Should I Switch?

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Upgrading to Leopard

by jedirock Nov 5, 2008 8:52AM PST

There's two major things I'd consider before doing a major operating system upgrade of any kind:
1) Does my computer support it, and
2) Do I need to upgrade?

The first can be answered by looking at Apple's system requirements page: http://www.apple.com/macosx/techspecs/
Most computers within the last 3 or 4 years should support it, if I remember correctly.

The second is a more personal question. If you're happy with Tiger, there may not be any reason to upgrade. That saying, there are a lot of new things with Leopard. A little bit of a new look, I think it's cleaner overall, and the Time Machine features are very handy. Just make sure you have something to back up to: Apple sells Time Capsules for over a network backups, but something a simple as an external Firewire or USB hard drive will suffice just fine. Once again, specific requirements are on the same page as above.

I've had no qualms about going to Leopard myself, and I think it's a fine upgrade. However, Apple will probably be releasing the next version of Mac OS X, called Snow Leopard, around June/July of this year. My view is that if you've waited long enough with Tiger, it might be worth it to just stick it out until Snow Leopard. It might require more hardware though, so that's something to be wary of. An Intel Mac should do fine.

Okay, that's a lot of stuff... Conclusion:
1) If you have a relatively recent PowerPC Mac, Leopard is probably a good upgrade. I have no problems recommending it.
2) If you have an Intel Mac, Leopard is a good upgrade, but it might be worth waiting until Snow Leopard. This might also apply for some PowerPC Macs too, but I can't find any system requirements online.

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Snow Leopard and PPC

by mrmacfixit Forum moderator Nov 5, 2008 9:41AM PST

This OS is not supported on the PPC processor.

Intel only

P

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Thanks...

by jedirock Nov 5, 2008 10:48AM PST

I thought I remembered reading that it was only for Intel, but I couldn't it again.

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No...PPC, Too!

by adscram14 Nov 7, 2008 8:12PM PST

This is a quote from Apple.com

Minimum System Requirements

* Mac computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor
* 512MB of physical RAM
* DVD drive for installation

So, I guess you can.

-Adam

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Not so fast,

by mrmacfixit Forum moderator Nov 7, 2008 9:33PM PST

This quote from Apple.com.

Please supply the link to the page that you are referring to.

I would think that the Tech sites, especially the Apple ones, would not be touting Snow Leopard as Intel only if the system requirements for it were posted at Apple.com

Look forward to the link

P

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You are misinformed

by tleMega Nov 8, 2008 12:27PM PST

Those are the minimum specs required for OS X Leopard, aka, OS 10.5.

Snow Leopard is the next version of OS X, OS 10.6. Not the same. It will be Intel-only, ending Apple's transition to Intel processors. PowerPC will still be supported through Leopard and Tiger for awhile, but newer versions of the operating system will not. This is good for Intel Mac users since the OS will be streamlined for Intel chips and Intel chips only. Universal Binary apps will no longer have to be written for the older PPC architectures.

For future reference, be sure to use links like mentioned above, and verify that your information/source is correct. It helps.

Looks like you recently joined CNET. Welcome the Mac forums.

-BMF

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Maybe...

by adscram14 Nov 7, 2008 8:10PM PST

There are two things to check before you switch to Leopard.
1. Can your computer handle it? (Make sure your computer surpasses the min. requirements.
2. Is it PPC or Intel? I would recommend switching if you have Intel, not so much if you have PPC (More program selection).

Pros:

I am running Leopard right now, and one of my favorite features is the transparent menu bars. The stacks feature is also nice, plus all of the applications are sleeker and run faster. (I could keep going on about this but I wont.)

Cons:

It costs 130 dollars...kind of expensive. Also, Tiger will do the job for the next couple of years, as program minimums are still 10.3 or 10.2.

Overall:

If you have the money and the computer, go for it! If not, stick with Tiger.
Good Luck!

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I have a G5 iMac running Leopard & the step up from 10.4.11

by minimalist Nov 9, 2008 3:05PM PST

was worth it. It's a 2.1 Ghz iSight model and it seems just as snappy as it did with Tiger.

The features that really make it for me are:

1. Time Machine (brainless backups for all users)
2. Screen Sharing (a godsend for those of us who need to support parents and friends on Macs)
3. Coverflow mode in Finder (great for quickly browsing photos in random folders)

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Leopard and Java problems

by jcallas Nov 14, 2008 10:46AM PST

I have an iMac with Leopard 10.5.5. While it runs well and has all the required updates, I have found that the newest versions of Java is NOT fully compatible with the latest versions of Leopard. If you do acquire Leopard and use Java (poker and gaming sites tend to utilize it), beware!

To avoid unexpected and annoying disconnections, I have found that using an older version of Java with Leopard works well. It took me a lot of time and energy before I overcame the problems I was encountering. I ignore the prompts to update the Java software and my iMac runs efficiently on the dated version.

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Java...

by jedirock Nov 14, 2008 10:59AM PST

I'm running 10.5.5 with presumably the latest version of Java and have no problems running applets or downloaded applications. If you are having trouble, you might want to send a bug report Apple's way so they can fix it. Usually new versions are released to add new features, optimize the code, or fix security holes, so it's always a good idea to update.

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Java reply

by jcallas Nov 14, 2008 1:07PM PST

Thanks for the reply. Been there, done that:

I sent countless notices to Apple and I spent over an hour on the phone with Apple support. Neither made a difference. From my conversations with the "experts", Java is a utility that is compatible with a pc and "sometimes" with Apple.

I downloaded new versions of Java twice and each time due to conflicts, I had to clean off my hard drive and download Leopard and everything else from square one. It was time consuming and frustrating. My suggestion on this forum was to save anyone else with Leopard and encounters Java a lot of frustration and time.

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Snow Leopard

by ebaAay Apr 18, 2009 7:11AM PDT

Would I be better off waiting for Snow Leopard to come out before I buy an iMac than buying one now then upgrading?
It's not a matter of the cost. I was wondering if there would be any beneficial system performances in waiting. Or if upgrading isn't as effective as buying a new system with the new software.

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No difference

by mrmacfixit Forum moderator Apr 18, 2009 7:45AM PDT

Unless there is a specification upgrade, processor speed/HD size/RAM amount, between now and when Snow Leopard is released, there will be no difference in a machine that has SL factory installed and one that had Leopard installed and then upgraded.

P

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