How does mac OS updates work for new versions?

When I buy Leopard what does Apple do for security? Is there a security key or something?

I'm wondering because I've had to reinstall Tiger but there was no security key like my windows always does. How does Apple know if one is legit or not?

 

I don't know if you are recent switcher or not but this is one area you will find that's actually better on the Mac OS vs. Windows. Apple actually trust their customers. They treat customers on an honor system. There is no license key for the Mac OS nor has there ever been. In the end I think Apple just wants the install base but please be kind and don't be amongst the crowd that place Apple's software on Bit Torrent as this may cause Apple to make changes to the licensing agreement for the Mac OS.

 

I'm not planning on that, it just seemed strange to me.

 

That's one of the things Apple is proud of when it places itself ahead of Windows: "Windows Vista ... is still Windows. It still has activation, it still has etc..."

Well, one more thing is Mac OS X is more affordable than Windows. There is only one version, and that one version has everything in it, and the full version costs only $130. That $130 is already cheaper than the Vista Home Premium's upgrade. So people are more likely to actually spend the money to get it rather than get it pirated.

 

Yeah, it's Microsoft's money hungry rudeness to the customer strategy that makes it seem that everything needs a license key. It's sorta like MS Office. MS charges for the license on the office suite. You are not actually paying for the office suite. That's why a lot of people opt for the free NeoOffice suite. Same features as MS Office but offers more and the license is free. Apple's strategy with the Mac OS is quite friendly but more so it's on an honor system.

 

I prefer Apple's way better. I have had to call Microsoft 3x for key changes on my g/fs new Vista laptop. Reinstall must call, didn't install properly call again. 2 days after the reinstall we get the message again and we had to call about it and they didn't know why, just that we needed a new one. They were pretty quick about it, but it still seemed unnecessary.

 

When I get Leopard for an upgrade to Tiger does it come with the new versions of all the programs to? If not is there a version I can buy that has the new stuff in it? I really like the bundled software. Other then Neo Office and messengers it has just about everything. I still have to buy photoshop but that's a given on any OS.

 

It seems that many commercial vendors of Apple software (like many shareware vendors on the Windows side), rely more on fair pricing to prevent piracy than on imposing restrictive digital rights management (DRM) systems on their customers.

I run a larger percentage of "free" software on my Mac that I did under Windows. I've bought dozens of pieces of commercial Mac software and often there is no key or activation hassles. The most rigorous DRM I've encountered is having to brand my name on the software using a registration key. Very quick, simple, and painless (not to mention foolproof).

In general I've found the more DRM in a piece of software, the less I like it. If a manufacturer does not think they are offering good value for the cost and has to build in a lot of DRM to prevent piracy, why should I? - and I will look elsewhere.

 

Well, normally the iLife suite (iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes (although available for download now), iDVD and iWeb) are separate from the OS. They are their own suite, and costs $79. But if you buy a new Mac you obviously get the iLife suite with the OS. So far, its hard to tell what the next revision of iLife will be like, there's some rumours saying its going to be part of the OS, while others say its going to be released at the same time as Leopard.

So basically, unless you're getting a new Mac that has Leopard pre-installed, as of the information we have now, you'll have to buy your own copy of the next version of iLife if you upgrade from Tiger to Leopard.

 

80 dollars isn't bad for all those programs! I was thinking they would charge several hundred for it!