machine. If you are in a school, the chances are still good that you are using a Windows machine. My point here is that people are familiar with Windows. Microsoft doesn't have to bend over backwards to get people to try out their software. All the PC manufacturers are doing it for them with low-cost boxes.

You talk about arrogance with regard to Microsoft not offering the same thing that I think Apple should offer. Yes, they are arrogant. They can be arrogant. They have the user base that allows them to be confident in their arrogance.

Is the lack of this disc hurting Apple's sales? We don't know. We'll never know unless someone starts randomly polling Windows users across the nation and asking them if they would be willing to take a look at a DVD containing a simple Mac OS test drive. I don't think that the hardware issues that you mentioned would be an issue if the DVD, made to run on Windows, could mimic much of the look and feww of the Mac OS. It couldn't do everything, but it could do enough to wet someone's appetite. What I was saying, simply, was that I thought it could help Mac sales. Windows never came into the argument because that was not the topic at hand.

[Viro]

Originally Posted by dmetzcher

First, I should be clearer regarding what I meant by a demo CD. I'm not talking about something that runs the same as a Mac. I'm talking about something that shows off the look and feel of the OS, something that many Windows users who have seen my machine have drooled over. I'm not talking about installing apps or editing video here. Something very simple, that contains information about the OS, in addition to showing it off a bit, would be all that is needed. Something that can be given away in an Apple store, or something that a visitor to the Apple Web site san get sent to them would be great. You could even forget the CD. If Apple could somehow deliver the same experience via the Web (something small that can be downloaded), that would be even better.

The problem with the Live CD approach (which is essentially what you're advocating) is hardware support and speed.

A Live CD needs to have good hardware detection and support if you're going to convince anyone to switch. You can't limit what people can run the Live CD on. If your Live CD fails to correctly detect the video card for example, or the sound card, this gives a very poor impression of the demo. People will leave with the wrong impression that Mac OS X isn't going to detect the video card, etc. correctly, even though you can only install Mac OS X on Macs so this a moot point. Unless Apple is prepared to add support for pretty much all PC hardware, such a Live CD is a bad idea.

Another problem with Live CDs is the lack of performance. Everything takes much longer to load up on a Live CD. Sure, this is for demo purposes but if it is too slow, people will yet again leave with the wrong impression of the OS. You've already got enough nonsense floating about the Internet, claiming that OS X is 'sluggish' by people who've never used OS X for longer than 5 minutes. A Live CD will compound this problem. Of course, you could allow installation to hard disk like most Linux Live CDs, but it still leaves the problem of hardware support.

I personally believe that allowing people to play with machines at Apple Stores is a better way of showing off the Mac. There, you've got real Apple hardware to run OS X on, and they'll see the actual experience (i.e. performance, stability, eye candy, etc) of OS X. You won't be able to get everyone into an Apple Store. As such, downloadable movies of operations will be definitely a killer. Friends have been impressed when looking at Exposé, even if it was in a movie.

[fryke]

Well... This might all be well in the USA where an Apple Store with good staff is just around every corner by now. (Kidding...) - Here in Switzerland, most people will probably see Macs for the first time when they go to Manor's multimedia floor. Something like Best Buy, I'd say. The staff doesn't know about Macs, the Macs are in terrible states (either there's a screensaver running, password protected so people can actually only look at the _hardware_, not at Mac OS X at all, or they're hanging at some point) and they have usually _one_ iMac to show and next to it have the price tags for all iMac models. (So they might show the 20" version, but the price tags also show the 17" version. Mix and match? Erh...)

So you guys think a live CD is not the way to go. Because it's not a good experience. Then Apple should simply _make_ it a good experience. Thank you.

[BGprinting]

Im sure this post is not in the proper forum. And I guess my first mistake was posting anything at all. I did post a question to this board which has gone unanswered. And while visiting tried to help others with problems I have experience with. Things went wrong when a poster asked an innocent question about a 5 users tiger license and another poster (not named but knows who I am talking about) started pointing his finger as though someone had been killed. And I think it was the middle finger. Myself I never liked reading posts like that, And stupid me got all mixed up in the mess. Ohwell, This was the first and probably last forum I have ever posted in. As thru all my years the answers to my questions have always come from the books. I must be getting lazy or bored thinking that posting a question to my problem for another person to answer was solution. Back to the books. Bye. P.S. disregard all my previous posts as none were intended ofensive. Although I am not religious, God bless you all, (I guess)! CHOW

[Viro]

I'm sorry to hear of your poor experiences with this forum. I am unfamiliar with the threads you're talking about, but is that any reason to hijack this thread? What has this got to do with Apple's OS Licensing? You should start a new thread in the café.

[dmetzcher]

Originally Posted by BGprinting

...God bless you all, (I guess)! CHOW

Ah...it's not "chow". I think you meant "ciao". LOL.
I love this place!

[pds]

Nah - he's off to lunch or something...

Back on target, are we talking a working live cd, or a video that shows how to get things done? The working cd would have to work on every conceivable configuration or it would be a bust, cause more trouble than it was worth, first impressions being what they are.

The second idea might be interesting - a half-hour infomercial that runs full screen at real time.

[fryke]

They could do both. Pop in a DVD into your Windows PC, an application tests whether your hardware would support booting the LiveDVD, and if not, you'll watch the infomercial, if yes, it'd let you boot from the DVD.