One of the first things done surrounding Windows Vista was releasing all the betas to the public in mass; it is very well known that any savvy user can obtain a full working copy of nearly any Microsoft operating system via bit torrents or other means. However, such is not the case with OS X Leopard, as there are no copies of the near-complete OS circulating the internet; could this be due to a more unified and progress-minded user base in Apple fans?
I am not one to utilize the base means of software “sharing” with torrents, newsgroups, and p2p clients, but I was alerted by a close friend of mine that he searched the internet up and down for a working copy of the Leopard beta, and to his (and my own) surprise, no such copy could be obtained.
I found this completely ironic, as a multitude of Vista builds can be found on nearly any torrent site, and that operating system is in need of a serious overhaul (just after launch), whereas OS X Leopard is virtually complete and has been heralded as the greatest operating system to date…but no beta copies to be found outside the hands of approved developers.
Anyone familiar with the nature of piracy knows that when people want something (in the software or media realm), with enough work it becomes mass-available. If that is the case, why hasn’t Leopard made it into pirate hands? Here is my reasoning for why Leopard could theoretically stay safe until official release:
1. Apple has done an admirable job of distributing software to those that should receive it. Unlike Microsoft’s vast casting call to all who would beta-test Vista, Apple is aware Leopard is well-designed and not in need of mass testing to iron out bugs and quirks.
2. The developers who received Leopard share a truly vested interest in the success of both Apple and Leopard; not akin to the free-for-all, every man for himself mentality existent within the Windows community, developers do not wish to detract from the success of Apple (what a novel concept!).
3. Apple users are not (on the whole) a bad community looking to take advantage of Apple. The beauty of the Apple community is that it appreciates what Apple provides, and identifies itself with Apple products; as such most of us aren’t trying to exploit Apple at every turn. There really aren’t many users looking to pirate Leopard, as many are willing (and eager) to spend the meager sum of $130 for the next greatest operating system; additionally, many understand the work Apple is putting into Leopard and are willing to wait until October to see it in its final glory.
To sum up, the reason Leopard hasn’t made it into pirates’ hands is because developers and users both want Apple to succeed, and are ok with its decision to delay Leopard until October. Talk about corporate-consumer synergy!
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