OS X: Full of Promise and Pitfalls
Think back on that classic New Year image--the one in which the old year hobbles hunchbacked into history as a diapered new year smiles. That image is an apt metaphor for the current state of the Mac’s operating system, the software that runs the Mac and gives it its look and feel.
In this metaphor, the grizzled hunchback is Mac OS 9, the OS currently included with new Macs. It’s a wise old coot but prone to senior moments. The diapered newcomer is Mac OS X (pronounced “ten”), and at the Macworld Expo two weeks ago, we learned its due date: March 24.
But unlike a new year, an operating system transition doesn’t happen overnight. Drawn as a graph, the transition looks like the letter X: the old version tapers off as the new version ramps up. Maybe that’s why Apple used the Roman numeral for its new OS.
It gets trickier. Even though Mac OS X ships in March, it won’t be factory-installed on new Macs until July. Why the delay? Because initially, there won’t be much software for Mac OS X. The new OS will be able to run most current programs in what Apple calls Classic mode, but programs that exploit Mac OS X’s best features--its new interface and greatly improved reliability--will be scarce. By not preloading Mac OS X until July, Apple is essentially admitting that the OS won’t be of much practical value until summer, when Apple expects a flood of native Mac OS X software to hit.
And even that flood, assuming it occurs, will be missing one big wave: Microsoft. At the Macworld Expo, Microsoft announced that a Mac OS X version of its Office 2001 package will ship this fall. Buy a new Mac this summer, and you’ll have to run the world’s most popular business software in second-best mode.
Finally, as if things weren’t messy enough, Apple has quietly updated the current Mac OS. Mac OS 9.1 shipped on opening day of the Macworld Expo, although Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs never mentioned it during his keynote address.
What’s new in 9.1? Should you upgrade? When should you take the Mac OS X plunge? One question at a time, please.
Mac OS 9.1 is a solid upgrade. The new Finder has a Window menu that simplifies locating a specific window on a cluttered desktop, and the Empty Trash and Add to Favorites commands have keyboard shortcuts. Several control panels sport new features, and Open and Save dialogue boxes have a new button for connecting to iDisk, Apple’s online storage service. None of this inspires goose bumps, but it’s welcome nonetheless.
More significant, Mac OS 9.1 is faster. Apple has rewritten portions of the OS to enable faster switching between programs, smoother multitasking and better PowerBook and iBook performance. I installed 9.1 on an iBook and was impressed--the system seemed perkier and more responsive.
New OS versions always bring glitches, though, and smart users never upgrade without doing some research. If you use a lot of third-party system utilities or hardware, visit MacFixit (https://www.macfixit.com) and Macintouch (https://www.macintouch.com) and read their Mac OS 9.1 reports to learn of any incompatibilities.
Mac OS 9.1 is a free upgrade for 9.0 users, but you’ll need hours to download its 71 megabytes from Apple’s site (https://www.apple.com/macos). Spring for the $19 upgrade CD. If you’re using a pre-9.0 OS, Mac OS 9.1 costs $99.
And Mac OS X? It’s coming along, and Apple is tweaking it based on feedback received from buyers of the public beta version. The Apple menu is back, for example, and the dock at the bottom of the screen works a bit more like the Mac OS 9 control strip. Apple isn’t restoring all the elements of the Mac OS 9 interface, but at least Mac veterans won’t feel completely lost.
Ultimately, of course, it’s software availability that will make or break Mac OS X. In the months ahead, Apple must work hard to help developers adapt their wares, and developers must price their upgrades reasonably.
And even when the software flood begins, Mac veterans should take a slow and steady approach to Mac OS X. It promises to be an awesome operating system, but so far it is just a promise. Remember: There’s a reason they put newborns in diapers.
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Jim Heid is a contributing editor of Macworld magazine.
