[cmcquistion]

Apple has managed to release a new version of OS X about every 12-18 months for several years. Their users don't seem to complain about it. They look forward to it and spend their money happily to get it.

There are several big differences, however, that Microsoft could learn from. First, Apple charges a pretty minimal amount for every release ($100 or less). Second, Apple shows their customers what they are gaining from each release, including IMPROVED performance, on the same hardware, with every release. Third, Apple tries to retain compatibility between each version and works very hard to help developers maintain compatibility.