OS X Leopard – Apple’s Vista?

by David Risley on Nov 10, 2007 | 44 comments

I have now officially gone two weeks using the Mac Pro. I bought the Mac Pro on the day of Leopard’s release. They gave me the Leopard upgrade DVD with the system. The first thing I did when I cranked it up was install Leopard. So how is the experience?

Buggy

So far, I am not exactly thrilled with Leopard. Unfortunately, too, this is my first experience using a Mac and I must say that it does taint my view of it somewhat. I have heard all the talk about about how everything with Apple “just works” and how this operating system is supposed to be super stable. Well, it isn’t. At this juncture, Windows XP simply blows OS X Leopard away in terms of reliability and stability.

So far, here are my observations:

Time Machine is a piece of crap. It hangs up the machine for a couple seconds when powering up the external hard drive. And apparently it is causing full system hang ups. I am guessing on this, but I have had instances where VMWare Fusion has completely frozen and it was recommended I exclude the virtual machine files from Time Machine. Problem is….
The whole machine goes through periods of instability. After using it for a day or so, I get random program crashes, lockups, you name it. So, I’m left wondering if perhaps Time Machine is dragging the whole system down. Last night I disabled the entire thing and we’ll see what happens. But then…
I wake up this morning and all of my screens were blank. No video signal. System was running. After giving up on it, I hard reboot the system using the power button. When it powers up, I get notified that the system was restarted after OS X quit unexpectedly. I take a look at the error report. What I had was my first kernel panic – OS X equivalent of the blue screen of death. The system was hung up all night.
The system has almost consistently locked up during restart or shutdown.

As of now, this machine is NOT dependable. Sure, I can work on it, but I have had to reboot the machine almost every day in order to clear our the plethora of random crashes and annoyances.

This is Worse Than Vista

People can tell me about Apple’s speed releasing this as compared to Microsoft taking six years to give us Vista. People can, rightly so, complain about Vista’s driver issues and the fact that it is bloated and slow. And all those points would be perfectly valid. But one thing I would not convict Vista of is being unstable to the point of forcing daily reboots.

In terms of the most important qualifier for any computer – can I dependably work on it – this Mac Pro is currently skirting the edge for me. I can get my work done, but I have to start second guessing the system planning for my next lockup.

Apple – You Screwed Up

Rightly or wrongly, my impression of Apple is that they care more about their bottom line that their customers. They released the Iphone, for example, at a super ridiculous price, get a bunch of early adopters on board buying the phones, then slash the price. They basically stick it to the early adopters. At the same time, they work out a sweetheart deal with AT&T to lock the phone to their service plans and then actively battle against anybody who is trying to unlock the phone and do what they want with THEIR OWN PHONE. I mean, look, if you get the phone at a discount because you have a contract with your service provider, perhaps they have some right to control certain things on your phone. But, Iphone users paid FULL PRICE for their phones, are then channeled into AT&T to get their service or are faced with the wrath of Apple when you try to buck their money-making pyramid.

Now, I don’t think Apple screwed up quite as bad with Leopard as they did with the Iphone, but it is clear to me they released this too early. What I am experiencing with this operating system is not completely atypical for a new OS – if it is in beta. But, Apple so proudly bashes Microsoft in their promotional campaigns, marketing themselves as the easy computers that just work reliably. Well, Leopard doesn’t just work. And judging by the Apple support forums, there are a LOT more people than me complaining about issues with Leopard.

It seems to me they were more interested in getting Leopard out before the holiday season than actually living up to their reputation.

Are any of these arguments sound familiar, Vista bashers?

Keeping It Real

Just for the sake of being clear, I am not unhappy with my Mac. It is a good system, and Leopard is much better than Vista when it comes to speed, features and ease of use. Apple gets a lot right, but lately I have been disappointed. They are simply not living up to their marketing. They seem more interested in the marketing and the swiping of my credit card than they do in providing me with a quality computing experience. There is little excuse for these instabilities given the amount of control Apple holds over the entire “Apple experience”.

At least that is how I feel right now. They better rush out the 10.5.1 update to Leopard and it better fix these issues. Otherwise, I might even consider wiping the system clean and re-installing Tiger.

And doesn’t THAT sound EXACTLY like my comments on Windows Vista. Apple, learn from this.

Like what you read?

If so, please join over 28,000 people who receive our exclusive weekly newsletter and computer tips, and get FREE COPIES of 5 eBooks we created, as our gift to you for subscribing. Just enter your name and email below:

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...

Post A Comment Using Facebook

Michael Moore
Great editorial. You explained my frustrations with OSX but every time i would like to make it known to people i get shout down by the MAC fan boys stating that i don’t know what im talking about or im an idiot. I event went to Chris pirillo’s website and made it known there but of course neither the host nor the community was very helpful and even insisted that because of my numerous issues it must be because i have a pirated version of Leopard. I couldn’t believe it. Nevertheless, thanks for posting the truth.
http://www.frostedside.com/blog/ Rich Menga
I personally witnessed Dave’s Mac Pro lock up where he had to hold the power button just to get the thing to turn off for a restart. Absolutely none of what he said in the article is exaggerated. I can confirm that 100%.
You can find tons of information on OS X 10.5 issues all listed here: http://macfixit.com/search.php?productID=29147
Note: It costs 25 bucks to get the information there, but if you’re going to stick with Leopard it’s probably worth it.
You can also try the free route with Apple’s KB or Leopard support page:
http://kbase.info.apple.com/
http://www.apple.com/support/leopard/
Hitchface
Interesting to see that this is going the way it is. Especially when numerous people are reporting problems with the new OS, Apple has some explaining to do if they market the slogan “It just works.”
And before someone comes on here and says “Every new OS has issues”, let me make it clear. If you say “It just works” and then it doesn’t, what does that make you? A liar. Maybe at one time it did “just work”, but it is clear that this philosophy is changing. A business based on honesty and integrity would account for things like this happening, and then make sure that it doesn’t.
When it comes to working with people, I tend to be fairly lenient. However, this is a situation where excuses don’t matter. Results matter. Excuses aren’t going to hide Leopard’s problems, but results will remove them. Results should have removed them before it hit the shelves.
Anders Pors
What are you guys whining about? Do you feel betrayed by Apple because every 30.000 or more have slight problems with Leopard? You can’t call them liar because they use the headline It Just Works. Well compared to Windows it REALLY just works, maybe it’s Windows they are referring to?
Numbers speaks for itself:
In three months Apple shipped 2,164,000 Macs, representing 34 percent growth over the year-ago quarter and exceeding the previous quarterly record for Mac shipments by 400,000!!!!
10 million iPods in same quarter.
2 million shipments of Leopard in one week
and so on and so on…
Yes OSX only represent 8% of the market, but slowly people (like myself and 10+ friends) will realize that the use of a computer can be more simple and straight forward.
Oh not to forget: Viruses.
What happens when all these 100 million iPod/iTunes users put two and two together? The simple use of an iPod, don’t you think that will reflect on Apple’s OSX? It did for many of us.
And how dare you complain about the price of the iPhone:
Yes it maybe only costs $50 to make. But like other top brands e.g. Gucci they can sell handbags with price tags over $1000-$2000 FOR A BAG!! Yeah right. Don’t you think that you pay for design, quality, and of course the brand.
If you can’t afford $399 and $59.99 a month. Don’t buy it.
Is it just pure jealousy? Yes someone finally got it right. Have you ever seen so much coverage on a mobile phone!!!?
A word on Vista: What upgrade? And how come they are shipping XP with new pre-installed Vista PC’s? It must be baaaaad……
So far everything on my year and a half old Mac, Leopard Just Works!
David Risley
How dare I? What are you, a Mactard?
Well, that’s obvious. Judging by the Apple support boards, problems with Leopard are not exactly rare. Why don’t you just realize they are a computer company that can and does screw up, and not a company with a mind meld to God (as you seem to spew).
If you want to compare the buyers of the Iphone to the people who buy $1000 Gucci bags, then perhaps that might be a more valid comparison that you think.
mrhappy
Yes, I’m one of those who say “every O/S has it’s problems.” And I view with great skepticism any post that boasts of one O/S being vastly superior to another. In fact, I admit to doubting such author’s basic objectivity and intelligence.
Bottom line is both Vista and Leopard (and Linux) have their pro’s and con’s, and each of which will better fit certain needs, depending on the individual.
Please do everyone a favor and temper the venom.
http://www.darknet-vortex.co.nr Vertimyst
Rotfl, good comeback, Dave, and nice article.
Personally, I wouldn’t buy a Mac, simply because they’re not PCs. I like that I can customize my computer almost 100%, especially with Linux installed.
OSX ‘Just works’? Yeah, that’s right – that means it just works enough that it’s a surprise it works at all. Apple’s gone from being an okay company to something comparable to a dragon sitting on top of its gold mountain. It’s obvious.
Which is /why/ I use Linux. Sure, sometimes it can be buggy, but at least it’s free, and you can be sure it’s tailored toward the userbase, and not ‘the interest of the company’.
Bill
Let’s see… try out a new platform, install a major OS upgrade the day it ships and then start flinging software at it with no background knowledge of the system. Sounds like a recipe for success. There’s a reason people don’t do major upgrades on production machines until the software they need has been thoroughly tested.
“…when powering up the external hard drive…”
Oh good lord. So you’re switching a busy drive on and off willy-nilly and you don’t understand the problem with that. The delay is almost certainly caused by the system doing an integrity check on the assumption that something went wrong to cause the drive to disappear. If you don’t understand why you can’t do this to *any* system then you really shouldn’t be styling yourself as any kind of expert. There’s a fair chance this is causing other problems too.
Those “Mactards” at PC Mag, Computerworld and just about every other grownup in the business disagrees with you very strongly.
BTW: people who bought iPhones have nothing to complain about. They made the decision that it was worth the asking price and went into it with eyes open. Most likely sales exceeded expectations and allowed Apple to drop the price sooner than expected. You sound like a thirteen-year-old whining about that. Apple was more than generous in giving those people a coupon to placate them.
David Risley
> “install a major OS upgrade the day it ships and then start flinging software at it with no background knowledge of the system.”
Hhhmm…seems to me you’re trying to explain away the fact that “it just works” is a load of crap.
> “So you’re switching a busy drive on and off willy-nilly and you don’t understand the problem with that.”
Uhhh, no. The drive was connected and on the entire time. Leopard was controlling it, not me. Why is it Mactards assume it is the user which is the problem?
Cat
David, there was an issue with upgrading iMacs (maybe it applies to Mac Pros as well) to Leopard from Tiger if they had certain software patches in place. Did you upgrade or do a clean install? If you upgraded, I would suggest a reinstall of Leopard using the “Archive and Install” method, making sure you choose the option to preserve your existing user settings and network connections. This will lay down a fresh copy of the OS without any Tiger cruft left behind. Not sure if this will help your particular situation or not, but it solved a Leopard upgrade issue with my wife’s iMac.
Also, peruse the sites for your various apps (Fusion, etc.) and make sure you’re not running anything with known Leopard incompatibilities.
Leopard has been stable for me on my PowerBook G4. I hope you can get your system straightened out soon so you can have more fun exploring what Leopard and the Mac platform have to offer. Good luck.
tribe
Well I upgraded three different macs, and haven’t had a glitch with any of them, so I guess it boils down to it sucks to be you. If you’re getting lockups there’s a problem with *your* particular configuration. Try asking for help on one of the many tech boards instead of just whining, as obviously the vast majority of users don’t have your issues. Whole article comes across as a bash on apple with no objectivety.
Chuck
I can see some of your points, but bringing in the discussion of the iPhone has nothing to do with Leopard. And calling people Mactards is childish.
I have had no issues running Leopard. It is faster than Tiger, less beach ball activity and seems more stable. Nothing is perfect, so I can understand your frustration. I agree with anonymous above. I would try a clean install. Good luck.
Mart
I have had no problems at all with Leopard since day one; based on my conversations with folks, I think my experience reflects the majority. I think the poster just got unlucky – there are some things that Macs have never dealt with well – third-party RAM, OS “enhancers” (hacks) and so on… Most of the people I’ve heard of having problems are doing something of that sort…
Required Name
Personally, I find Mac OS X Tiger or Leopard to be far superior to anything Microsoft can deliver. Tiger was very buggy when first released, and I have no doubt that Leopard has ample bugs as well. IMHO, this is a direct result from the closed environment that Apple develops in, rather than any lack of talent. Now that everyone (including developers, no less) has their paws on Leopard, I expect that most problems will surface rather quickly and Apple will be quick to squash them (the serious ones, anyhow; less serious ones may not be fixed for years). That’s just the way Apple does business with the return of his Steveness.
STL
Did an Erase and Install of Leopard on my G5 PowerMac.
No problems at all with the OS functioning as advertised.
btw – For me, Time Machine has been a great app and trouble free.
Definitely not a piece of crap as the author claimed.
Brett
I agree that “Macs just work” is an exaggeration. Yet like most generalizations, it is based on statistical truth. By and large, Macs seem to have fewer issues, and those that are encountered are simpler to fix as compared with other OSs. But, the fact that thousands of others are doing just fine with Leopard is of little consolation if you a one of those that is having problems.
Ironically, sometimes it is the power-user switchers who have the most problems with Macs. Their overconfidence (based on prior knowledge, and ability to fix problems with other systems) causes them take chances. They are more likely to install newly released software without waiting to find out what unknown bugs and compatability issues might be lurking. They are more likely to load their systems down with all manner of software and hacks, and attempt to use their systems in unusual ways. I am thankful for the sacrifice of those who boldly go where none have gone before to essentially perform Apple’s final user testing.
The downside is that when problems inevitably are found, we see the alpha geeks getting on their soap boxes to trash Apple (whom they have a long-standing tendency to dislike out of principle).
Of course XP has fewer problems, it’s been in the wild for years having been patched repeatedly. The problems have been identified and addressed. That same will happen to Leopard.
I’m sorry you bought into the hype and let down your guard, and that your Mac experience has been soured. Apple, Macs and OS-X are not infallible. Always use due diligence when upgrading your computer. I’m sure your problems will eventually be fixed, and you will not regret your purchase.
I also recommend buying AppleCare. Its benefits include free phone support for 3 years.
Scott Paloma
I read your article and what really hit me was your assumption that because you had personally experienced problems, everybody must be in the same boat and thus… Leopard is a “not ready” operating system.
I was an advanced PC user who got fed up with all of the problems I had using Windows. As I looked back over the various versions I had used extensively (from it’s inception through Vista) I realized that I have never really had a stable operating system that simply worked and more often than not I was left frustrated when it came to my computing experiences. When I switched to Vista from XP I experienced so many headaches and lost so much time trying to hunt down fixes and apply patches that I finally gave up and bought a mac.
Let me say loud and clear that I have not had one single problem with either my laptop or my tower (both G5 systems) since the day I first plugged them in and turned them on. They have absolutely “just worked” no matter what I threw at them – whether connecting a multitude of devices, different printers, connecting to various business and private networks, even upgrading hardware… I have been amazed at how easy it is to work on a mac.
Switching to Apple was the best thing I ever did and any extra cost has been well recouped in the reclaimed time I now have to work instead of “fixing” a problem with my windows machine. I realize that you see (what you consider) a large number of unhappy mac customers on the Apple support forums, but really, what other kind did you expect to find there?
If you are going to report on the satisfaction of an operating system (or anything for that matter), to be fair you must look at the hard numbers, not base your opinions on a single users experience (even if it is your own). You do your readers a true disservice.
David Risley
I’m not trying to be an alpha geek here, Brett. I bought this machine knowing full well I was starting from practically ground zero in terms of knowledge of the OS.
Secondly, if I were TRYING to trash Apple, do you think I would have gone out and plopped down $2500 to buy one? I don’t think so. I spend that much money on a computer, I want to be singing in the rain about it.
Thirdly, I was not throwing any hacks or weirdness at this Mac. It was all standard Mac software. So, again, Mac users need to stop the reflex of always blaming the user when something goes wrong. Sometimes Macs crash. It’s a computer.
I’m glad many like Leopard. I am happy to report that as of today the system is running well for me, too. I have hibernation disabled and time machine off and that seems to have made the issues go away. I am going to apply some process of elimination to it and see if I can pinpoint a precise culprit to the crashes.
For anybody else, this is a blog. I’m not trying to be a reporter here. If my Mac keeps crashing, I’m going to blog about it here. And yes, I’m going to bash Leopard. Just like I bashed Vista, BTW. Nobody can say I’m not an equal opportunity complainer when the target deserves it.
novie
I haven’t upgraded to Leopard so I cant comment on it in particular, however in the interest of trying to actually help — as a user of VMWare Fusion on the Mac and VMWare workstation in Windows, I will say that VMWare Fusion is not as stable under Tiger as VMWare is on a PC. I can only assume it is even less stable under Leopard at this point, so perhaps *some* of your problems are coming from the heavy reliance on Fusion.
David Risley
novie, you’re leaning in the same direction I am. Fusion, as much as I like about it, seems to raise its head often in my efforts to troubleshoot these crashes.
Michael Moore
I would have to agree with David Risely. As stated in the first post, i went to the community for assistance but instead i received back-lash. I too also have a standard configuration for my mac. I also did a clean install with Leapoard. I just experience minor annoynces but overall as a mac user for over two years, i hae to say that i dont feel it is valid to spend 129 bucks basically for backup software(time machine). That is all thats really good about the new OS. Its good software but so is tiger. BTW, the very nature of my job, system admin, is to work with different systesms and that includes linux. I have negative issues with that as well. My lesson that i learned from all this is that i will never, ever, understand why end-user’s have such loyalty to any OS. Mac’s are good but damn, judging by the comments i would think some of you make love to your mac at night or would replace your family members with it. I enjoy my windows vista, my mac leaopord, and my ubuntu. But please, they are software created by humans. THEY HAVE PROBLEMS……
Pingback: OS X versus Windows - My Current Take » PC Mechanic
Bill
“Hhhmm…seems to me you’re trying to explain away the fact that “it just works” is a load of crap.”
A major OS upgrade will always cause compatibility problems because the point of the upgrade, apart from interface stuff, is to revise the underlying technology. That means changing APIs, which means broken software. Perfect backward compatibility can only happen if the OS is never given any substantial changes. It’s also impossible to test every combination of stuff every user will throw at the system. You would have had a better experience putting Leopard on the shelf for a while and using Tiger. To Apple’s credit, the first update is apparently already out for testing. This is where they differentiate themselves from MS. 10.5.1 will take care of almost all the issues (if history is a guide) and it’ll take a whopping month or so to show up. BTW: “It just works” was used by Jobs to describe the first Mac almost 25 years ago. Lately it was used to describe Vista.
“Uhhh, no. The drive was connected and on the entire time.”
Uhhh… if the drive was on the entire time then how could the system hang for a few moments whenever you switched it on as you described?
Hint: as a designer with 15 years of brand-name experience speaking to a younger designer I might suggest you take criticism a little more gracefully.
David Risley
Bill, on the drive, it is an external drive used by time machine. It remains connected, but Leopard powers it up and down as it sees fit. When opening certain file dialog boxes, etc, I get the beachball for 2-3 seconds while Leopard spins up the external drive. I am not “switching on” anything. Leopard has full control over it. Perhaps I was unclear in the original post.
John
I’m quite sick of Apple and Microsoft battling it out while we get stuck with their half-baked featureful OS’s. Let them both die and get replaced with something small, light, fast and built with purpose. I’m looking at you Google.