#Why does apple give away osx for free for free
#Why does apple give away osx for free for mac

#Why does apple give away osx for free for free

Microsoft isn’t in a position to simply start giving away Windows for free Can a buyer of a Dell or HP machine today expect major OS updates to be free? And if so, for how long? It can execute Apple’s strategy on its own hardware - Surface, for instance, and the incoming Nokia team - but Windows is also bundled with machines sold by dozens and dozens of OEMs. For Microsoft, which is still charging for 8.1 upgrades from Snow Leopard-era operating systems like Vista and Windows 7, the picture is a little fuzzier. And to Apple’s credit, its offer is more aggressive than Microsoft’s: customers stretching all the way back to OS X Snow Leopard can get Mavericks at no charge. OS X only runs on Macs, and the revenue that would normally be collected on the operating system is baked into the cost of the hardware, which is usually offered at a higher price than an equivalent Windows PC. 'I think Microsoft will need to rethink any plans to charge for a Windows 9 upgrade like they did for Windows 7.'įor Apple, the move makes perfect sense. Moorhead argues that Microsoft may be forced to consider its upgrade options for future Windows releases. The threat of free OS upgrades and free productivity software could lure consumers, but only if Apple’s iWorks suite and Mavericks are enough for people to make the switch. 'Microsoft should be very concerned long-term with Apple’s new approach, primarily in the consumer and small business markets,' Patrick Moorhead, president and principal analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy, tells The Verge. That doesn’t mean the two companies are on even footing with the free upgrade message, though. 'Microsoft should be very concerned long-term with Apple’s new approach.' Together, they mark another major turning point in the post-PC era where desktops and laptops have started to take on numerous smartphone-like characteristics: Metro. Though no-cost Mavericks is a first for Apple's OS X, it’s not a first for the industry: Microsoft offers the brand-new Windows 8.1 for free to Windows 8 customers.

#Why does apple give away osx for free for mac

For Mac users, 'the days of spending hundreds of dollars to get the most from your computer are gone,' says Apple’s Craig Federighi. Free alternatives to Microsoft’s Office suite will ship with iOS and Mac hardware, and OS X users running Snow Leopard or higher can now upgrade to Mavericks, the latest version of Apple’s OS, for free. Apple may have announced a new bevy of hardware this week, but the real surprise was a series of aggressive moves to take on Microsoft on the software side.