Paul Thurroot, who runs a website called “WinSuperSite” writes:
Apple Mac OS X 10.4 “Tiger” is the strongest OS X release yet and a worthy competitor to Windows XP
Gee, how sweet of him, in a condescending manner.
Tiger is in fact a minor upgrade with few major new features, more akin to what we’d call a service pack in the Windows world.
Yeah, a few new features, like global searching that actually will be delivered when the OS ships on time, rather than Microsoft’s promised features which never materialize, or come after several delays.
What the Windows world calls “Service Packs” are what the rest of the world calls “bug fixes.” What the Mac world calls a new version of the operating system is a release which improves speed, reliability, and the addition of several new features.
Now Windows ME, that wasn’t even a service pack, it was pure marketing drivel meant to get some upgrade money. Seriously, can anyone tell me what users got for their trouble with ME? Did they get 200 new features? Ok, Moose (below in the comments) pointed out that calling XP a bug fix to ME was overstating it. He’s right. ME was a disaster, a pure attempt at ripping off users with no useful improvements that I’ve ever seen. XP, on the other hand, is probably the first decent OS that Microsoft produced. It still has a huge assortment of problems, but it is much more than an ME bugfix. XP SP2 is a bug fix to SP1 which was a bug fix to XP which was a bug fix to ME which was a disastrous attempt to get more money when home users didn’t adopt Win2k, which was a bug fix to NT.
I know many users who happily continue to use Windows 98, and Microsoft knows it. They tried to force people to upgrade by stopping releases of bug fixes for Win98, but customers complained loudly.
So instead they release IE6 tied to XP SP2 and won’t let others enjoy the security that it provides.
Microsoft hasn’t released anything but a bug fix since Windows 95.
If you can look past Apple’s corporate bravado, the endless but wrongheaded comparisons to Longhorn, and the ridiculous marketing, you’ll see that Tiger is one impressive cat. And unlike Longhorn, it’s shipping now. What a concept.
He’s right that comparisons to Longhorn are off-based. First of all, Longhorn doesn’t exist in the wild, Tiger does (at least he admits that). Apple has hit all of their deadlines for OS releases since OS X came out. They have regularly issued patches and updates as needed (Panther, 10.3, has had 8 such major updates, and 10.3.9 is rumored to be in the works).
Other than that, it’s hard to say what is “wrongheaded” about the comparisons, since we don’t have a copy of Longhorn to examine because it’s not a shipping product.
Tiger may lack some of the niceties that make Windows more appealing to new users
What are those niceties again?
Want to know what I had to do to get my Mac working on my wired network? I had to plug it in. No wizards, no tinkering. Plug.and.play. You’ve heard that phrase from Microsoft, right? Have they delivered it?
Know what I had to do to get my Mac working on my wireless network? I had to click “yes” when it asked me if I wanted to join the wireless network that it found.
Conversely, my Dell laptop (not a no-name brand) routinely would complain that the wireless network was “insecure” and ask me if I still wanted to join it. I’d say yes. And wait. A few seconds later, it would pop up a warning and tell me that the wireless network was insecure, and did I want to join it. I’d say yes. And wait. Wash, rinse, repeat. Finally I stuck a wired network card in the PC and gave up on wireless altogether.
And every few weeks it decides to change the power settings and sends itself to Standby. To fix that I have to go in, change the power settings, and reboot or else the settings will change themselves back.
Mind you, this is a clean installation of XP + SP2, with exactly one application added (ACT, for reasons I have already mentioned). There is no chance that this was infected by spyware or any other malicious code. It’s just Windows quirkiness.
Tell me again, what are those niceties that XP has that makes it more appealing to new users? Really, I want to know.
Cuz otherwise the article reads like nothing more than a long attempt by a Windows user to say (as Gates often does), “None of these things matter, and we’ll have all of them in our next release.”
The next system, Tiger (version 10.4) was then delayed from late 2004 to the first half of 2005. Alas, despite the wait, Tiger is a minor revision, like all previous OS X updates. Let’s take a look.
Tiger was never, ever, said to be coming out any time before the first half of 2005. I challenge anyone anywhere to show any statement from Apple that Tiger would be released before then.
This is either a lie or a mistake. We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume it was just incorrect information. I’ve been following Apple fairly closely for the past year or so when I bought my Powerbook. Could I be wrong? Yes, but I’m very doubtful that anyone could point to any evidence that it was ever said to have been coming sooner.
And Apple, unlike Microsoft, has not only met their shipping date (beating it by two months, actually) but will include all the features that were described.
Compare that to the promises Microsoft makes versus what they deliver, both in terms of timeline and of features.
Contrary to Apple’s hyperbolic claims of “200 new features,” Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger includes, in my opinion, only two major new features, Spotlight and Dashboard
Can Apple be charged with hyperbole?
- hyperbolic:
- enlarged beyond truth or reasonableness (source: dict.org
To check, I went to Apple’s List of new features and started to count. Then I realized counting was stupid, especially since Apple had created the page with web standards, all I had to do was pick out everything listed in <dt>. Which I did to create this numerical listing of Tiger’s features.
Was Apple’s claim beyond truth? Nope. Was it beyond reasonableness? Nope. They said 200+, they gave 216. They also made a nice chart comparing Jaguar to Panther to Tiger. Did Microsoft make a comparison chart for XP/ME/2000? Anyone have an URL handy?
Mac OS X 10.0 also included a few flops, which continue in the product to this day, including the reviled Dock, which is used to switch between running applications and, confusingly, non-running applications.
I love the Dock. And I removed all other applications from it other than Finder, so it only shows running applications. If Paul is so easily confused, perhaps he should do the same.
Maybe he gets confused because Microsoft does such a much better job showing running applications. Yeah, like the running processes which are allowed to hide so you can’t quit them, allowing spyware to be hidden from the list of running processes. Or how it will hide installed apps until you click on the double arrows to reveal them, or how it doesn’t even both to alphabetize the installed apps under Programs, or how it lists running apps on one side and quicklaunch on the other.
Tell me what is so confusing about having a list of frequently used apps which are always in the same place, whether they are running or not? Doesn’t it become easier to know where to send your mouse if you want to switch to an app?
In Windows, you could have an icon in the quick launch area, another icon in the middle, and another icon over in the system tray. That’s apparently somehow less confusing that having one main place for apps. Oh, and apps in OS X don’t silently install themselves to start on launch either, and there is one place to find and disable startup items. And it’s in the regular preferences app in the user accounts, rather than hidden in some random program that you’d never know existed if you didn’t read it on some website.
And if you really hate the dock, set it to auto-hide and use Command+Tab to switch apps.
Options, yeah, that’s a terrible thing that you have to get used to in OS X. I can see how troublesome that would be for a Windows user. I
[OS X] does reward those with existing computer skills with a minimalist user interface
Again, I love the superior, condescending attitude. Minimalist user interface? I suppose to someone who is used to the complete over the top themes in XP (the first thing most power users disable, because they are such a drag on resources), maybe OS X does look a little clean cut.
The idea that OS X is only good for computer experts is complete and utter bull. You’d better be, or know, a computer guru to run Windows for any length of time.
My sources on the beta tell me that testers were shocked Apple decided to finalize the software when they did. Apparently a lot of problems still exist in the final code.
Are these the same sources who said:
[Tiger will be] sold only on DVD, though beta versions were available both in DVD and CD formats. My sources tell me, however, that Apple will swap the Setup DVD to CDs upon request.
These “sources” apparently haven’t even read Apple’s own website which explains the Tiger media exchange program which will cost $9.95.
AppleInsider reported that there were a few problems reported, but no “shocks”. So pick the “source” you want to believe. Or just wait and see how serious any of the problems are after Tiger is released and judge for yourself whether Apple knew that there were serious problems but decided that they should risk alienating people by knowingly releasing it anyway, even though they had another two months before they missed their self-imposed deadline.
These “sources” (if they exist) hardly seem credible. It’s not as if releasing on April 29th did anything for Apple. Now if someone had alleged that they pushed it to make sure that they had it to release for, say, WWDC, then I might be a little more likely to believe them. But WWDC isn’t until June 6th.
So again, what would Apple’s reasoning be for pushing Tiger out the door, since they had no special events coming up that they needed to capture and they had 2 months before their self-imposed deadline?
Similar in execution to the instant desktop search feature Microsoft plans to ship in Longhorn next year, and to third party Windows products like MSN Toolbar Suite and Google Desktop Search, Spotlight works as advertised. It delivers near-instantaneous search results from the places you’d most often need to find files or other information.
Microsoft plans to ship Longhorn next year. I also plan to lose 30 pounds.
Note the implication here that Windows already has these features, since they can be added on by 3rd party apps. No sense that it might be somehow better to have this built into the OS itself. Nope, Google offers a toolbar that’s just like it.
You can also create something called Smart Folders, which is basically a stored search, similar to the Search Folders that debuted in Outlook 2003 back in October 2003
Yeah, you know Outlook, that virus magnet along with its little brother Outlook Express which is responsible for the majority of the viruses on the Internet these days? It apparently has something like Spotlight.
Oh, meanwhile, Opera’s mail client (M2) was released in January 2003 after releasing a public beta in November 2002 which has a similar feature. So much for Outlook being the origin of the feature. It’s nice to see that Microsoft did have time to copy a feature from Opera when they weren’t designing MSN to break in Opera (don’t bother denying it, Microsoft paid $12mil to avoid a lawsuit over it.)
And, oh yeah, Tiger has this throughout the entire OS and not just the mail client. So give credit where it’s due already.
Finder also supports Smart Folders, letting you maintain folders that automatically update as well. Will Longhorn have this feature? Well, from what I’ve gathered, this was supposed to be a feature of WinFS, which won’t be a part of Longhorn.
Not coincidentally, Microsoft is working on similar, if further-reaching, technology for Longhorn. Apple’s solution, however, is here right now and it appears to work quite well. Score one for Apple.
How is it further-reaching? If Tiger lets you search for all files on your computer, what is further-reaching? Will Longhorn, whenever it ships, if it ships with something to replace WinFS which was originally going to ship with it but now won’t, somehow search your brain for where you left the file?
How nice that Microsoft continues to “innovate” by maybe releasing a similar feature (“But ours will be better!”) sometime next year, maybe, if all goes well.
I love the comment that Spotlight “appears to work quite well.” I think Paul might have had an aneurysm if he had actually been forced to compliment OS X without mumbling something condescending.
Since PCs and Macs have had tiny utility applications since the early 1980’s, it’s unclear why Dashboard widgets can’t simply work on the normal Mac desktop (which is how Konfabulator works, incidentally). Having to move into and out of the Dashboard to perform these tasks seems a bit unnecessary. Why segregate them like that?
Because they get out of the way when you don’t need them? You know, the same reason that people might want to hide the applications they aren’t using but don’t want to quit? Why is “minimize” needed? Why does XP group similar processes together? Because when you get too much visual clutter on the screen, it makes it harder to use.
Does it strike anyone else like Paul went through a lot of work to find fault with two of Tiger’s main features?
Contrary to a popular misconception, Mac OS X 10.4 “Tiger” does not include Apple’s vaunted iLife ‘05 applications—iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, iTunes, and Garage Band—
This is true (although, as he goes on to say, if you buy a Mac with Tiger, you’ll get iLife and possibly iWork). I’m not sure where this misunderstanding comes from, but I’ve seen it myself. Office doesn’t come with Windows either, you might get stuck with AppleWorks or Microsoft Works, both of which are poor substitutes for something good.
…nor does it include the iWork ‘05 productivity applications which include Pages (a weird word processing/page publishing hybrid) and Keynote (a presentation package).
Yeah, a weird word processing and page publication hybrid. Sounds trippy, funky, strange, eh? Certainly Microsoft would never put out an app like that.
Oh, Paul happened to forget to mention that Keynote, that little presentation package, also imports and exports Powerpoint. Honest oversight, I’m sure.
Since the return of Steve Jobs, Apple’s success has hinged largely on its ability to keep its product plans secret and then use “event marketing” to pump each release as the be-all, end-all solution to whatever problems you may be having. The marketing that accompanies Tiger’s release is no different: Described by Apple as “a super-modern operating system” and “the newest major release of the world’s most advanced operating system,” Tiger will, in Apple’s words, “change the way you use a computer.” That, of course, is completely untrue. Mac OS X 10.4 “Tiger” is, in fact, a minor upgrade to an already well-designed and rock-solid operating system. It will not change the way you use your computer at all, and instead uses the exact same mouse and windows interface we’ve had since the first Mac debuted in 1984. That isn’t a complaint about Tiger, per se: It’s a high-quality release. But Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) was arguably a bigger advance over the initial release of XP than Tiger is over Mac OS X 10.3. My issue here is with marketing, not with reality.
Yeah, marketing hype over an OS release. Fortunately Windows users are immune from having to suffer over that. Yeah, like when Microsoft ran ads in 1995 saying that “it used to be difficult to do more than one thing at a time on a computer” and I sat there with my NeXT yelling at the TV going, “No, it’s only difficult to do more than one thing on your computers.” And that didn’t really change all that much with Win95. In fact Win2k was the first release that I could comfortably multi-task with.
We all know that marketing hype is all about making big statements. It’s not as if Microsoft does this any less. Then again, at least we don’t see Steve running around all sweaty yelling “Developers”…
The claim that SP2 was a bigger release over XP than Tiger is over Panther is absolutely laughable, and that’s when he lost me completely. Paul says it’s “arguable” … well, hell’s bells, you can argue anything… doesn’t mean that it’s a good argument or a viable one. What new features did SP2 bring? Come on now, show me a list. All I know is that it got a firewall which was turned on by default. OOOoohhh. You’re right, that is a big improvement over XP. Apple should just shut the heck up about Tiger, after all, Microsoft released a Service Pack that turns on a firewall.
Ok, so I went out and found my own link: Changes to Functionality in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2. Here is what Microsoft said in their own words about what users could expect from SP2:
In Windows XP Service Pack 2, Microsoft is introducing a set of security technologies that will help to improve the ability of computers running Windows XP to withstand malicious attacks, especially those from viruses and worms. The technologies include these improvements: Network protection, Memory protection, E-mail handling, Web browsing security, Computer maintenance. Together, these security technologies will help to make it more difficult to attack Windows XP, even if the latest updates are not applied. In addition, this service pack also includes updates designed to improve the performance and stability of several Windows features.
You want hyperbole? Try comparing SP2 to Tiger. No, wait, try saying that SP2 was a bigger change than Tiger is over Panther. Cut the bull, Paul, the stench is getting unbearable.
Don’t take my word for it. Check to see how impressed people were with SP2. Recent reports indicate that SP2 was installed on less than 25% of corporate computers. In fact, Microsoft is having to force people to download it.
Unlike Windows, Mac OS X doesn’t ship on over 50 million PCs a year, so Tiger’s retail success is far more important to Apple than Windows’ retail success is to Microsoft. Fortunately, Apple fans have always proven themselves to be suckers for the latest and greatest: I expect millions of Mac users to upgrade immediately to Tiger.
Windows recent launches have been duds. it took 3 days to sell 300,00 copies of XP. Why? Because for most people there is no compelling reason to upgrade. Ask someone who has used 10.0 through 10.3 what changes they have gotten, and they can give you a list. Ask someone who has used 98SE, 2000, and XP to tell you the difference… and prepare for blank stares.
It’s fortunate for Microsoft that they were able to maintain their monopoly by illegal means, because if they weren’t shipping 50 million PCs a year with Windows on it, how many people would buy it? Microsofties will tell you that Microsoft’s biggest competitor is Microsoft. Why? Because they aren’t offering the user any reason to upgrade, and upgrading Windows almost guarantees you compatibility problems and slower operation. I suspect that’s the main reason most companies haven’t adopted SP2, because they fear (from experience) that lots of things are going to break.
There’s another thing that Paul neglects to mention anywhere: speed improvement in new versions of the OS. OS X users with older hardware will tell you that Panther runs faster than Jaguar on the same hardware, and some are already hinting that Tiger is even faster. Windows, on the other hand, gets slower with each release. How bad is it? I bought a middle-of-the-road Dell laptop in 2000 (650Mhz) and when XP came out in 2001, it was recommended that I not try to run XP on it. (In fact XP runs acceptably on it, as long as I turn off all the useless eye-candy.)
For all his claims to be a Mac aficionado, Paul’s article reads like a guy who is deeply entrenched in Windows trying to down play a new operating system from Apple which delivers some features that Microsoft hopes to eventually ship, and others that he claims are unimportant.
Paul clearly has an agenda. His homepage links to his article after trying to catch the eyes of those who might be “Thinking about making the switch?” How invested is he?
Paul Thurrott has over a decade of experience investigating Microsoft and its products. Paul is the author of over a dozen books about Windows, Web and software development, and other computing topics.
Paul’s livelihood depends on Windows. And he doesn’t think that Tiger is a big deal. Gee, it’s nice to have such impartial reporting. Gates has a similar tendency to dismiss the creativity of others and then imitate it. We can all see through this, right?