Where is the serial number?

Question

Where is the serial number?

I bought a copy of DVD Studio Pro v1.5 - the lasst version that would run in native Mac OS 9. Included on the CD was a copy of Bias Peak DV v3.0. According to the notes included with Peak the serial number was supposed to be "on the package". But it wasn't. I contacted the Peak author (www.bias-inc.com) and was told that they gave all of the v3.0 serial numbers to Apple.

So I went looking for someone at Apple to contact about obtaining the missing serial number. But I struck out. Apple doesn't seem to want to hear from me about this problem.

Do you know who to call or write regarding the missing serial number?

G4, Mac OS 9.2.x

Posted on May 2, 2009 7:16 AM

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Answer 1

May 2, 2009 9:09 AM in response to Gary - former developer

Do you know who to call or write regarding the missing serial number?

The package does not appear to be useable without the serial number. Contact whoever sold it to you, and explain they have sold you something that does not work, and unless they cough up the serial number, you will be returning the package to them immediately (threatening to stuff it up their nose optional).

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Answer 2

May 3, 2009 5:27 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Actually, I DID contact the seller and he was very helpful. But the serial number he provided didn't work. Since what I bought was DVD Studio Pro (which works fine), expecting a bonus (Bias Peak) is beyond the scope of my purchase. I can't fault the seller in the slightest.

I'm looking to Apple for resolution since it was them that produced the original product bundle and THEM that now own the serial numbers.

Do you know who to contact?

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Answer 3

eww

Level 9

53,052 points

May 6, 2009 5:18 PM in response to Gary - former developer

Hi, Gary. Apple announced a number of years ago that it would no longer support OS 9 or its old OS 9-based software applications. At that time it had already supported them for several years after introducing OS X, and there comes an end to everything. So not only is your obsolete version of DVD Studio Pro unsupported now, but so is the Bias Peak 3.0 bonus package that was bundled with it. There is no one at Apple any more whose job description includes supporting those antiquated products, and it's even possible that there is no one at Apple now who ever was involved in supporting those products. Consequently, I'm afraid you're going to have to get along without using Peak, which you weren't expecting to receive with your purchase anyway.

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Answer 4

May 7, 2009 5:11 PM in response to eww

You are likely correct about Apple having no one on the payroll who even remembers this product bundle. I suspect only 2 companies (Dish Network and DirecTV) have higher turnover than Apple.

And their "throw it away after 9 months" mentality is one of several reasons why I havent't bought a new Apple product since 2002.

Gary

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Answer 5

eww

Level 9

53,052 points

May 7, 2009 6:40 PM in response to Gary - former developer

And their "throw it away after 9 months" mentality is one of several reasons why I havent't bought a new Apple product since 2002.

Say what? I have a little trouble squaring "throw it away after 9 months" with Apple's having continued to update and support OS 9 for about four years after releasing OS X. I think you're confusing Apple with someone else.

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Answer 6

May 8, 2009 10:52 AM in response to eww

I recently bought a used Powerbook. It was introduced in April 2002 and discontinued that November. Hmm. That's 7 months. So I guess I was being generous by saying 9 months.

Between the time Mac OS 7 came out and the final version of Mac OS 8 was released, I didn't worry that the applications I bought would work with whatever version of the OS I was using at the moment. With Mac OS 9, Apple warned me that "some applicatikons would crash". And they did.

And then 10.0.1 hit the streets followed MONTHLY by the latest bug fix. And it's been a miserable situation ever since. Now I have to check the fine print on everything to make sure it is compatible with whetever is shipping this month. How many products can state that they support all versions of Mac OS 10? How many will be rendered useless when the next piece of the patchwork is made public?

I bought my first Mac in 1987. Since then I've bought hundreds Mac software tools to the tune of over $50,000. And the only way for me to avoid doing it all over again was do declare a freeze point. So I did.

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Answer 7

eww

Level 9

53,052 points

May 8, 2009 10:00 PM in response to Gary - former developer

So while the rest of the computer industry releases new hardware and software products, Apple should stop doing so, to avoid inconveniencing you?

If Apple followed that formula, it would have been extinct before you bought your first Mac in 1987. Think of all the money and hassle you could have saved by just sticking with a slide rule.

In what sense is a computer model "thrown away" simply because a newer model goes into production? The computer still does everything it did when it was the latest and greatest. Every Mac ever released has supported several subsequent major OS versions and the applications that run in them. If you (wrongly) believed the Powerbook you bought used was obsolete and worthless after the succeeding model came out, why did you buy it?

Message was edited by: eww

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