It is here....

Apple have finally released an update to the much beloved MacOS. They claim its the biggest update since 1984, I wouldn't quite take it that far myself, but it is a sign of hope. The hype is coming, trucks emblazoned with 8s are touring the US (might that get confused with the new Oracle 8? We doubt it!). The web sites are geared up and the evangelists have oiled their tongues.

So what's it going to offer us? Well to be honest, many of the changes are cosmetic - a new chiseled grey look (which I must say I don't like, the old look was sexier, and less Win95), desktop themes etc. There are technical improvements like more integrated Internet access, a multi-threaded finder and more. If this were any other time I would say that the changes didn't really warrant a whole new version number. But it is now and it does warrant a new number. Why?

Because Apple needs this to boost sales, improve awareness and so on. They really have to make some cash from upgrades and also try to reach out to PC users and virgin buyers. This is a big chance and I hope that the cloners all fall in behind Apple (once the licensing has finally been settled) for a really huge marketing push. Marketing, marketing, marketing! That is the only way something will happen, the technology is really very much in second place to the marketing, that's what sells boxes and brings in revenue.

The new OS version still won't pack the kind of power and performance serious media manipulators are going to want though. Apple is going to lose these users to Windows NT and hopefully to the BeOS. Windows NT winning in this market would seriously damage the market. Technically it is extremely inefficient and from a usability viewpoint it looks like Win95, which just about sums it up.

If you are running MacOS, I suggest upgrading, it is an improvement and it only costs a little. If you're not sure on what OS to settle for, then if I were you hold out a little longer for Rhapsody, Win98 and BeOS 1.0 for a good and fair comparison. We'll be there to help you make it!

For more information, visit the Apple site.

Vote on the future OS interfaces in our poll!

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by Jason P. Kitcat [e-mail him]