Q: Yosemite download from App store is DEAD slow

Thanks, Carolyn. No problem with any of the things you suggest. Because the downloader was telling me the download would take 7-8 hours I left it running all night and went to bed before it was half done. It was still going very slowly at that point. In the morning, I found the cheering message that the download had failed. For good measure, I rebooted my router again (though there was no other indication of any problem with it last night - normal internet connections and download speeds were available from other sites at the same time as the Yosemite download was at slug pace, and tried again, and this time, I'm glad to say, the download worked as it should have done originally - about half an hour to download the 5GB installer. I can't rule out that either my router, or my fibre broadband ISP was at fault, but if so, why is it that I had no evidence of trouble from other internet connections concurrently? Evidence online is also that many other users, in different parts of the world (but mainly outside the USA by the look of it) have had similar problems over the last year or so. One consideration is that at the time I was trying to download last night (from  the UK), the Western hemisphere was still awake and busy, so servers may have been under pressure, though it would be surprising if Apple servers were not equipped to handle this. At the time it worked OK here, this morning, the Americas were still asleep. However, this wouldn't explain why (as I have seen) users in, say, Canada have had similar problems. In any case, things seem to be OK on my system now, but the number of reported problems still require an authoritative explanation and remedy. L

Yes, the first download was predicting 8 hours, but then failed during the night. In the morning, however, the installer downloaded in about half an hour. As in your case, the slow evening download in my case was not matched by any other indication of trouble my end, so I  believe it was an Apple server / bandwidth problem, but that's a guess and I can't explain it. I wish someone from Apple would explain it. Apple are very helpful when it comes to problems with iCloud, where they see evidently their interest in keeping customers happy. Not so helpful when it comes to people trying to run their computers on their operating systems. They leave it up to people like us to exchange experiences, gripes, guesses. Why?

Hope your current download does finally work even though it is so slow. It is crazy that Apple don't take more interest in what is clearly quite a common experience, and find a solution to it PDQ. And the fact that the Apple Store can't help you resolve it, when you go there in person, is downright unbelievable!

To be fair, I had a problem with my Apple ID and iCloud registration, and in that context, Apple did provide an extremely helpful and patient adviser, who very quickly contacted me by phone and helped me solve the problem on several devices. But when you have a problem with the computer OS, and you're not covered by a guarantee or Applecare agreement, there is no similar help to get you using the operating system that my continued status as an Apple customer depends on ABSOLUTELY. Apple, in its current hubris, doesn't seem to understand the glaringly obvious message of all this, which applies to Apple as to any other maker of stuff (there are NO exceptions). If the stuff doesn't work as it should, and the maker clearly doesn't give a ****, and doesn't offer an authoritative and easily accessible solution, then the message to the user is "don't use it, don't buy it -- don't buy anything else from a company that doesn't care about its customers' experience". I haven't quite got to that point yet (I've been a Mac user for 25 years, once a pretty enthusiastic one), but they're pushing me fast that way, and the Yosemite experience, before and after installation, is adding to the push!

Are you listening, Apple?