What benefits does the latest Mac OS X for free bring to Apple?

Apple announced yesterday that its latest desktop operating system, Mac OS X Mavericks, will be available for free download to all Mac users. Today, the tech blog AllThingsD wrote an article about the benefits of offering a free desktop system to Apple, stating that the move is essentially aimed at adding value to hardware through software and driving the sales of high-priced hardware.

The following are the main points of the article:

Returning to Old Ways

For Apple, providing the latest OS X Mavericks operating system for free to Mac users is not a new trick but rather a return to old ways.

In the early days, the company regularly released free operating system updates until it stopped doing so with the launch of Mac OS 8 in 1997. Now, 16 years later, it has once again embraced this practice, and the reason is good and simple.

Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, said at Apple's event on Tuesday, "What matters most to us is getting Mavericks into as many hands as possible." CEO Tim Cook also echoed, "We want everyone to be able to use all of our best features."

That is, Apple wants all its Mac users to have the latest desktop operating system. The reason it so desires to achieve this is not because it benefits consumers - although it does benefit them - but because it benefits Apple. Indeed, providing Mavericks for free can bring a host of benefits and competitive advantages to the company, which may make the decision to abandon making money by charging for the operating system relatively easy.

Various Benefits

• Providing Mavericks for free will immediately appeal to consumers; Apple now offers for free to Mac users what used to be charged.

• Providing Mavericks for free will undoubtedly accelerate its adoption. This is beneficial for both Apple and its developers, who will then be able to focus on supporting and developing applications for the latest version of Mac OS without worrying about older versions. It also benefits consumers, who will get access to more cool apps. "Some might say that the move is essentially aimed at encouraging people to upgrade their old hardware devices that struggle to run the new operating system," BTIG analyst Walter Piecyk said, "but the company has always emphasized the benefits to developers of having most iOS devices running the latest operating system. Promoting the adoption of the new operating system on PCs and laptops could similarly benefit developers."

• Providing Mavericks for free can define Apple as a company that sells integrated product experiences - not separate hardware and software, but rather a superior combination of both.

Software Driving Hardware

And if the experience is good enough, people will be willing to pay a premium.

This is the true significance of Apple returning to this free pricing strategy. Because fundamentally, the company is using software to sell high-priced hardware.

"It's all about adding value to hardware and creating a comprehensive and attractive experience," Gartner research vice president Carolina Milanesi told AllThingsD, "hardware needs software and apps to come alive and lock consumers into its ecosystem."

This is exactly what we see happening with iOS. Indeed, by making Mavericks free, Apple is simply replicating the strategy it has long used for its mobile operating system - the device system is provided for free, and instant upgrades are also free. Software becomes a differentiating factor for Apple's often higher-priced hardware compared to competitors' products, and future free system upgrades will do the same. As Cook said, once you enter the ecosystem, you will always have access to Apple's best features. This point is becoming increasingly important against the backdrop of other giants like Google offering software for free.

"The era of selling hardware and software separately and leaving it to users to assemble and install is coming to an end," Yankee Group Vice President Carl Howe pointed out, "currently, Microsoft remains the last and only company that separates the operating system from hardware products for sale. I think users will gradually realize that purchasing hardware and software from different suppliers is no different than buying car engines and transmissions from different companies."