I am on a G4 TiBook 667 Mhz processor. So I am just shy of the recommended processor speed to upgrade from 10.4.11 to Snow Leopard. Not that some haven't done so and had success, but the stability issues and cost have so far kept me from upgrading thus far. That said, everything was running pretty satisfactory for me until...I looked into iCloud.
I don't have a huge music collection, but it's slowly been growing, and I've been thinking of ways to modernize my archival systems that don't take up as much physical space and are more eco-friendly. Instead of burning at least 10 CDs for my music alone each time I do a backup (That's 120+ discs a year) or even shortening that to one DVD (12 months=12 DVDs x annually), I'd like to backup my music to the Cloud, which takes up no physical space, and why not use Apple's service that will be formatted to work with my library on iTunes—plus have the benefit of accessing my music from anywhere. Except... you need iTunes 10.5... and well, you know the rest of the story.
I plan to use an external hard drive as well to duplicate my redundancies, but before I formatted the partition I wanted everything backed up in at least one spot besides my hard drive. Thus this small change in using a more modern system for backup has now brought me to face a much more difficult upgrade dilemma.
I bought my TiBook knowing it was a stop gap to tide me over from my older G3 until I bought a new Intel Duo. I still plan to purchase a new machine, but until I have the business income to support such a large purchase, I am doing my best to make do with my current set-up.
I'd planned to buy an iPad in the next couple months using my credit card points to at least surf the Internet on the latest operating system. Since it's a lot cheaper than a full computer, I can still keep my TiBook for all the local work.
I appreciate finding this thread because now I know I'll need to check its compatibility carefully first with my unsupported OS. Luckily, I was gifted a Mac some time ago that is on a slightly newer OS. If it comes to that, I could fire that baby up and turn it into my dedicated music machine.
I don't think anybody is arguing against spending $30 for an upgrade, but those of you that can't afford the $130 for Leopard, this might be an option. Obtain an older but slightly-newer-than-yours machine...along with the software you might get some other performance enhancements, and keep your G4 or G5 with 10.4.11 the way you like it. If you can't find one free on Freecycle or a ReUse It group, then you might find something cheaper you can buy on Craig's List or your favorite online marketplace to make it worth your while, plus get a few extras from someone who's already made the switch and wants to offload an older machine.
I think this backlash is coming from the fact that Apple has historically supported its older products to ease the transition to its newer ones. When they gave us OS X, they also gave us a bootable OS 9 in which to use all the legacy applications (which, as has been mentioned, can mean thousands of dollars in software purchases). You could use the new OS with all the bells and whistles, but still keep your older programs alive if you need it—and that functionality was fully supported. I think I've only had to access it once or twice, but it's nice to know you have it, especially to open old archived files if you own a business and need to reference older documents on occasion.
In practice, the reality is you ultimately had to reboot to get to them. Which means many of those programs see a lot less use over time. You get used to the new system, and the familiarity and comfort of the old one eventually fades away. As you can, you eventually buy the new software over time. No hard feelings or major losses linger.
Yet here, the transition is a lot more abrupt. Whereas everything else we use our machines for is still functioning pretty well...this one little but very important compatibility issue is dictating we cut loose immediately and either leave all that behind or fall out of the fray. No one would normally make a decision to upgrade their computer based on a music program alone. And yet, here its users are in between a rock and a hard place, and feeling the rub.
Any technology has a limited shelf life. I expect it to be outdated the minute I buy a new machine.
That's just the reality. And well, let's face it, my TiBook, was long outdated before I even purchased it. But I always wanted one and loved finally having one as my very own, no worse for the wear. And, I did have my G3 Wallstreet for eight long years before I "had to upgrade" and that decision was my own based on a variety of compatibility issues, not merely one application. That felt more like my decision rather than something being thrust upon me out of nowhere.
And you know, it seemed like practically every day I would get a new prompt to update my iTunes software. So when that endless stream of upgrades suddenly ends, it is a bit jarring.
The average user is not going to bother with listening to Steve Jobs keynotes to know every detail of Apple's rollout plans. But, yes I had heard that Apple was no longer supporting Tiger. And I know I may not be able to upgrade to the latest version of Safari. But we are all pretty dependent on our machines, and as such, we don't want to be left in the dust without other viable options, at least until, within a reasonable timeframe, we can fully invest in our next planned purchase.
I can still check e-mail, go on Facebook, Twitter, and exist in the digital world. That does not feel like an obsolete technology. Outdated, perhaps, but certainly not a useless piece of junk.
Apple has also set an expectation in the past that they take care of their users, and here, leaving one version of the OS unattended while they take care of older PC machines, and even provide a resource link for the much older G3s...should not surprise anyone to get a bad reaction.
When you spend several thousand dollars on a machine that you use and essentially live with every day...it's not a shock to expect a little love. If there was a legitimate programming issue that prevented them from making OS 10.4.11 to work reasonably with iTunes 10.5, especially since iPods, iPhones and iPads are dependent on it, a simple explanation would soothe the ruffled feathers. Users would be upset, but would eventually understand and move on. But the absence of any reasonable explanation leaves most of us to assume less flattering interpretations.
For me, I don't think this rises to the level of abandoning Apple as a customer. But it does affect my decision-making when making my next purchase. This is probably the next largest purchase users make before a car and a house. And now, it is connected to many other smaller purchases. What music program I buy. What cloud technology I use. What cell phone I purchase. The feeling of being shut out runs contrary to the brand's heritage as the company that makes computers personal.
If they don't care about me personally, is it a personal computer any more?
