Apple offers $30 off OS X for Public Beta users

Several MacCentral readers have received US$30 discounts from Apple, redeemable for the purchase of the final release of Mac OS X through the Apple Store. The discounts are being e-mailed to people who purchased Mac OS Public Beta, and must be redeemed by March 14.

“Thank you for being one of the pioneers who beta tested Mac OS X. Your feedback has helped make Mac OS X the world’s most advanced operating system,” reads the e-mail. “To show our appreciation, we are offering you a $30 discount on the final version of Mac OS X. You will also be among the first to receive Mac OS X when it ships on March 24, 2001. Again, thanks for helping to make Mac OS X the world’s most advanced operating system.”

Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced at Macworld Expo last month that Mac OS X was set to ship in March. The next-generation operating system is being sold at the Apple Store for $129, so the discount will reduce the price to $99 instead.

Users who purchase Mac OS X through the Apple Store for Education are also eligible to receive the discount.

Not coincidentally, the original cost of the Mac OS X Public Beta software was also $30.

Mac OS X Public Beta was released at Apple Expo in Paris, France last September. The software drew a huge response from Mac users — much larger than Apple had anticipated, according to reports. Jobs and company have indicated that more than 100,000 Mac users have purchased the beta software since its release.

Mac OS X will be available for several months before it’s installed on new Macs shipping from the factory. In his Macworld Expo keynote address last month, Steve Jobs likened the release of OS X-savvy software to a bell curve, and suggested that the peak of the curve will occur in the summertime, when Apple will begin to pre-install OS X on new Macs.

The pending release of Mac OS X has caused many Mac users to question when they should upgrade. Jobs addressed this during a meeting with financial analysts earlier this week.

“I’m often asked, ‘When should I switch?’ There’s no one answer; it all depends on what apps you use and when they’re Carbonized,” Jobs said. “When enough are Carbonized, that’s when you should switch.”