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Wolfpup

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Sep 7, 2006
2,927
105
I think Apple should somehow advertise that their OS does NOT have a kill switch in it (ie Activation).

I'm probably not getting a Dell laptop specifically because of so called "product activation", and I doubt I'm alone...it's just that 99% of people don't understand the issue. If they did, how many people would trust their life to a system that can be locked up by installing a buggy piece of software, or if Microsoft changes terms, etc.?

Related info: I had been posting questions about this issue for a few weeks. With XP, a computer that shipped with the OS installed from a big OEM (ie Dell) could have the OS reinstalled WITHOUT activation. But since Vista's "activation" has gotten even nastier, I didn't trust that it was the same.

I finally ended up posting in Microsoft's forum for Vista activation questions...and got my post deleted as being "off topic".

Since then I've caught other posters who have purchased laptops with Vista, have tried to reinstall, and have needed to activate. (In one case, he couldn't even do it over the internet-had to use the phone, and had to do it about once a week.)

Microsoft seems to be deleted posts like that regularly.

Anyway, Apple has a HUGE advantage here IMO, and should somehow, in simple terms get the word out...
 

Eraserhead

macrumors G4
Nov 3, 2005
10,434
12,250
UK
All that does is attract pirates and the technologically minded, the technologically minded already know, the pirates don't buy anything other than hardware so make Apple (and third party developers) no money, and everyone else doesn't care. Therefore it's not really it Apple's interest ;).
 

wrldwzrd89

macrumors G5
Jun 6, 2003
12,110
77
Solon, OH
I think Apple should somehow advertise that their OS does NOT have a kill switch in it (ie Activation).

I'm probably not getting a Dell laptop specifically because of so called "product activation", and I doubt I'm alone...it's just that 99% of people don't understand the issue. If they did, how many people would trust their life to a system that can be locked up by installing a buggy piece of software, or if Microsoft changes terms, etc.?

Related info: I had been posting questions about this issue for a few weeks. With XP, a computer that shipped with the OS installed from a big OEM (ie Dell) could have the OS reinstalled WITHOUT activation. But since Vista's "activation" has gotten even nastier, I didn't trust that it was the same.

I finally ended up posting in Microsoft's forum for Vista activation questions...and got my post deleted as being "off topic".

Since then I've caught other posters who have purchased laptops with Vista, have tried to reinstall, and have needed to activate. (In one case, he couldn't even do it over the internet-had to use the phone, and had to do it about once a week.)

Microsoft seems to be deleted posts like that regularly.

Anyway, Apple has a HUGE advantage here IMO, and should somehow, in simple terms get the word out...
I agree with you completely, having had issues with my own Parallels install that required reactivating Windows XP over the phone, TWICE :mad:
 
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