Cheapest way to upgrade? Should I wait?

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I'm stuck on Leopard and trying to figure out if there are any cheaper ways to upgrade to Lion than paying full price for all three upgrades to get where I need to be. There once was a family package for Snow Leopard. Would it be wise to reach out and see if anyone has an extra unused license? Will there be family packs for other upgrades as well? Are there any other ways I can do this? Do the prices ever drop on old upgrades?

My Mac needs over $500 worth of upgrades at this point, including the OS, hard drive and software, plus I am going to have to get a new printer that is at least Snow Leopard-friendly. Any advice on how I can save money would be extremely helpful!

Thanks!

pomology
 
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Snow Leopard $29.00.

Lion $29.00.

Lion on a USB thumb stick from Apple $69.00 is the cheaper way to go when you consider you have a bootable drive version of Lion.
 
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chas_m

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You are allowed to install Lion on every eligible Mac in your household under the one license. You can't put Lion on your friends' machine, but every machine you control that CAN run Lion can use the same installer. That's why there's no "family pack."

As for the rest of the upgrades, it's really a lot less painful and less expensive to budget a modest amount each year for keeping the software up-to-date and other such upgrades. I did my RAM one year, hard drive the next, etc.

For $500 you're a third of the way to a brand new Mac (and halfway to a refurb) so there's also that to consider.
 
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Too green for my own good

Forgive me, but I don't entirely understand how a $69 USB flash drive works out to be the cheapest option, nor the advantages of having a bootable drive version of the OS. I've been told at the Apple store that I am stuck buying all the versions between Leopard and Lion no matter what. Is this untrue?

Much appreciation for your help,

pomology
 
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chas_m

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This in only Snow Leopard in between Leopard and Lion. And that is the path we have recommended.

The thumb drive version of Lion may allow you to skip Snow Leopard, but harry's actually incorrect that its cheaper.

Copy of Snow Leopard = $30
Copy of Lion = $30
Total = $60, or $9 cheaper than buying the USB drive version.

Having a bootable copy of Lion was at one point early on in Lion's release quite crucial if anything went wrong. This is no longer as crucial, though still nice to have. Now Lion systems can use Internet Recovery from Lion if the hard drive should go south, so the bootable copy is really only for people who lose both their hard drive AND the internet.
 
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chas and harry,

thank you! I'm afraid I keep making the mistake so many others make. I named the wrong cat. :) I'm actually thinking ahead to Mountain Lion - that would be three upgrades I have to pay for, according to the lady at the Apple Store. Is there going to be any way around that? Are my Leopard apps going to work if I don't upgrade them, too? What will I be risking if I just hang back at Snow Leopard? I've been putting the Snow Leopard upgrade off for ages on the off-chance that there might be a way to skip it, or in case the price changes when Mountain Lion comes out, or in case something changes so that I don't have to buy every single upgrade. It feels wasteful to buy each one when I am not even going to use two of them. Maybe it's better just to buy them one at a time? As a newbie, I find this whole upgrade process very strange.

Thanks again,

pomology
 

pigoo3

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thank you! I'm afraid I keep making the mistake so many others make. I named the wrong cat. :) I'm actually thinking ahead to Mountain Lion - that would be three upgrades I have to pay for, according to the lady at the Apple Store. Is there going to be any way around that?

Honestly...you're looking too far ahead. Mountain Lion hasn't even been released yet...thus we know nothing (at this time) what install requirements it will have.

Are my Leopard apps going to work if I don't upgrade them, too?

Let's put it this way. The more OS versions in between your current OS (10.5 Leopard)...and the OS version you decide to upgrade to (10.6, 10.7, or 10.8)...the greater the chance for application incompatibility.

But to be honest...at this point if you're running OS 10.5...and OS 10.7 is the most current OS...there's a VERY good chance at least some of your apps. (depending what they are)...will not run under Lion (10.7).

What will I be risking if I just hang back at Snow Leopard?

Major reasons to do an OS upgrade are:

1. Applications you want to run require a newer version of the OS.
2. New hardware (input devices, iPad's, iPhones, printers, etc.) require a newer version of the OS than is installed.
3. The newer OS versions have new features someone can't live without.

If you are not experiencing any of these...then don't upgrade!!!;)

I've been putting the Snow Leopard upgrade off for ages on the off-chance that there might be a way to skip it, or in case the price changes when Mountain Lion comes out, or in case something changes so that I don't have to buy every single upgrade.

To be honest...I'm really sort of tired of "cheapskate users". What you may not realize is...historically OS upgrades from Apple have cost $99-$129 dollars. Starting with OS 10.6 "Snow Leopard", then 10.7 Lion, and maybe onwards with OS 10.8...OS upgrades have only been $29 bucks each.

So would would you rather pay:

Snow Leopard ($129) + Lion ($129) + Mountain Lion ($129) = [size=+1]$387[/size]

OR

Snow Leopard ($29) + Lion ($29) + Mountain Lion ($29...hopefully) = [size=+1]$87[/size]

But the bottom line is...if you don't have a compelling reason to upgrade your OS...then don't...that will cost you [size=+1]ZERO[/size] dollars!;)

- Nick

p.s. Purchasing, owning, and operating a computer is NOT an inexpensive hobby or necessity. $29 dollar OS upgrades are an ABSOLUTE BARGAIN. Either historically for Apple...or just look how much it costs for a Windows OS upgrade!
 

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