Snow Leopard, the newest version of Mac OS X, was one of the few things on show at the WWDC keynote that you won’t be able to get a hold of this month, but we already know the cost: just $29 stateside to upgrade from Leopard when it launches in September.
Funnily enough, that’s just around the time when Windows 7 will be launching – for a still undisclosed sum. Is Apple trying to spark a price war here?
Snow Leopard had a stack of great new features when it was shown off last night, but what really impressed us was the price: to upgrade from Leopard to Snow Leopard costs $29 (UK pricing is still TBC).
It’s not hard to see the immediate benefit: Apple has updated its operating system far more frequently than Microsoft has Windows, and so needs a compelling reason to get Mac addicts to cough up once more. The $49 5-Mac upgrade license for Snow Leopard meanwhile is an absolute steal, and ought to tempt anyone with a multi-Mac home to take the plunge. But is Apple trying to sway new computer buyers from Windows? In the US, Apple is only charging $10 in shipping for Snow Leopard with new Macs.
Windows 7 is free until well into next year, and generally meeting positive reviews compared to the operating system who must not be named. But Microsoft is going to charge for it eventually, and at a price it’s yet to confirm. There have been rumours though of a $50 tag for Windows 7 Home edition, which suggest Redmond is heading in the right direction for consumers, but Apple’s pricing could give it an extra boost still.
With Apple reducing the cost of its operating system to that of a video game, we reckon Microsoft has to hit back with a price slash of its own if it wants to carry on marketing itself as the cheaper option. We should find out before it rolls out in October.
