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Prices on the Rise (10/5/98)
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All's not perfect in paradise. We've been hearing a bit of grumbling about Mac OS 8.5, due to hit store shelves in a week and a half. Apparently no small number of Mac users are just a little bummed about Apple's price for the software update-- $99, with no special upgrade pricing. Compare that to Mac OS 8, which cost $99 as well, but included a $30 rebate for registered owners of Mac OS 7.6. And System 7.6 cost less for registered owners of 7.5. No, 8.5 is a straight $99 no matter what version of the Mac OS you're running now-- so reports MacNN.
Sure, via the Up-to-Date program, Apple's offering Mac OS 8.5 for $9.95 to people who bought Macs up to thirty days prior to the October 17th launch date, and that's pretty cool of them. But what about iMac owners who bought their systems in the first month they were available, and thus don't qualify for Up-to-Date? We'd heard that Mac OS 8.5 was supposed to be very cheap to those who ran out and embraced Apple's happy blue gumdrop-looking thingy as soon as they appeared. Still no word about that. But there's some good news in the mix. Apparently Mac OS 8.5 will include a free upgrade to QuickTime 3 Pro, a $30 value, if you register your new system software purchase via the web. True, QuickTime Pro mostly just gives back features that Apple took away when they releases QuickTime 3, but it's still a nice thing to have; you can kiss those "Get QuickTime Pro" ads goodbye forever.
While the official price is $99, keep in mind that in addition to the free registration of QuickTime Pro, many resellers are bound to be offering their own incentives to sweeten the deal. Already, we're told that MacWarehouse is offering a $10 rebate, and we're willing to bet that others will come up with other promotions. Still, for people who keep their System Folders up to date, the bottom line is that Mac OS 8.5 is significantly more expensive than previous Mac OS releases. We don't fault Apple for trying to collect some cash for their hard work, but they'd best be careful not to alienate those of us who have faithfully bought every Mac OS upgrade they've seen fit to release-- though everything we hear about Mac OS 8.5 indicates that it'll be well worth the price.
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 10/5/98 episode: October 5, 1998: Inflation makes us all feel the pinch, as pricing for the Mac OS reaches a new high. Meanwhile, Apple may have prematurely closed the door on all the poor orphaned Power Computing customers in this world, and Microsoft's legal department is a master of situational justification...
Other scenes from that episode: 1056: The Pain of Orphanhood (10/5/98) So the apparent pricing of Mac OS 8.5 doesn't bother us all that much, but something else about it does. MacInTouch raises a very interesting point about the compatibility level of Apple's new system software release... 1057: Them Webs We Weave (10/5/98) Once again, we find ourselves indebted to faithful viewer Matthew Guerrieri, who manages to sniff out irony like a bloodhound tracking a fugitive covered in tangy barbeque sauce. (In case you were wondering, sleep deprivation does wonders for injecting a little pizzazz into one's similes...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
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