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 Applications you want to run require a newer version of the OS.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 require a newer version of the OS than is installed.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!