Apple was going to charge $49 to Aperture owners to upgrade to the Universal Binary version. Now it’s going to be free. What does this mean? In my opinion, it means someone at Apple got smart.
The one thing learned from the recent Macworld Expo is that Intel based versions of your favorite Mac hardware is coming sooner than later. What’s the best way to get all those pros with older G5 towers to buy it? Native Intel versions of their favorite production software that will run at faster speeds is a nice incentive. Add in that they can still use the same version on their current Macs is a bonus. As much as people complain about having to buy iLife 06 or iWork is nothing compared to having to buy the Final Cut Suite again to support new hardware.
Remember that Apple isn’t a software company that makes hardware, they’re a hardware company that makes software. Will the Aperture deal mean the same for other pro-level software from Apple? If they want to sell more pro Intel-based towers (whenever they come out) it better be. Give a little to gain a lot.
While it would be great if Adobe and Microsoft would do the same for the Mac market, I’m not holding my breath.
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