Apple to cut price of newest Mac OS to $29

June 8, 2009 | Dean Takahashi | Comments | |

The new Mac operating system, Snow Leopard, will be priced at just $29, more than $100 off the previous version. The new operating system will be available in September.

A family version of the Mac OS with multiple accounts will cost just $49. That’s an incredible price discount that will put pressure on Microsoft to cut the price of its operating systems as well. Bertrand Serlet, the top Mac OS executive, made the announcement at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference this morning.

Of course, Apple still has premium-priced laptops and computers, so it has ways to make up for lost software revenue as a result of this major price cut.

But this is one of the surest signs that Apple is serious about gaining market share on Windows. Already, there are more than 75 million users of the modern Mac OS.

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About the Author, Dean Takahashi

Dean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.

  • Best news so far from Cupertino! Finally we can all leverage 64 bit prosumer friendly OS. Upgrade/price reduction on the MBP and the iPhone 3GS is welcome, but not eye popping!

    Any plans for Apple to seed a beta version of the Snow Leopard to the public?
  • Facebook User
    These price cuts are more targetted towards getting existing users to upgrade than gaining on Microsoft.

    Weak economy = Fewer people buying new (expensive) MacBooks, so get more people to upgrade their existing machines.
  • bk
    Those are upgrade prices for existing Leopard owners. For new users (yes, there are still some people using Tiger), I believe the cost will remain $129.
  • GR
    You said : "But this is one of the surest signs that Apple is serious about gaining market share on Windows. Already, there are more than 75 million users of the modern Mac OS."

    While I applaud it, and will upgrade immediately, pricing the OS upgrade lower will not have an effect on market share at all. Even if 100% of Mac owners upgrade @ $29 there will still be exactly the same number of Mac users as there were before. Hence no change in market share.

    Only if NEW buyers of Macs buy a Mac because they find Snow Leopard compelling will the OS upgrade result in increased market share. And those new buyers get the OS for free included with their new Mac. And anyone who buys a Mac between yesterday and September gets the upgrade for the cost of the media $9.99.