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Since mid-September, I've been deluged with mail about the beta, or trial, version of OS X, Apple's new operating system that was released about three weeks ago. The program's commercial release is expected sometime early next year. If nothing else, OS X has certainly succeeded in grabbing the attention of the Mac community. I've told you what I think about OS X, that it's an important step forward for Apple and the Mac (see BW Online 9/20/00, "Apple's OS X Looks Like a 10"). Here's what others are saying.
As you might expect from a community as diverse, savvy, and opinionated as Mac users, impressions about OS X are all over the map. But I have discerned several themes from my mail. The first is amusing, if only because it's so human: Nearly everyone is complaining, as I did, about having to pay $30 for the beta. Yet we're buying it all the same.
Hmm, I guess Apple understands us Mac users better than we give the company credit for. Sure, we didn't have to pay for betas in the past -- but we want this early version badly enough to pay if Apple is charging for it. So maybe Apple has done a good job of generating a real hunger for OS X.
BUGGY BROWSER. But here's the second theme: The thrill of using it quickly wears thin. For one, there isn't much you can do yet with OS X other than "ooh" and "ahh" over its throbbing blue buttons and 3D look. "It looks like a toy," writes Brent Young, a longtime Mac user.
The problem isn't really Apple's fault. Current Mac software needs to be rewritten to take advantage of OS X's new powers. A few updated programs are included with the beta -- but not all of them worked well, such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer. That Explorer doesn't work right is to be expected, I guess. After all, it's just a demo. Still, the browser's bugginess has provided another excuse to dis Microsoft, a favorite pastime among Mac users.
Theme No. 3: Nearly everyone was impressed with OS X's stability. "I've had not one freeze, and I am finally getting very comfortable with the system," says Vivian Wong, who has been testing OS X for about two weeks. Wong and others were also impressed with how well OS X runs current Mac software. It does so through creating a separate application shell called Classic. Classic launches automatically every time you start up a program that requires it. The only complaint is that the initial launch of the Classic shell can take up to five minutes "It's a painfully long wait," laments Patti LeMay.
A sizable minority of users are angry that many of the features they've become familiar with are gone, including the Apple Menu, spring-loaded folders, and the control strip. Complains Serle Kopman, "OS X is Microsoft Windows for Macintosh. Wake up and smell the coffee."
KNOCKING THE DOCK. Nor are many happy with one big new feature, the Dock. Designed as a supercharged version of the Windows Start menu, it runs as a bar along the bottom of the screen, giving users quick access to favorite applications and documents. The knock against the Dock is that it commands too much screen space and that you can't move it. You can, however, shrink it down. "In many ways, the older Application menu and popup folders were more versatile," writes Bert Sugarman.
I also detect fear among some users. They wonder if OS X will work with their current Macs. And if not, whether they'll miss out on something wonderful if they can't, or won't, upgrade to a newer computer. "I do not have the money to buy another Mac. I feel totally abandoned by Apple," says retiree Joe L. Hock.
That's a common sentiment, especially among older users. It's a legitimate concern -- but a bit overblown. OS 9 remains a good system, so no one has to upgrade. But I'm sorry, every new advance leaves behind another generation of Macs. It has been that way since the dawn of computing. Apple would go broke if it tried to configure its new technology for every Mac built since 1984. Even Bill Gates knows that.
Haddad, an Apple Computer buff, is an Atlanta-based correspondent for Business Week. Follow his weekly column, only on BW Online Edited by Beth Belton
Copyright 2000, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.
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