Progress
Continuing my comments the other day about Safari 1.2's "reliance" on Panther technology, Apple's done it again, this time with a public beta version of iChat AV that supports video communication with AIM clients in the Windows world. It's an exciting development because it desegregates Apple and Windows users on the same popular instant messaging network, and opens up the possibility of wider iChat AV use in enterprise environments.
Yet it's Panther only, and people are pissed.
This is a tricky thing. Apple has a very well-deserved reputation for supporting legacy customers long past the point of sensibility; Mac users used to crow about how their six- or seven-year-old Macs could run this software and that with nary a diminished feature.
Those days are long gone, and people holding to that tenet are living in the past.
Since I've been writing about the Mac professionally, Apple has gone through three major CPU architecture revisions and a total operating system overhaul, unconditionally ceasing development and effective support of those legacy systems.
It may not be the nicest thing to do to old customers, but the fact is that if you're running a "NewWorld" Mac (an iMac or newer, basically) and Panther, you have a kick-ass, modern system. I installed Panther on a Rev B iMac -- that's a machine I bought in 1998, I believe -- and while it's not the fastest system in my office, it's actually quite serviceable for everything from Web surfing to listening to MP3s to productivity software.
On one hand, I can understand the displeasure of users of six or seven-year-old computers who want to run today's software but can't. But they only have one reasonable solution, and that's to buy a new computer. It's the equivalent of someone who owns a ten year old car upset that they can't refit it with ABS and side-impact airbags and laser-guided cruise control and all the stuff that today's luxury automobiles have, and it's just as pointless.
To people who forked out $129 for Jaguar and feel they haven't gotten their money's worth, I'm even less sympathetic. You probably spend the equivalent for one or two months' worth of cable television (especially if you're a broadband subscriber), so you don't really have much of a reason to complain. It's small money for a big benefit.
Comments
I'm running Panther on my Fall of '99 iMac DV, works just fine. And I downloaded both the new Safari and the new iChat AV Beta without problems.
Since iChat AV is Panther only anyway, save for those who paid for it separately (probably very few!), I don't see what the fuss is about.
Panther was a worthwhile purchase for me, even though I was unemployed at the time, and am again.
Posted by: Alphax | February 5, 2004 08:16 PM
A similar thing happens with web-sites. There are some people who seem to think that every site should be viewable in the oldest browser possible.
I think Apple has gone above and beyond to help legacy users, even holding up put out software so that they could get the code for older machines right.
Posted by: Andrew Ian Dodge | February 9, 2004 09:01 AM