The Case that You Pay More When You Don’t Upgrade
I am surprised every time I see people running an older version of software, especially the oh-so-important center-of-your-computer’s universe operating system. This could be because I have worked for the software industry (mostly large enterprise software) over 20 years. But I have learned over the years, as an end user, that staying current actually saves time and money in a preventative maintenance way.
IMPORTANT TIP #1: Check and install the latest version of all software you can possibly run. Apple and other software vendors usually distribute new security patches, enhancements & features in the current version, and the bare minimum patches and fixes for the next older version.
One excuse I commonly hear for not buying and installing a new upgrade release is that people don’t see the benefit, they only think the software companies are trying to squeeze more money out of the consumers after the consumer has already made a significant initial investment.
Cars and computers – an unlikely comparison
I can understand where they are coming from. Since so many cars are now equipped with software that runs everything from the brakes to core areas of the engine to voice enabling commands to your iPod; I’ll use that as an example.
If I bought a new car today, and next year I’m told that in order for it to keep running well and to take advantage of some advances in technology, I need to bring it to the dealer and get an upgrade to the software for a fee…. I would be appalled and incredulous. I bought the car, and it should keep working for another ten years or more!
But this doesn’t compare to computers. Here’s why.
When you buy a computer you are getting what the state of the industry requires for a reasonable computing experience at that time you purchased it (Moore’s law). Most of our computer use is to execute programs installed on the computer and browse the Internet (for work or pleasure). The advances of what is available on the Internet in the past 20 years is amazing. Many more graphics, programs to create websites without coding, video, streaming web meetings and movies… These are things consumers want, and they want them fast.
This directly affects software applications. As the crunching capacity of computing power increases, so does demand by consumers of software vendors to add features, compute more work in less time, etc.
Call me pro-commerce, but companies do have to keep their doors open to keep supporting their products to your benefit. There are ever-changing standards set by the operating system vendors that applications developers have to keep up with, and there are requirements by the hardware manufacturers that the operating system vendors have to keep up with for your hardware and software to work with a minimum of trouble. This costs in terms of employment and other business expenses.
These companies, behind the scenes, have very talented programmers and other staff that make all the necessary changes and the improvements the consumers demand. They have to pay them and still make a profit (unless it’s an open source volunteer project).
It makes good business sense to have your programmers put their efforts into the latest two releases of your product, especially if you produce an operating system. Usually, the third generation version back is not going to be compatible with current hardware and it would take costly resources away from work on the current software versions to try to keep an older version working for the small percentage of users still using it. Not to mention that it’s not possible to keep it working to the users’ expectations.
L
et’s picture a new computer buyer, five years ago, was thrilled with the speed they could browse web pages, create documents, and perhaps dabble in Photoshop. Well what’s on those web pages has changed, and you need a current Internet browser to view them correctly and that Internet browser can’t be made to run on the older operating system, because it is limited by being written for web standards, graphics memory available, and the speed limitations of their Internet access five years ago. Same goes for Photoshop, it’s become much more feature rich and resource intense.
One of the most important reasons vendors encourage you to apply free updates and then occasional paid upgrades (new versions) is security. The older operating systems have significant security holes in them that weren’t a problem when they were written. Hackers thrive on these holes and the people running the older versions.
The majority of changes included in updates are bug fixes and security patches. A big part of new operating system upgrades are advances in technology and the user interface, but a big part these days is making the system more secure from viruses, malware, trojan horses, and attacks from intruders.
IMPORTANT TIP #2: When making your initial investment in your computer, get the longest hardware warranty you can get (with Apple, always get the 3 year AppleCare) and budget for annual upgrades to the operating system and applications.
The major upgrades may not be that often, but at least you are prepared. If you don’t, you’ll be suffering from security issues and compatibility issues that cost time and money to repair.
I want my readers to have the best computing experience possible. If you’ve been with me for a while, you get this. Especially if you’ve previously had to pay for repairs and troubleshooting only to eventually upgrade anyway.
The great news.
Apple only charges $29 for it’s last upgrade. This coming upgrade to Lion is going to be the same price, with the added benefit of the Mac App Store taking your payment and installing it for you. Now is the time to upgrade to Snow Leopard so you have access to to Mac App Store. Apple will support Snow Leopard for a while, but there is no guarantee they will continue to provide security updates to Leopard. This also means that new applications you want to install may not support Leopard once the Lion is released.
The road Apple is going down is great for consumers. Less expensive upgrades, less need for outside help. That excites me most because I love to see my readers and clients more self sufficient. All this without raising prices on their hardware is really impressive.
Yes, less business for your support people like applejuice tech. But We saw it coming and have made my plans accordingly. No not Windows support! We are doing more software development and technology consulting, including social media marketing for local and small businesses. We will continue to serve our customers, with more of an emphasis on consulting and training to help you keep up with technology changes and learn new skills.
In Summary, privacy and security are closely intertwined when it comes to your computer and your use of it. This impacts your physical safety and personal privacy offline.
ONE MORE THING 
When you are evaluating software and online services, keep this in mind. When you are thinking of putting off installing a free software update, I hope you will remember these points.
- When you are asked to pay for an upgrade to your operating system, make an educated decision by checking with the vendor to find out if they will still be providing security updates to the existing system.
- If you decide not to upgrade, stay on the lookout for when they announce they will not be supporting it, but keep installing the free updates as long as they are made available.
- More and more applications don’t rely on your operating system. I am a heavy user of web-based applications. They aren’t installed on my computer.
Another excuse I hear for not upgrading an operating system is that the new one would require an upgrade of other expensive software applications, such as Adobe CS.
This is generally not an issue if you’re running one of the two latest versions. You can find out from the software maker if it will work. If it’s been a long time since you’ve upgraded your Adobe, well, you’ve put off paying. Eventually you have to do it and if you’ve followed my advise, you have budgeted for it. Adobe can’t keep all it’s older versions working on old and new versions of operating systems, it would be a nightmare, and in order to be approved by Apple it needs to be efficient and nicely written code. That’s why they produce new versions. (The great Apple ecosystem that we love because there are less problems.)
Just keep in mind that not all your applications will reside on your computer in the future, just some key apps that perhaps are related to your work. You may not realize it, but you are already using many web-based applications than you realize.
IMPORTANT TIP #3: If computer-resident applications are related to your work, then it should be your priority to keep them up to date as they have new features that are built to help you work better and faster, collaborate, and prevent compatibility issues which could delay your work or lose you money. Most vendors and service providers make free tutorials and learning materials available to help you get used to any changes.
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