Apple to Ease Off Annual Mac OS Upgrade Pace

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SAN FRANCISCO—Apple Computer Inc. will ease up a bit on the frequency of Mac OS X upgrades after it releases the next version, code-named Tiger, the companys chief software technology officer said Tuesday.

But users can expect the company to continue regular upgrades that take advantage of steady advances in Mac hardware, Avadis Tevanian said at the Software & Information Industry Associations Enterprise Software Summit here.

Tevanian conceded that Apples current annual upgrade schedule “is not a sustainable rate. But youll still see us going really fast,” he said.

Tevanian rebutted comments that Apple had alienated some of its customers with the rapid pace of Mac OS X upgrades. Some Mac OS 9.x users may have taken their time to upgrade to OS X, he acknowledged.

/zimages/7/28571.gifFor insights on the Mac in the enterprise, check out eWEEK.com Executive Editor Matthew Rothenbergs Weblog.

But many users have upgraded to the latest OS X version as they replace aging Mac hardware and will continue to do so, he said.

/zimages/7/28571.gifClick here to read more about Apples plans for Tiger, Mac OS Version 10.4.

Apple plans to demonstrate Tiger publicly for the first time at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference here June 28. Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple released the current version in October 2003 and is expected to release Tiger before year-end. Tiger will be the fourth major upgrade since Apple introduced Mac OS X in 2001.

/zimages/7/28571.gifClick here to read about a recent security upgrade to Apples Mac OS X.

Apple officials have not specified when the new version will be ready to ship.

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