Is anyone else annoyed about the iPhone delaying an OS?

[giulio]

I'm upset with Apple. I look to them for pc software and hardware, not techy gadgets. Of course, with that kind of thinking, there would never been the iPod. But to remove resources from the OS effort in order to make a cell phone that only works with one carrier and on their antiquated network... aside from being hypocritical (the whole evil empire monopoly thing), makes me wonder what Apple thinks is more important. Mac OS X? Or a yuppie cell phone toy?

 

[RNDdave]

I agree it is odd for a 'computer company' to concentrate on new items instead of its core business, BUT then I guess thats one reason they changed their name from Apple Computer Inc to Apple Inc.

As a Mac user waiting for the Vista killer (exageration I know) then I was dissappointed to hear of the delay. But look at what they did with the iPod. I can see where they are coming from if they want to go after such a massive market. Yes the phone does have its' limits (lack of 3g is a big killer for me) but it is a simply outstanding looking phone with some great tech on board.

Ultimately though, I guess Apple can afford to wait when it comes to Leopard - lets be honest - what's wrong with 10.4?

Yes I know there are new features in Leopard and I'm looking forward to Time Machine for example but there is nothing wrong with my current version. It's not like it's a 5 year old security nightmare (Win XP - ok exageration I know)!

 

[andrebnu]

If I were Apple, I would prioritize iPhone too!

With this product, they are creating a market. And the longer they sail alone in this blue ocean, the more profitable and remarkable it will be.

Leopard is a great OS, and I'm looking forward to install it, and enjoy it's great new features. But itself does not creates people needs. iPhone does.

 

[knightlie]

It doesn't bother me at all, it's not as if Tiger is suddenly going to stop working or anything. If Leopard had some mega killer feature I couldn't live without I'd be worried, but as it is, it's irrelevant.

 

[mac57]

Yes, I am annoyed, and I *want* an iPhone. But business is business, and Apple has had to make a bloody minded business decision about how to get the best return on their R&D dollar. Unfortunately for those of us impatiently awaiting the arrival of the next big cat, I think they have made the right call.

Doesn't stop me from being annoyed though...

 

[baggss]

Not really. 10.5 is not going to be some new revolution, just the continuing evolution of the OSX. There will be some nice things in it but nothing earth shattering. The iPhone, however, breaks completely new ground for Apple and is likely to bring in more cash and has the potential to turn more people into Mac users in the long run.

 

[Village Idiot]

If I were Apple, I would prioritize iPhone too!

With this product, they are creating a market. And the longer they sail alone in this blue ocean, the more profitable and remarkable it will be.

Leopard is a great OS, and I'm looking forward to install it, and enjoy it's great new features. But itself does not creates people needs. iPhone does.

The problem with a view like this is the limitations that giulio listed above. Having a phone that only works on one network, cost as much as a used car(sure, it's a rust bucket, but it runs), and is in a market where there's already a loyal following to other devices(blackberry) will not bring them the success that the iPod did). A lot of people were disappointed when Apple revealed the specs and the price and the only choice of carrier. The iPod on the other hand was in a market that didn't have very many other choices out there or brands with huge followings. Apple made a product that people liked, even though it was still expensive, and put it in a market where there weren't very many options, and sold it.

We're never going to have an iPhone Mini or iPhone Nano or iPhone shuffle. Just the iPhone. There's a lot more people waiting to spend their hard earned money on Leopard than iPhones.

 

[Willem]

Incremental OS releases aren't a long term strategy - new devices and new markets are. They have to focus on the bigger picture and I support them in that. They didn't cancel Leopard, they just pushed it out a few months. It's not a big deal to me.

 

[MacHeadCase]

A friend developer told me a couple of months ago that Leopard (he receives each Leopard build so he can write his programs) is really, really not ready for prime time yet so I don't think this is only a matter of the iPhone grinding Leopard to a stop. I think there is plenty of tweaking left to be done in the next OS version, pure and simple. The iPhone could very well be only a secondary reason.

And Apple is not only a computer company anymore: remember when they dropped the Computer from Apple Computer Inc. in the last Macworld? Apple will still make Macs and software but you will see Apple getting more and more into hi-tech gadgets now.

 

[christm]

i reckon leaopard would have been delayed anyway even if the iphone didnt exist.

good info macheadcase. !

although i am very annoyed by it but i never tae 'release dates' too seriously as they can easily be delayed.

 

[fleurya]

Apple is a company, like any other company, with scarce resources. When they try to do too many things, something has to give. In this case it's Leopard. You may think it good, or bad, but to me, it's a signal of where Apple's priorities are heading. I feel like the more resources dedicated to products like the iPhone and Apple TV, the less are being used to make great computers.

The amazing advances we've seen Apple make with their computers in the last 10 years is a memory. With their concentration going to other consumer electronics, they won't be able to make such large and fast advances any more. Instead of specialized in one product and making it truly amazing, they're strategy is now product differentiation and making a bunch of mediocre products to attract a big consumer base.

 

[MikeYMS]

Not really. 10.5 is not going to be some new revolution, just the continuing evolution of the OSX. There will be some nice things in it but nothing earth shattering. The iPhone, however, breaks completely new ground for Apple and is likely to bring in more cash and has the potential to turn more people into Mac users in the long run.

QFT

 

[giulio]

Yes fleury, you stated my point better than I did. It's not just about Leopard. It's the whole direction of the company in general, their priorities. 100% of us want/need the Mac (and future developments). What % of us want/need an iPhone to do business or schooling? It may be a decent number - but what's more important for our educations and vocations?

 

[MikeYMS]

Yes fleury, you stated my point better than I did. It's not just about Leopard. It's the whole direction of the company in general, their priorities. 100% of us want/need the Mac (and future developments). What % of us want/need an iPhone to do business or schooling? It may be a decent number - but what's more important for our educations and vocations?

Apple is not following what YOU feel their direction should be. Utilizing %s like "100% of us need the Mac...blah blah" doesn't illustrate the truth, it illustrates YOUR desires. Please try to explain what you FEEL you would like to see them do, and not put words in the mouths of other users/consumers...not everyone can feel "gypped" like you seem to feel.

Also, how did Leopard cause a "give"? If you do check your facts on this, you'll find that Leopard wasn't ready (granted yes, Apple moved developers from Leopard to the iPhone to help with it's launch, increasing what might have been a slight delay to a 4 month delay) anyway, and was likely going to be a rushed ball of garbage. Always better to delay a product and make it WORTH a consumer's time, instead of rushing it and making it into a product like Vista, which likely won't recover from the negative stigma around its release for 2 years.

As a company, Apple has the responsibility to it's shareholders to do what it can to expand and grow. The company's priorities are about prolonging the life of the company...what ALL companies are about. Even if a company says "We're all about customer service", that's not it's number 1 priority. The #1 priority is to grow and expand and make more money.

IMO, Apple is doing the right thing. The more they diversify, the more options and products they can offer their customer base. The more products they can offer, the more money they will make. That money is turned around back into future, better products. If anyone feels that the iPhone is going to hurt the computers section, IMO it isn't going to. They're two separate parts of the company. Yes, they're putting the profits of other sections of the company into the iPhone, but that's how it goes...it's not going to hurt the development of more Mac products.

Things like this are a river...not a Faucet that is turned on full blast, or turned off. It continues to flow until the source is dry...any tributaries are just that.

 

[baggss]

Yes fleury, you stated my point better than I did. It's not just about Leopard. It's the whole direction of the company in general, their priorities. 100% of us want/need the Mac (and future developments). What % of us want/need an iPhone to do business or schooling? It may be a decent number - but what's more important for our educations and vocations?

That entire statement is hugely subjective. I use OSX at home. Right now I do not NEED either the iPhone or 10.5. Neither is going to make a major impact on my life one way or the other. That aside, for many their choice of phone can be equally important to their vocation as their choice of OS. Saying 100% of us need this or want that is disingenuous at best.

I am amazed that so many people are upset about this. It was rather obvious what they were doing when they changed their name, or so I thought.

 

[dtravis7]

Like RNDdave said, it's now Apple Inc. and no longer Apple Computer.

I was a bit bent that Leopard was delayed but it's not the end of the world and Tiger works great till then.

 

[giulio]

Yeah, Tiger works great and I love it. Would it be so great though, had the developers been busy doing something else? Thats the point i'm making. Worrying about Apple developers being spread too thin, not giving the Mac all their attention. Think of all the cool things that might not have been... possibly.
As a Mac user at work and on my side business, I think they Mac is more important than an iPhone. Aren't we all on a Mac right now?

 

[KoDorSean]

I want leopard just as much as the next guy but I have tons of bigger things in my life to worry about that the OS on my computer or the iphone.. no big deal here.

 

[knightlie]

I don't get why people are so upset. It's as if Steve Jobs went round to your house and slapped your dog or something. Apple are out to make money, not service our whims, and they've decided to make a phone. Companies who don't expand stagnate - whether that's right or wrong or unpopular, that's the way it is.

And if Leopard is as unfinished as MHC says then I'm a lot happier waiting a few months for them to finish it. I'm not buying it till next year anyway.

 

[andrebnu]

And if Leopard is as unfinished as MHC says then I'm a lot happier waiting a few months for them to finish it. I'm not buying it till next year anyway.

Same here. I'll give a time to evaluate user's reviews and upcoming updates. If it proves to be stable as a rock, than I'll buy it asap