I have Mac OS 10.3.9; I never upgraded to Tiger or to Panther. 10.3.9 works just fine for my computing needs. Today my iPod died, and I decided it was worth buying a new one and a maintenance plan from Best Buy (while ebay would be cheaper, I like having the repair coverage, so it’s worth paying full price for protection). I get home and plug my iPod in, only to discover that I need OS 10.4.9 at minimum before my computer will even acknowledge the hardware.
So now I’m watching auctions for the 10.4.10 CDs, so that I can upgrade my computer and once again have iPod access. I am not happy with Apple right now; I don’t like forced obsolescence. If it isn’t broken, I shouldn’t have to upgrade.
I hoped to buy a new computer towards the end of the year, since mine is almost 4 years old and its parts are starting to fail. I would have automatically upgrade to OS 10.5 with a new computer, but it seems I don’t get to wait on that upgrade.
Upgrade: when it rains it frigging pours.
My computer stopped reading DVDs several months ago (several months after I had a new super-drive installed and a broken cable that activated the drive); oddly enough it still read and burned CDs.
Thus, I thought no problem on the computer upgrade because the CD drive reads; well, no more. Stella has officially decided to stop reading CDs as well. All of my music is being held hostage on my lap top.
To sum up my weekend:
My old ipod is dead.
I can’t use my new iPod without installing an operating system upgrade.
My computer doesn’t want to read the installation disk, thus I can’t install the software to use the new iPod.
Therefore I spent $127 on software and $330 on an iPod + 3 year repair plan (money I wouldn’t have spent if I didn’t use my iPod EVERY SINGLE DAY.) for nothing.
Frustration does not even begin to sum up what I feel right now.
Does anyone know if there’s an easy way to install Leopard using an external drive?
I’m going to go have a good cry now.
No related posts.
A few options here.
1) Get an external DVD drive and connect it via USB or FireWire to your Mac.
2) Not sure if you have a laptop/iMac/Mac Pro, but you could potentially find a used one and swap parts to get a working drive in your computer.
3) Buy a used Mac and transfer your files to the new one when the new OS is installed.
4) Go to the nearest Apple Store or website… buy a new Mac… enjoy
As far as planned obsolescence goes, it is a very important part of the business cycle. You can’t provide support to an installed base forever, the costs (dollars and engineering support) get to be prohibitive with time. This is one of the best things Apple has done, they’ve been able to keep their products current and working seamlessly because they don’t have to make their new software compliant with old hardware (unlike PCs).
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
option 1 is the most appealing; I can’t afford a new Mac right now. would I be able to launch the installation from the external drive or would I have to transfer the upgrade files to my computer? I would think the former would be safer, no?
planned obsolescence means more stuff in landfills before they have aged beyond usefulness. Throwaway consumerism is not good for the planet. I think impact needs to be part of an evaluation of a company, not just the $$ profits and losses.