Leapin’ Leopard? Not Really
So I finally got my hands on a copy of Leopard after all the hype and the avalanche of coverage, which was initially glowingly positive, followed, not surprisingly, by a few negative ones.
After popping the CD into my MacBook, I waited for the magic to happen. Not sure what I was expecting but my mood was probably affected by an over-dose of Halloween sugar. Anyway, the installation ticked along with no problems.
One thing that struck me right away was the lack of a registration process. Where was the need to punch in a long-series of letters and numbers that you always get wrong at least once or twice? Does Apple really care if a bunch of people use someone else’s copy of Leopard, or are they simply content that people who using Macs?
When the installation process was completed and the computer rebooted, the big thing that struck me was, well, things seemed pretty much the same. Sure, some of the icons changed and Time Machine appeared in the docking bar but my MacBook appears to be the same old MacBook. When I mentioned it later to a colleague, he said that wasn’t necessary a bad thing. I guess it’s like getting a haircut. The sign of a really good haircut - at least for a guy - is that no one really notices you’ve had a haircut.
When you think about it, maybe that’s the magic of Leopard. It’s an evolution not a revolution - Walter Mossberg’s description, not mine. As a result, the improvement are, for the most part, under-stated as opposed to radical. Vista was a radical, ambitious upgrade from XP that has disappointed (It is interesting that SP3 for XP comes with many of Vista’s better features).
While I’m sure the improvements in Leopard will become obvious and appreciated over time, there has yet to be wow factor yet. Then again, all of my applications and hardware peripherals still work so I would suggest Leopard is doing just fine.
November 2nd, 2007 at 10:11 am
B..b..but Alan said that Spaces changed his life?!?
November 3rd, 2007 at 10:27 pm
You are spot on. All the hype and hysteria around Leopard is simply testament to the power of the Apple brand and its current cult status. There is absolutely no reason for a regular Mac user to upgrade from Tiger to Leopard. I upgraded to Leopard and I can tell you that it is completely unnoticeable from Tiger as it applies to my everyday interactions with the Mac. Spaces, Time Machine, etc. may be interesting but Leopard as a whole is entirely a ho-hum affair. But you got to hand it to Stevie J., he had me forking over the $129 the first weekend of the release. That damn black mock turtleneck is too beguiling.