Unreal Costs of Mac OS 10.5 Install Disks

Its always been kind of scary how much people are asking for both leopard and even Tiger.

It is a real shame that Apple don't offer these older OSes at a competitive price, after all - getting hold of a cheap older mac is often a stepping stone to getting a newer mac down the line.

I guess Apple are just looking forward and I don't blame them for that, but the second hand OS X market is getting way too expensive.

Having said that I have an old copy of Tiger server at work in my drawer. We no longer have the old G4 that it went on and since I dugg the disks out of the trash I might just put them on ebay myself.

rjroberts said:

I think the real question would be if it's worth anything to migrate from Tiger to Leopard. Someone who took the path might wish to share experiences or even have done some benchmarks to see if there is an improvement in performance or if the differences are merely presentation. Does it do anything worthwhile or is the change a subjective improvement or not of the appearance?

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Some OS updates are obviously a better value (more feature rich or better performance) than other OS updates..so the cost of purchasing the latest OS update may make more financial sometimes & sometimes not.

OS 10.5 does contain some added features (like Time Machine & Bootcamp for example)...so if you want these features...you had/have to purchase 10.5. Also...some newer versions of software applications may require at least OS 10.5 to use them...so again, you would have to purchase & install 10.5 in order to use newer versions of software programs.

But...the point of this thread is not about whether someone should or should not purchase 10.5...it's about how much some places (online stores are charging for a 10.5 install disk).

I gave an example of one online store charging as much as $229 for a 10.5 install disk. When you figure that when Apple was still selling 10.5...it didn't cost more than $129 dollars...a price now for 10.5 (above $129) would to me seem to be a bit unfair. But then again...it's supply & demand...and if some folks are willing to pay high prices...then the prices will remain high.

- Nick

Hopefully I'm not wrong about this...but I just went to the Microsoft Online Store...and the only version of Windows you can purchase is Windows 7.

No Windows XP, and no Windows Vista. So the fact that Apple no longer offers Mac OS 10.4, or 10.5 for sale would seem to be fairly consistent with what the Microsoft online store is doing as well.

I do agree that it should be possible to purchase old OS versions from Apple (at reasonable prices)...but you also have to understand that companies want to "push" their latest & greatest products...and not continue to sell old products.

It's almost like saying we should still be able to purchase brand new Pentium III computers from Dell, Acer, HP, etc. Those are old products just like OS 10.4 & OS 10.5 are old products.

Anybody that knows me here on the Mac-Forums...knows that I'm a longtime Macintosh user (since 1986)...and that I'm a BIG fan of OLD Macintosh computers...so I certainly am not giving folks a hard time about owning older Mac's with older OS versions...and now want to upgrade to OS 10.5.

I think that if someone who wants to now upgrade to OS 10.5...and needs to purchase an 10.5 install disk...should not feel taken advantage of financially if they have to pay $129 or less for it (especially considering the current demand for 10.5 install disks).

$129 is what someone would have had to pay Apple for a 10.5 install disk when it was available...so paying $129 now (or less) would seem relatively fair.

- Nick

louishen said:

Having said that I have an old copy of Tiger server at work in my drawer. We no longer have the old G4 that it went on and since I dugg the disks out of the trash I might just put them on ebay myself.

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And believe me...if you get more than $100 US for that copy of Tiger...you're going to feel VERY good about it...rather than it collecting dust in a drawer!

- Nick

It is kind of silly that Apple immediately pulled Leopard off the shelves once Snow Leopard was released. Especially seeing as how SL is Intel only. I know the last of the PPC machines shipped nearly 4 years ago, but considering the premium Apple gets for their machines, I would expect them to try to facilitate a healthy life span.

As an aside, this is one of the reasons I have no qualms about confirming that the Snow Leopard upgrade disc is indeed capable of upgrading an Intel-based Tiger system. There are literally no functional differences between the $29 disc and the one included in the 'Mac Boxed Set'.

As an aside, this is one of the reasons I have no qualms about confirming that the Snow Leopard upgrade disc is indeed capable of upgrading an Intel-based Tiger system. There are literally no functional differences between the $29 disc and the one included in the 'Mac Boxed Set'.


Now that is a BIG call a mod advising all and sundry it is perfectly okay to void the EULA conditions of sale. Will this new way of thinking extend to other software, pirating, hackintosh etc?

harryb2448 said:

As an aside, this is one of the reasons I have no qualms about confirming that the Snow Leopard upgrade disc is indeed capable of upgrading an Intel-based Tiger system. There are literally no functional differences between the $29 disc and the one included in the 'Mac Boxed Set'.


Now that is a BIG call a mod advising all and sundry it is perfectly okay to void the EULA conditions of sale. Will this new way of thinking extend to other software, pirating, hackintosh etc?

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I didn't say I'd advocate it, but if someone asks if it works, I will certainly acknowledge it - just as Walt Mossberg and numerous other Apple-friendly tech luminaries do.

We are no longer in the business of enforcing EULAs, because they don't hold any water legally. Now, if someone wants to break encryption or copy-protection schemes (i.e. pirating, Hackintosh, jailbreaking, etc), that's illegal and not something we allow discussion of.

rjroberts said:

I agree with the poster who suggested that a legal way be found for us PPC people to buy an old Leopard disk if we want one.

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Please see Buy/Sell/Trade (hopefully it's still there!).

I'm sorry but I don't have any sympathy for the folks boo-hooing that they can't get Leopard for a decent price anymore.

Apple gave you TWO FULL YEARS to get around to doing the upgrade. Sorry, but it's your own fault if you didn't get a copy before Snow Leopard came out. It's not like you weren't told in advance that SL was Intel only, weren't told in advance that Leopard was the end of the line for PPC, weren't told in advance that developers would sooner or later move away from doing updates reaching as far back as Tiger ...

Apple is not responsible for your mistake, nor do they have control over the free market. If Leopard is selling for $200 these days, that's wonderful news for people who own a copy of Leopard. Original Airport cards reached up to $200 when they were in terribly short supply about three years after Apple discontinued them. And you don't even want to know about the prices we got for Firewire iSight cameras.

There's a certain amount of minimum "keeping up" computer owners (mac or pc) need to do. It isn't much, but there is some. You didn't do it, you can expect that to come back to bite you at some point.

Well, in all fairness, it's been a rough economy. And those not buying new Macs are probably holding on because of financial considerations - with their computer being their last priority. Normally, I would agree with you, but seeing as how Leopard is to be the last PPC release, I think keeping a stock of the older version for at least another year would have been a nice gesture.

chas_m said:

I'm sorry but I don't have any sympathy for the folks boo-hooing that they can't get Leopard for a decent price anymore.

Apple gave you TWO FULL YEARS to get around to doing the upgrade. Sorry, but it's your own fault if you didn't get a copy before Snow Leopard came out. It's not like you weren't told in advance that SL was Intel only, weren't told in advance that Leopard was the end of the line for PPC, weren't told in advance that developers would sooner or later move away from doing updates reaching as far back as Tiger ...

Apple is not responsible for your mistake, nor do they have control over the free market. If Leopard is selling for $200 these days, that's wonderful news for people who own a copy of Leopard. Original Airport cards reached up to $200 when they were in terribly short supply about three years after Apple discontinued them. And you don't even want to know about the prices we got for Firewire iSight cameras.

There's a certain amount of minimum "keeping up" computer owners (mac or pc) need to do. It isn't much, but there is some. You didn't do it, you can expect that to come back to bite you at some point.

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cwa107 said:

Well, in all fairness, it's been a rough economy. And those not buying new Macs are probably holding on because of financial considerations - with their computer being their last priority. Normally, I would agree with you, but seeing as how Leopard is to be the last PPC release, I think keeping a stock of the older version for at least another year would have been a nice gesture.

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My 2 cents on this one!

Seeing how Leopard is only relatively new in real terms, and Snow Leopard has pretty much only just come out (late last year), it is what I would consider a major lack of better judgement (or USA judgment) with Apple's great rep for customer service/satisfaction/loyalty, or any other way you want to look at it.
It tempts me to stockpile a bunch of SL discs, wait a short while, and then make a killing on ebay.
I say this while I am sure that there are many doing this as I type!!!

Not good!

6string said:

It tempts me to stockpile a bunch of SL discs, wait a short while, and then make a killing on ebay.
I say this while I am sure that there are many doing this as I type!!!

Not good!

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Sorry but this idea won't work.

The only reason OS 10.5 is selling for so much is because it is the LAST OS available for PPC computer's.

Snow leopard (OS 10.6) is just the first OS release for Intel only Mac's...with many more updates to come.

Stocking up on OS 10.6 discs...in the hope of selling them for a profit sometime in the future...is like back in 2001-2002 stocking up on OS 10.0 or 10.1 discs...how much do you think those are selling for these days?...not much!

- Nick

Valid point, even though not quite like stocking up on 10.0/10.1 back in 2001/2002.
However, for approx $30 - $40 a pop for SL, when the next OS version comes out at a way less modest price than SL did, the demand for something recent & Intel only will be greatly in demand if it is just a little cheaper.
Tiger retail discs have also been quick to go, still fetching mid $150's, and were even when Leopard came out.
I see no reason even with the PPC point which holds weight, that SL will be any different, esp as there is always a new processor just around the corner.

I wonder if its because the industry has decided to move us along to 64bit (both Windows and Mac) whether all of us are ready are not.

6string said:

However, for approx $30 - $40 a pop for SL, when the next OS version comes out at a way less modest price than SL did, the demand for something recent & Intel only will be greatly in demand if it is just a little cheaper.
Tiger retail discs have also been quick to go, still fetching mid $150's, and were even when Leopard came out.

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Ok...you may have a bit of a point that since 10.6 was so inexpensive ($29)...and if 10.7 comes out & costs like $150...then 10.6 might look attractive...IF there still are Intel only Mac Users left that haven't already upgraded to 10.6.

But then possibly the same logic works against the stocking up of 10.6 disks...since the very low $29 upgrade cost for 10.6 was very encouraging for everyone to upgrade.

The reason why the price of 10.4 remains high:

- 10.5 requires a minimum CPU speed of 867mhz (so for anyone with a Macintosh computer with a CPU slower than 867mhz...10.4 is the LAST OS they can upgrade to)

The reason why the price of 10.5 remains high:

- it's the last OS anyone running a PPC computer can upgrade to.

- Nick

osxx said:

I wonder if its because the industry has decided to move us along to 64bit (both Windows and Mac) whether all of us are ready are not.

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Not too sure about that. Leopard can run 64-bit apps, and it can address <4GB of RAM. The PPC G5 machines are 64-bit capable as well.