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Apple's Leopard Not Worth It For Me
Written By Mike on Oct. 23, 2007.
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While poking around at the new Leopard Features page (the main one, not the 300 one) I realized that the features that they've highlighted as the most significant don't matter to me. I'm going to go over them one by one in the order they're listed in the left-side navigation:
- Desktop - A new dock? Wow, such an innovation. I've had the "Stacks" feature in my Dock for a few years now... I take a folder and put aliases to all my most frequently-used applications in it, then I drag it to the Dock. Poof, instant "Stack". That's my app-launcher and I guarantee it loads quicker than a gigantic, over-animated, spring-loaded Stack.
- Finder - OMG Coverflow! Now I can actively avoid something that I actively avoid on my iPhone since it's slow as hell and holds no advantages over just looking at a filename list. Are people so incredibly strapped for short-term memory that they can't remember what any files are on their system when they named them in the first place? Maybe this Coverflow browser is geared towards people with 1000 images in a folder all named IMG00XX.jpg but for me it doesn't have any value. Instead of Coverflow I just browse a folder by Last Modified with the most recent on top. Talk about a productivity enhancer, that's helped me find files 10x faster than anything else I've tried.
- Quick Look - Finally something that lets me ease the pain of double-clicking to view a PDF or image in Preview, that was such an arduous task I'm glad Apple Engineers worked hard on it. Pass.
- Time Machine - I'll never have a need for this. I save original copies of everything I work on, and if that doesn't work, my most important work is floating around on a server somewhere as a backup. The only problems I've ever encountered was that I overwrote a file on a server somewhere with the wrong copy (version control for idiots) and Time Machine certainly wouldn't have solved that for me. Seems like a 500x interface for a 5x feature.
- Mail - This is the only part of Leopard that I've actually been looking for, but it's only a small part of the new Mail upgrade that matters to me. I don't need the new fancy Mail templates (something that probably took forever to develop) but it would be nice to have the built-in To-Do and Notes (something that probably took a week to develop). There are some third-party applications that emulate these features currently, and I'll bet that once Leopard drops there will be a new third-party app that perfectly duplicates these Leopard Mail features in my present version of Mail.
- iChat - I don't video chat and I don't use iChat, I use Adium as it's far superior. I don't care about features, I care about interface customizability and that's something iChat has never cared about, so therefore I don't care about iChat. I've been an Adium user for many years now and it's only gotten better. I really hope the Adium founders get a nice payday at some point since they've put so much time and effort into their application. iChat FTL.
- Spaces - I've never been a fan of this concept, especially since it's so old in the era of desktop computing. Linux window management systems have had it implemented for a very long time, third-party apps have implemented it on Macs for awhile now, so there's really no innovation here.
- Safari - I switched from Safari to Camino earlier this year and have never looked back. Safari's memory leaks and crashing were too much to bear, plus the lack of favicons in the bookmark bar always upset me. How complicated could this possibly be to drop in? The Safari text-shadow and CSS3 properties are nice to have and see, but developing for them is futile since Safari browser marketshare is so tiny.
- Parental Controls - Nope, just not needed. The only "kid" I've got is my 2-year old black lab and she doesn't use my computer.
- Boot Camp - No need for this either, personally. Testing on Windows is something I do a bit before I launch a new site and it only takes me a couple hours at max, so I use my wife's laptop that has IE6 and IE7 installed for testing. I'm not a gamer either so Windows games not available on my platform don't burn me.
Well, that's it. The only interesting highlighted feature to me is the Mail productivity enhancements, but those can be achieved using existing third-party plugins. Everything else just doesn't target me and doesn't seem worth the cash.
fray
Written Oct. 23, 2007 / Report /
Nothing there excited me much either...
Thanks for the info.
estarla
Written Oct. 23, 2007 / Report /
I wish I had more to add but I just gotta say, me neither, Mike.
JPhill
Written Oct. 23, 2007 / Report /
I'm excited about it but not super excited. Time Machine looks useful to me and I need to get in the habit of backing my stuff up simply because I've screwed myself over on occasion from not having backups of stuff. This is my own fault, but I think Time Machine will help me.
I don't use Mail, so I don't care about it. I'm looking forward to the share a screen in iChat. I never use iChat (adium user also), but that one feature will be nice since my team is decentralized and we want to start doing code reviews of sites we work on.
I'm not too big on the new Finder. I've been using Pathfinder for quite a while, which is basically what the new finder will be.
Spaces I will use quite a bit, since I use Virtue Desktops a lot now......it's just built into the OS, which is nice.
So basically, I plan on getting Leopard. Some of the new features aren't totally new ideas, but it's nice that they're built in and that I don't have to buy separate apps.
wrttnwrd
Written Oct. 23, 2007 / Report /
BLASPHEMY! Burn them! Buuurn theeeemm......!!!!
Ahem.
I'm a sucker. I fell in love with Leopard the moment I saw it. It's just so dang purty. Time Machine looks slick. Finder, well, we'll see...
Nils
Written Oct. 23, 2007 / Report /
I postponed spending a lot of cash on a Mac running Tiger thinking I'd wait for Leopard. Now you have me doubting.
Still, every time there's a new upgrade or a new design, I think "This stuff is so geared towards the Kodak Smile Families from the adverts, I'd never use it". But every time, the lust for nice-looking Mac Goodness takes over.
Funny company.
missginsu
Written Oct. 23, 2007 / Report /
Thanks for the rundown. You've just saved me some time and cash. You should post this one under the heading "I can save you $129 right now."
Mike
Written Oct. 23, 2007 / Report /
Nils, that's very true, and I agree about the "oh man it looks hot" thing taking over my senses.
Miss Ginsu: No problem: )
peroty
Written Oct. 24, 2007 / Report /
Please make your checks payable to Mike Rundle C/O The Triad at 9rules Plaza. :)
Sara
Written Oct. 24, 2007 / Report /
I have to admit, I absolutely hate the new dock and the translucency of the top menu bar. Maybe it'll grow on me over time, but right now I think it just looks like unnecessary eye candy.
44sunsets
Written Oct. 24, 2007 / Report /
I'm surprised to be the minority in the post, but I've pre-ordered. I must admit, at first glance, I had the "is that it?" reaction. I'm looking forward to Time Machine because I'm horrible at backups and now it will be done for me! But seriously? To save $109 (Amazon), you're going to wait another year for something new? At second glance they're doing all kinds of stuff in the background which is nice. Any improvement to the Finder window and Preview application would be worth $100. We touch these things all day long, everyday. The efficiencies of these tweaks will pay for the upgrade within a week...
Seems well worth it to me...
winnopeg
Written Oct. 24, 2007 / Report /
Personally, I don't care if it's worth it... I want to be able to run the new versions of apps I've already paid for; running outdated software is of no appeal to me.
hthth
Written Oct. 24, 2007 / Report /
Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with Mike that the novelties are perhaps a little under the innovation bar Apple has set for themselves in the past few years. Nonetheless, I think the review is pretty pessimistic.
Exposé didn't impress me much when it debuted, neither did the Dashboard. But after I got used to them I realized they're one helluva timesaver. I think the same'll go for the Dock Stacks.
On Quick Look — it's something I'm dying to get. Really, it's not just the double clicking. It's the loading time for the program, then the document. Bypassing all that to have one glance at a document is going to be a real time saver in the long run.
Coverflow in the Finder? A welcomed change. Any change is welcomed to the Finder, which I personally think is the ugly retarded sheep in MacOS's flock. I've also heard it's fast.
On Time Machine — I'm a lazy when it comes to backing up. I need a nice and cuddly environment that just does that for me with mininum hassle. (Now it's just a question of whether they pulled of the "just works" aspect).
On Mail — In addition to what you said, I've been hearing great things. Especially that it's blazingly fast.
I know Spaces is going to rock my world. Sure, there might be 3rd party software around, but I know Apple's software usually does a good job and plus, they're building it into the system so we can assume maximum stability and overall goodfeel.
Also — If there's one thing that's been prevalent in Apple's products, it's the little things — the attention to details. The details that really isn't space for mentioning (or they want to surprise you with). Like you mention, that main feature list is not exhaustive. I think we can be certain that we'll be discovering nifty little tricks and generally better performance for weeks after installing Leopard, judging by Apple's post OS X track record.
Ozone42
Written Oct. 25, 2007 / Report /
I'm pretty excited. Spaces looks great, I've been using other tools to fill that need. Quicklook will save me a ton of time. Searching over network shares will save me a ton of time. Time machine will mean that my co-workers and family will now have backups. iChat enhancements will be great for work. There's a lot more, but for me the upgrade price (family pack) really feels like a deal.
Hellblazer
Written Oct. 25, 2007 / Report /
You're kidding! Personally, I can't wait! :)
alexsuraci
Written Oct. 25, 2007 / Report /
Spaces seemed to be a really good and useful feature when I was playing with it. Sure Linux has had it for a while (I was a 100% Ubuntu user for a few months and played with everything I could) but I've never seen it executed as well as Apple has. It actually made me want to use it.
Regarding QuickLook, I can see it being useful for playing movies. A lot of the time it takes forever for QuickTime to launch and start playing.
Coverflow I'll just be ignoring.
Mail's new features I can see myself using - the To-Do part, anyway. I've always struggled to settle on a good, light To-Do list app but I never found one. Mail's looks perfect, especially since that's one of the apps I leave open 24/7.
I won't find any use for Time Machine, unfortunately, since I don't have an external hard drive. I'd really like to play with it (and use it!) though.
jark
Written Oct. 25, 2007 / Report /
Totally understand where you are coming from. There does not appear to be too many overly compelling reasons to upgrade, at least in the grand scheme of things.
But I *will* be buying Leopard, most likely either tomorrow during lunch or some time this weekend. I am a techno-geek-junkie.
The first step is admitting the addiction, right?
lisa
Written Oct. 25, 2007 / Report /
I'm getting Leopard as soon as my university bookstore gets it in, because any opportunity to get it on the cheep is a good deal for me.
tygerland
Written Oct. 29, 2007 / Report /
Nah, pass.
I'll upgrade when I replace my current iBook. Not nearly as revolutionary as Tiger. Although, supposedly, the real advancements relate to applications that will run on Leopard.
Wait and see, I guess.
karmatosed
Written Oct. 29, 2007 / Report /
I got my replacement macbook pro and upgrade disk today... considering I've got the upgrade for £5.95 I am giving it a whirl. I'm not sure I'd spend the full whack though if that was the option open to me. I'm looking forward to the speed increase that is being reported - although considering until this new machine I was using ye olde powerbook I was freaked out by how fast it was before.
Cas
Written Oct. 29, 2007 / Report /
I'm another one taking a pass - for me it's simply that my poor old PowerBook would probably fall down flat and faint at the mere prospect of trying to run Leopard. Till I can sell my soul and scrape together enough cash for a replacement machine, I'll be sitting here pretty happy with Tiger thank you very much.
Even if I could do the upgrade, there's nothing in the features list that's really singing out to me to make me. To be fair, I work with someone who saw the Time Machine option and whipped out his credit card then and there, so I guess it depends what you're looking for in your OS. Tiger for me is a really comfortable and still pretty pair of shoes. Other than the momentary lure of "ooh, pretty, shiny new things!" there's no reason for me to switch. Yet.
Ozone42
Written Oct. 29, 2007 / Report /
Just finished installing. Wow. It's a lot snappier than tiger was, especially in spotlight. Quickview is also a real time saver when I have a lot of files of the same type in a folder. I'm not entirely convinced on coverflow in finder... but it doesn't seem a bad idea, just a personal preference one.
Have yet to really dive in, but I'm impressed and pleased so far.
isights
Written Nov. 6, 2007 / Report /
Those may be the marquee features, but it's really the 300+ features that make the difference, plus all of the "under-the-hood" improvements that really make using a Mac running Leopard that much more enjoyable and productive.
I might also mention that I'm a confirmed space-aholic. You might toss it off as being less than innovative, but like with most things Apple the magic lies in how its been implemented, in the details, and in the slippery-smooth integration with the rest of the OS.
Or for a different example, take the changes in Spotlight. In Tiger, Spotlight was slow, awkward, and in some cases didn't even succeed at its main job of finding files.
In Leopard, Spotlight is now a fast, lean, mean, file-finding machine. Plus a lot more.
People buy Macs for a lot of reasons, but the main one is that, by-and-large, they do what they do extremely well.
Leopard simply takes that concept to an entirely new level...
Griffith
Written Nov. 6, 2007 / Report /
If I were to purchase a Leopard upgrade, the main reasons would be:
For me those features, except for Webclip, are quite invaluable. Tiger is already a great Operating System, and fits the needs of most people. But if I owned Tiger I don't think I could be completely satisfied with the OS knowing some of the features I'm missing out.
I can't speak for all Mac users, but if you are one, hasn't there ever been a time where you've said "damn, if I had Leopard this could have been done better/faster".
If you work in image manipulation the 64bit processing should be enough to convince you to upgrade.