Thoughts about the new MacMini & Lion OS

@ Meiwan, as you continue to listen with Lion installed, please keep us informed as to your experience and thoughts about that experience. Anyone else who has upgraded to Lion and uses PM or Fidelia, your experience and thoughts are appreciated as well.

:) listening,

Ed

I have owned Macs continuously since purchasing my first one in the Spring of 1984. I have always made it a practice to hold off on major OS upgrades until the smoke clears - say in about six months. By the time I load Lion the bugs will be ironed out and software compatibility issues will be resolved.

In the meantime, I think Apple made a mistake dropping the built-in optical drive. There's been a lot of negative buzz today from current Mac mini users, both small business users and home users looking for a Media server. Everyone realizes an outboard drive can be obtained, but a lot of folks loved the Mini's compact form factor. We'll get over it, of course, and Apple will rock on, but short term I think there will be lost sales.

Mach2Music,

Thanks for the reply and I understand your position. I built a software company from scratch and sold it 10 years later in 1995. There was never a day in my business where I wasn't worried what IBM or Microsoft would do. Back then, we coded underneath, around and through the OS....today, most developers code on top of the OS.....digging deeper, such as I suspect you are doing, has it's perils and I have no doubt you are on top of it.

The toughest challenge for a company such as yours is, paraphrasing from your note to your customers quoted above, is that you are now on record wondering aloud whether your product will be available to optimize the Mac Mini that will be on sale from tomorrow on. I am certain, burning the midnight oil, you will successfully overcome the roadblocks you have identified in the new version of OSX because your very survival depends on it. I wish you well in your endeavors and your many happy customers will be thrilled in short order with your new release.

My experience in the industry is so old and not applicable as of this writing that I do not intend to imply I understand your business or the challenges you face in your development cycle. I can attest though that I haven't touched a Microsoft based machine in over a decade and do not ever plan to again. LOL! Strategically though, I'm pretty sure this is the first major OS hurdle your company has faced and you will grow a great deal in the coming months. Best wishes.....just sayin.....

GH

Ghasley,

Actually, we are in a good spot. We know we can make the 2011 Mac Mini sound great, just as we have with the 2010 model. What is unclear is that weather that will be done with Lion or Snow Leopard, in the long haul.

The OS is simply an ends to a means. We'll go with whatever sounds best. For now, we prefer Snow Leopard.

It sounds like you have been around the blocks a few times, and I suspect your experience is far more relevant than you humbly state above. After all, the more things change, the more they stay the same...

The good news is that folks here can play with Lion. Just shoot a full backup before you do the Lion install. If in the end you don't like Lion sound quality, restore your current set up. All you are out is $29, and the time. Just be sure YOU know how to restore your Mac...

Darrell
www.mach2music.com

Darrel,
Try whether next time you write - and not weather.