Thursday, October 24, 2013
Free! Why Apple's New OS X Mavericks, iLife, iWork Pricing Is a Big Deal
"YOU GET MAVERICKS! AND YOU GET MAVERICKS! EVERYBODY GETS MAVERICKS!"
Craig Federighi, Apple's VP of software engineering, may not have actually said that, but he channeled Oprah Winfrey in spirit by giving away some of his favorite things. OS X Mavericks, the newest operating system from Apple, was released yesterday with no price tag attached. "We are going to revolutionize pricing," said Federighi at yesterday's event. "Today, we are announcing a new era for the Macs."
It's not just a new era for Macs, but for computers overall. Microsoft may have released the Windows 8.1 upgrade as a free download (albeit one with some technical issues), but brand new operating systems have always cost money. Ben Bajarin, a tech analyst for Creative Strategies, said that Microsoft may have to change the way it does things.
"Apple has forced them to do annual releases of Windows based on how Apple releases operating systems," he told ABC News. "I don't think Microsoft is in a position to offer Windows upgrades for free, but they need to get much more competitive and lower prices. Even the last four versions of OS X have been $29."
In addition to the new operating system, new versions of both the iWork and iLife software packages are also available for Mac users free of charge, though with a slight catch. Users won't able to download the new programs and install them, but will need to buy new Apple devices to get access to the new programs.
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Author: By JON M. CHANG
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