Conclusions Most of you probably still do not care about Mac OS X but with seeing some of the early news about Windows 8 it is clear that Microsoft (at least in some respects) is attempting to mimic the Apple model. And it is definitely a good model to follow (in many cases).
Hopefully the PC community will place pressure on Microsoft to offer Windows 8 (at least the home and enthusiast version) at a price point that will encourage people to upgrade. Also, the community needs to place pressure on Microsoft to make sure that their “interface enhancements” are something that can also be disabled for the people who are used to how things are. With Mac OS X, if you do not want to use Launchpad and the App Store, you do not have to, but that is not to say that at some point in the no-to-distant future you will be forced to use them.
There has to be a Windows App Store at some point in the future; I believe it is a great way for Microsoft to increase the revenue that they have (which is not to say that they do not make money, they make loads of it), but something like that would benefit consumers as well as the shareholders. It will increase the barrier of entry for someone wanting to write a software program for Windows, but there are also some great benefits by paying the developer fee and having Apple (or Microsoft) to host the software for you.
The future is coming quickly, and there are going to be significant changes to computer operating systems in the not-to-distant future. Both Mac OS and Windows are very mature systems, so UI changes and enhancements are going to be the only real way to differentiate the systems from each other, and also encourage users to upgrade.
That was a pretty good preview/review of OSX. I have been using a Mac at home as a secondary computer since the beginning of the year, and as soon as I heard that Lion was going to be more iOS like, I determined right there that I was NOT going to upgrade my system.
While I do believe that your desktop OS and your mobile OS should be extremely compatible, I do not believe they should be the same. I understand that touch capabilities are becoming even more prominent in everyday consumer devices, but to put an OS that is touch centric on a standard style device is a huge mistake in my opinion. I believe that MS is also making the mistake with Windows 8.
I currently have a WP7 and I really love it. The styling, the flow, the ease of use are all there and make it easy to just pick up and operate. It works good on a touch screen, but when you get to the desktop or laptop, I can see it becoming a huge mess.
This is my soapbox that I have been standing on for quite a while now, and I don't think I'm coming down anytime soon. If Windows 8 and beyond are tiled and touch based, then I will be like all the XP hold overs and keep my Windows 7 beyond the EoS. If Apple wants to slowly convert their flagship desktop OS into iOS let them do it, but I'm sure this move will begin to alienate professionals who really want to get some work done. Same goes with MS.
I'll say the review is an entertaining and enlightening to say the least if only for it being one of this "first looks" at the future that may be coming down the pipes. However, for all that interesting stuff it starts to scare me a bit. Sure a 30$ price tag looks nice but you cannot believe something like "30% commission" will not evolve into something resembling "30% additional cost" to every App you buy. It sounds cynical but to believe a company will forgo profits on a specific platform is a bit too fantasy world for me to swallow. There is a very real point where the actual cost of your OS could potentially eclipse the cost of the system it is on. The thought of micro-transactions already turns me off to certain games and to see it evolving and embedding itself into the very OS horrifies me.
Been on Lion since Dev Preview 1 and although you can see some iPadifications of the OS it actually runs a lot better. I have Golden Master by being a part of the Dev site and it is a 4GB installer which is pretty light.
Another thing is that Java is no longer being done by Apple and Orcale is taking over the JRE so right there is a step in the right direction on getting things fixed.
Now if only we can get Adobe to fix their problems with Hardware Acceleration on Flash for 10.7 then I think it will be smooth sailing.
The Adobe issue does not surprise me. I completely understand why Apple "poo poos" Flash on iOS devices. Sure it's annoying at best and frustrating at worst, it does create a pretty consistent experience.
I do not believe that app developers would increase the price 30% to make more profits. It seems that developers in the app store are making more sales than they would without it, so there's no need for them to raise the prices (other than pure greed).
Interestingly, I use CrashPlan for all of my backups and when I launched that program it reminded me that Java was not included in Lion. A quick download fixed that.
The nice thing is the iOS things haven't really been in my way, but I'm not using the trackpad. I may purchase one though on my iMac and try it to see what I think.
I am anticipating Steam getting pushed off Mac if they continue to integrate Mac and iPad. Apple likes to be the main distributor, and doesn't really allow storefront apps.
That really shows that Windows is THE place for digital game distribution. I could see Steam, Impulse, Origin, and all the others pushing for Windows to keep it's current system to allow programs of all kinds. That freedom for developers is what made Windows so strong of a platform, since programs could be any style, any language.
Apple is aiming for computer appliances, nice little things that look good and move fast, but don't offer versatility and options. But there is a large segment of computer users that want options and different designs. Look at how much Linux variety there is, with such a small userbase.
Apple reminds of Nintendo, making hardware and controlling software, and making themselves look like desirable products to the average consumer.
