Writing for Fortune, senior editor and columnist Peter H. Lewis tells readers to wait a few more months before installing Apple’s new operating system. In All dressed up and no place to go, Lewis describes OS X as having “a half-baked quality” and “a two-layer code crust that’s a bit flaky.”
OS X is unlikely to appeal to Windows users since it’ll require buying a new computer. And it’s not user-friendly enough for first-time computer owners (who Apple says are still a core market for the iMac). Add to that fairly hungry system requirements and a dearth of OS X-native applications, and you have trouble waiting to happen, suggests Lewis, who says that OS X crashed on three different systems he installed it on.
These problems, Lewis asserts, are the result of Apple trying to push Windows XP out of the limelight by releasing an operating system that he suggests isn’t yet ready for primetime.
“I reluctantly came to the conclusion that with its March rollout to retail stores, Apple has simply raised the price of its public beta program by a hundred bucks,” said Lewis.
Calling Apple’s support for both Mac OS 9.1 and Mac OS X running on the same computer “bipolar,” Lewis laments that users will need to restart in 9.1 to gain access to features like DVD playback and CD-R burning. Lewis admits that this scheme enables users “[to make] the transition without sacrificing their investment in software or peripherals,” however.
Noting that Apple won’t pre-install OS X on shipping Macs for months yet, Lewis cautions readers to hold off on upgrading their own Macs.
“It’s always risky to upgrade an operating system, especially when it’s a wildly complex, brand-new, rebuilt-from-scratch OS like X. If you’ve waited 17 years for the next coming of the Macintosh OS, a few more months won’t hurt. In the meantime, start backing up your hard disk,” wrote Lewis.
For Lewis’ complete commentary about Mac OS X, please visit Fortune.com.