@ my wits’ end

But not unreservedly

I’m a very recent convert to the Mac. If I have a regret about that, it’s that I didn’t change ten years ago. After using Microsoft’s operating systems for two decades I’ve had enough of Windows’ tottering edifice. In many areas Microsoft have totally lost the plot. Now they’ve lost me too.

There’s a small irony in this. I run a website devoted to helping Windows users. 

I’m delighted with the switch, but there are issues which I’m not that happy with. The atrocious cost of Mac Pro PCs is the biggie, but there are irksome matters less hard on the wallet. One of these:

Upgrade discrimination

One of the many things which infuriated me about Microsoft was that they provided a really cheap Vista upgrade deal to Home users of XP, but only if they lived in North America. We in the rest of the world were shut out. MS are quite happy to rake in billions from foreign consumers (usually significantly more than US customers pay) for their over-priced products but they seem to think that it’s acceptable to treat us as second-class customers.

More Yankee imperialism

Now I find the same thing with Apple, albeit on a smaller scale. I applied for the much touted US$9.95 upgrade to Snow Leopard for recent purchasers of new Macs with the Leopard 10.5 version of OS X. I registered my new MacBook only to find that as a New Zealand purchaser I’m not qualified to partake of the deal.

OK, upgrading Leopard to Snow Leopard on my two Macs isn’t going to cost me anything like the cost of upgrading two Windows Vista systems to Windows 7. Nevertheless the principle’s the same.

I can hear it now. Legal constraints. We don’t control foreign retailers. Or some other excuse. I don’t buy it.

Bad call Apple.

I still love my Mac.

PS

Actually, it is going to cost me a bundle. My new Powerbook is no problem, but my 3-year-old Mac G5 Power Pro is not upgradeable. If I wish to have Snow Leopard on both my Macs I must trade in my G5 for a newer Mac with an Intel processor.