Article:		Windows XP from a Mac Perspective
Subject:		XP ambivalence
Date:		2002-02-12 20:03:53
From:		davidcl
Response to: XP ambivalence
gostong, Windows XP Home Edition is $200, and Professional is $300. They are less if you get them with a new PC (I charge $100 for Home and $150 for Professional based on my OEM prices). So I'm not clear where the $500 figure is coming from. Derrick, thanks for this article. I've been going through similar situations. I'm currently using, on my various computers, Mac OS 9, Windows 2000, and Windows XP. In this context, Mac OS 9, which crashes a few times a day, starts to feel like Windows 98 did for you! But I can't upgrade to OS X yet because my printers are not compatible. Oh well, at least I don't have a corporate IT department telling me what to do.

Showing messages 1 through 1 of 1.

• XP ambivalence -- Cost of Upgrade
  2002-02-12 22:04:57  Derrick Story | [Reply | View]
  
  
  Good previous comments in this thread.
  
  I think it's important to be clear about the pricing issues for both XP and OS X.
  
  For XP, if you are upgrading an existing PC, you have to buy a copy of XP, Home ($200) or Pro ($300), for each machine. Microsoft makes sure you follow the rules on this. The upside is that I think MS holds up their end of the deal by delivering a solid Windows OS.
  
  For Mac OS X, the retail price is $129, but I'm seeing it for $99 more and more. Even though Apple asks that you buy a copy for each Mac in your household, the truth is you can buy one copy and use it on your laptop and your desktop without Apple busting your chops. In general, I feel that Apple stays out of your business better than Microsoft.
  
  If you buy a new Mac or a new PC, you get the OS as part of the deal, so it's a wash there in terms of OS cost.
  
  As for pure value, Mac OS X is a better deal. It includes the OS, Apache Web server, iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes, and iTools, which is an under rated Apple value-added benefit.
  
  If you're currently running Mac OS 9, I recommend that you partition your drive and load Mac OS X on one partition and your old OS 9 environment on the other. OS X is much more stable than OS 9, and I wouldn't want to go back to 9 anymore than I would Win 98.
  
  Life is just too short ...