And for You Windows Users, We’re Offering Snow Leopard Home Premium, Snow Leopard Ultimate and Snow Leopard Insanely Great
Apple has repeatedly characterized its forthcoming Snow Leopard operating system as an under-the-hood upgrade to the Mac OS, one that focuses on performance enhancements rather than new features. And clearly, it’s designed to set a new standard for quality and lay the foundation for future OS X innovation. But with its $29 price point, it’s intended to do something else as well: Undermine Microsoft’s (MSFT) Windows 7.
So says Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, who, in a research note issued this week, suggests that there’s more value in Snow Leopard than just the minor bump it will give to Apple’s (AAPL) bottom line.
“We believe Apple is using a minor upgrade to its operating system as an opportunity to sell it at a lower price ($29 vs. $129 previously) and market the new OS as a selling point for the Mac platform over the Windows platform,” Munster writes. “In other words, Apple is promoting the Mac platform as a superior alternative to Windows in terms of newer technology, more frequently, for less money. The release of Snow Leopard is not about new features; rather, it is about keeping Mac users up to date with the latest technology vs. Windows XP and Vista users on antiquated technology.”