Apple: it is all about the experience
My computer of choice is Apple. It needed some convincing with me but in January I switched and now I will not return to Windows. I have become a real fan. I discovered that Apple is a religion. You either believe it or don’t. (Or you are not aware it exists and what it is) There is no middle road.
Mac vs PC
Apple illustrates this perfectly with their latest batch of commerials. One person visualizes the dull PC. He can do his dull tasks but is boring, more complex than needed and ignorant of what the mac does. Mac explains he is a person full of stories, photos, experiences. A real living person. Simple and no nonsense.
Yesterday Apple released its latest OSX: Leopard. It will power all future macs and is technologically a competitor to Windows. The reactions on the web are mixed. Some are really glad with the new changes and some don’t seem to understand them. They seem to look at it in the wrong context. For example Windows evangelist Paul Thurrot in his dissection. I check his site and blog regularly to check what is happening in the Microsoft world from an experience and interaction perspective.
He says that every feature already existed in the software world outside OSX and Leopard does not add anything to the world. He calls it an insignificant release.
The Significance of Leopard.
Well as I said they look at it from the wrong perspective… Apple was never about features and copying. Apple looks at what already exists and adds the x-factor.
It is all about the experience!!!
To illustrate this I will go by all the 10 significant new features of Leopard according to Apple.
1. 64-bit support
Well does it matter to the normal users? No. They do not have to think about it. Current 32-bit apps work fluently besides 64-bit apps. But why is this important as a first killer leopard feature? Well we bring it into perspective with windows vista in a review from the above mentioned Evangelist:
…the x64 versions are also far less compatible than their predecessors, with both hardware devices and software, and these incompatibilities will ultimately make the x64 Vista versions less attractive to most users.
With Leopard you don’t have a separate 64-bit version. It will switch unnoticably to 64-bit when needed. It always works and is compatible with all macs. (G5, mac pro and next gen intel macs.) So no driver problems, they are all included in OSX. Normal users will never know if they run 32 or 64 bit. As it should be.
2. Time Machine
Well you could restore old files on windows computers. But how many will know how to find or use this option? Apple does something completely different. They make the concept accessible to normal people who do not think in menus. The concept of getting files back from the past is strange but apple translates the most common cultural movie effect to make the concept clear to the user. It becomes an experience to back up and show off to friends. Even a computer illiterate could understand and use it.
3. Places
Well virtual desktops did already exist but I never seen them so cleanly implemented. The overview of all desktops and dragging apps between them… It now seems like something I would like to use. Was never a real fan of Expose and this solves my window space problem. It is easier to find back your windows when you sort your places on the context you are currently in. (communicating, designing, developing, checking news, listen to music etc)
4. Updates to Bootcamp, Front Row and Photo Booth
Bootcamp will be standard. Using windows will be more fluently. Why support windows with rotten registry and dll hell on OSX partition? Well this is marketing talk… The real reason is that virtualisation is not fast (without GPU power) and a Win32 compatibility layer is difficult to build right. Just look at the open source Wine. When wine will once work correctly we will have our windows support. (they are really working on DirectX now)
Front Row and PhotoBooth will now be available to all macs. These last two are the show off apps. (Although front row is one of the most used apps on my mac) These apps are designed to make other people jealous. They will of course not be shown until done. They will be improved to the last moment. Designed to impress when Leopard ships. See Core animation point later for more.
5. Spotlight updates
Boolean search. A much needed feature for the more technical inclined users. Now you can use AND OR and NOT. But the big hit is network search. I really would love to search work servers or nearby macs.
I really discovered the significance of Bonjour (the technique that instantly connects nearby macs after your permission) when somebody visited with a macbook. He had instantly internet and we could play some of the mac included games, use iChat to quickly sent files and listen to others music. Spotlight search to open folders really completes the picture in sharing.
6. Dashboard updates
I was first critical of dashboard but began to love it. It is my main source for weather, to do’s, calculator, gmail and tv guide. This new option to add snippets as widgets of all websites is I think a killer option. Now it is easy to add the stats of this weblog for quick viewing on my dashboard 
Dashboard is a real quick layer to quickly check some of your interests or news updates. And this small update makes it even more usefull. I don’t see the same use from the vista sidebar with it’s small screenspace.
7. Mail
Well the technical inclined people say they only need text. Luckily it is possible for people with emotions and personality to create emails with emotions and personality. I need to see if I will use the todo options. I am already more a gmail user and my post-its on dashboard also work. (maybe create and delete to-do from the desktop instead of mail) Notes could be an option for something I only found half functioning options. They also seem to add RSS feed support. Finally a good default place in the OS although I will continue to use Vienna. But it is again all about experience.
8. iChat
An app that is now completely build on sharing experiences. Just show your photos and presentations or go back to that special place (with photo/video on background) to tell what happened there. And you can watch the desktop of others to see work in progress or help the other user with computer problems. It is all about personality, not about sharing cold abstract text facts.
9. Universal access
Computers should be there for everyone. It is nice apple focusses so big on making their computers accessible. I think 1% of the population has a handicap. That is a huge market share in Apple proportions. It is good that they look after the less forunate. And we will all get older and more fragile.
10. Core Animation
On itself this is not an important feature. But look at what Core Image & Video did: Motion, Apperture, Photo Booth, Comic Life, instant Final cut and imovie effects etc. Just imagine what precoded animation libraries could do. First example was Time Machine, but imagine how Front Row 2.0 will look like when Leopard is done. I think you can also expect some new effects in OSX itself.
Conclusion
For the Leopard critiques: drop the rational robot man act. Look at leopard as a person with emotions. (maybe from a female perspective) Maybe then you begin to see what is really happening. Think nintendo Wii instead of sony PS3. Everything technically significant has already be invented for the OS, it is now about perfecting the experience of working with it and widen the market to all people!
I look forward to this significant update. It will not only enhance my computer but also my life!