Free Mac OS X 10.1 Upgrade Available 29-Sep-01

Apple announced it will make its highly anticipated Mac OS X 10.1 upgrade available beginning this Saturday, 29-Sep-01. The upgrade is free to all owners of Mac OS X and purchasers of Macs that shipped with Mac OS X pre-installed, but because its size forces it to be available only on CD-ROM, Apple is charging a $20 shipping and handling fee (plus local sales tax). The full upgrade package, available to U.S. and Canadian users (Apple has said nothing about availability in other countries yet) via Apple’s Mac OS Up-to-Date program through 31-Dec-01, includes a Mac OS X 10.1 upgrade CD, a full Mac OS 9.2.1 CD, an updated Developer Tools CD, and a user guide. Apple promises 6 to 12 week delivery times via UPS or First-Class Mail, though we expect earlier delivery to be likely. However, you can avoid the fee and get Mac OS X 10.1 sooner by going to an Apple Store or participating Apple dealer for an Instant Up-to-Date upgrade package that includes only a Mac OS X 10.1 upgrade CD, a Mac OS 9.2.1 upgrade CD, and a Mac OS X manual. The Instant Up-to-Date package will be available through 31-Oct-01 or while supplies last. Attendees of this week’s Seybold Seminars can get the free upgrade at Apple’s booth. The full release of Mac OS X 10.1 will also be available for new customers starting Saturday for $130. As previewed at July’s Macworld Expo in New York, Mac OS X 10.1 offers faster performance, speedier application launching, DVD playback and burning, plus more compatibility with printers and digital cameras. Mac OS X 10.1 requires a Macintosh based on the PowerPC G3 or PowerPC G4 (not including the original PowerBook G3 or processor upgrade cards) with at least 128 MB of RAM and 1.5 GB of free disk space.