Does Apple have a software life cycle plan showing support?

2006 or 2007, 2005 discontinued or not! i switched from pc to mac about 2002. i have an intel imac, power book G5 2006, G3 power book, G4 power book, power mac G5 and a power mac G3. The fact is, the hardware on the most of those computers does not support the new software. i don't know about you but i cant afford to pay $5000, $4000, $3000, $2000 or even $1000 for a computer that would be a brick after 5, 6, or 7 years. on those power pc,s (discontinued)you cant install the newest or most up to date operating systems, If you can't update them you can't even stream the internet or most of it. On the other hand i still can install an operating system on an even older IBM pc then 2005 and still get it to do almost every thing that a brand new pc does. i like MAC more then PC and i will continue to buy apple products, but let the truth be told.

Amen, but my Qudra/630 still serves me daily 365/7/24, & does more than any other Mac I have as far as important Biz functions! 🙂

I'm sorry, I didn't realize all your hardware turned to bricks when Lion was released. I kinda expected them to keep running.

Just for the record, not being able to install the latest OS version doesn't constitute bricking.

You can't install Lion on your 2005-era Mac, just like you can't install Windows 7 on your 2005-era PC.

You won't be able to install Windows 8 on your 2010-era machine, either.

Mac OS X 10.5 continues to run, just as Windows XP continues to run.

Mac OS X 10.5 application support will wane as developers cease to target their applications for that generation of hardware/OS, just like Windows XP appliction support will wane as developers cease to target their applications for that generation hardware/OS. It's the same thing.

The only significant difference is that Microsoft needs to post patches to fix bugs in their old software becase not enough people have moved to the newer versions.

Put it this way. I still receive updates (security or whatever) for Office 2004 which is more than I get for anything hardware or software (including just security) I have from Apple from 2004. Oh, I love my Mac and have just learned to live with the lack of security updates and increasing inability to find browsers and iTunes support. This isn't anything new in the 20 years I have been using Macs. I just find it ironical that iTunes still supports Windows XP from 2001 and not their own OS Tiger from 2005. I also dislike the number of Macs I take to recycling simply because I can no longer bridge the gap between the computer's hardware and the software needed to continue to do simple things like post replies on ASC, and not because the hardware has failed. I also know they aren't making money from people like me running almost 10 year old machines, so there's no incentive. 🙂

antdude wrote:

Hi!

Something like http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselect and http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifecycle ... I cannot seem to find it. I was told that Mac OS X 10.5.8 is no longer going to be updated?

Thank you in advance. 😟

Usually Apple supports the current OS X and the one before, in this case Snow and Lion. All the newest technologies and goodies of course limited to the newest OS, so people have a reason to invest in the future.

Concerning Leopard I would say this year is the final year for updates. Leopard did not receive the 2011 security fix a few weeks ago while Lion and Snow got it both at the same time. Maybe another iTunes version, but that's about it and would also fit how Apple dealt with that in the past.

All in all Apple does not support their older OS's as long as Microsoft, that is a fact if you study the lifecycles of OS X throughout the years. Apple is quick to abandon technology that hinders the evolution of Hard and Software.

For example the PowerPC , 32bit computing, Rosetta, Frontrow,isync are all gone in Lion.

On the other hand this is the difference why Microsoft sits on a OS that has flaws and holes - because Windows is such a blown fat OS due to their backwards-compatibility. Even Windows7 in 32bits can still execute Windows3.1/95/98/NT software. - this comes at a price that Apple is not willing to pay. ( for the better )

Camelot wrote:

i have a 2000 toshiba laptop that i can install windows vista on and it works fine but i cant install lion or snow leopard on my power mac that was made in 2007!

But, if you're honest, that's not an entirely fair comparison.

In 2007 the PowerMac was already a discontinued machine - the last PowerMac was discontinued in August of 2006 when the Intel-based MacPros were introduced. Therefore what you bought in 2007 was old reseller clearance stock and you should have been aware that the future (or even the 'present' by that time) was Intel-based Macs.

The Intel switch was not the first time that Apple abandons a complete computing architecture :

In the 90s they switched from the 68k cpu to the powerPC , making all 68k only software obsolete. That was a time when "FAT Binaries" where introduced, programs capable to install on both, Nevertheless a lot of software had to be purchased new ..

When the transition from OS9 to OSX was on the horizon in 99/2000 most people felt betrayed that not only powerpc was the way to go, but that a G3 cpu was needed and no G3 cpu upgrade cards ( very popular back then ) were supported.

Apple shipped a OS9 emulator inside OSX, but with Leopard suddenly it was gone :

Again all software from classic OS needed to be exchanged to pure OSX ones

When OSX Leopard came out, many people felt also betrayed that it would only run on selected G4 cpus, leaving the G3s behind.

Then Snow only for Intels.

Then Lion only for 64bit dualcore Intels, leaving early Intels in the dust.

So, Can you see a pattern here ?

Apple for a business to plan years ahead .. Not really if you consider this history.

One day they might decide to switch from Intel to AMD or to ARm or whatever. All over again. It would be no shock for me, knowing Apples "strategy" since 95 :-)

..

Sorry for the technicality. All my apple computers are not "bricks" they actually do turn on and off but they are sitting in my basement counting days and months for years now.