Best Mac OS X 10.6, iLife, and iWork Prices

Although OS X 10.7 Lion, 10.8 Mountain Lion, and 10.9 Mavericks have each replaced it in turn, there are good reasons you may want to (or even need to) have Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

  1. You need to be running Snow Leopard to order, download, and install Lion, Mountain Lion, and Mavericks, which are available through the Mac App Store.
  2. OS X 10.6 is the last version of OS X to support Rosetta, which allows use of software written for PowerPC Macs (AppleWorks, Quicken, Microsoft Office 2004 and earlier, other discontinued apps, legacy versions of current software, etc.)
  3. If you have a Core Solo or Core Duo Mac (most of them introduced in the first half of 2006), OS X 10.6 is the last version of OS X they can run.

OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard retail boxSnow Leopard retailed for $29 for a single user or $49 for a 5-user family pack. We think anyone with an Intel Mac and still running OS X 10.4 Tiger or 10.5 Leopard should consider upgrading 10.6 Snow Leopard if you have at least 1.5 GB of memory (any less than that and 10.5 Leopard is your best bet) – although there are some areas where 10.5 is a better choice.

The Mac Box Set includes Mac OS X, iLife 09 or 11 (iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, and iWeb), and iWork 09 (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote). The Box Set is a great deal if you need apps from both bundles.

iLife 09 requires OS X 10.5.6 or later. iWork 09 requires OS X 10.4.11, the last version of Tiger, or 10.5.6 or later. Both are compatible with both PowerPC and Intel Macs. iLife 11 requires OS X 10.6.3 and only works with Intel Macs.

Apple no longer sells iLife on disc. iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand are now Mac App Store exclusives. Each sells for $14.99 and works with OS X 10.6.8 or later. iWeb has been discontinued.

While you can still buy the entire iLife package on disc, and Apple also sells the individual apps (for those who don’t need all three) via the Mac App Store: Pages, Numbers, and Keynote each sell for $19.99 and require OS X 10.6.6 or later – and Mavericks users can download the latest version, which requires Mavericks, for free.

Mac OS X 10.6 arrived on August 28, 2009, and it further raised the bar on hardware – every Intel Mac introduced prior to Mid-2010 with at least 1 GB of RAM can run it (although it won’t run well with just 1 GB), but no PowerPC Macs can.

Low End Mac does not sell software. Please use the links below to order from the vendor of your choice.

Best Mac OS X 10.6 Prices

  • OS X 10.6, single user, $20 shipped, Apple

Best iLife & iWork Prices

  • iLife 09, single user pack, $23 shipped, MegaMacs
  • iLife 09, 5-user family pack, $42 shipped, Amazon.com
  • iLife 11, single user pack, $23 shipped, MegaMacs
  • iLife 11, 5-user family pack, $38 shipped, Amazon.com
  • iWork 09, single user, $33 shipped, MegaMacs – $27 from Amazon.com plus shipping or with free shipping as part of a $35 order
  • iWork 09, 5-user family pack, $53 shipped, MegaMacs

Best Mac Box Set Prices

  • Mac Box Set, iLife 09, 5-user family pack, $60 shipped, Amazon.com
  • Mac Box Set, iLife 11, single user, $150 shipped, Amazon.com
  • Mac Box Set, iLife 11, 5-user family pack, $196 shipped, Amazon.com

Prices may be limited to quantity on hand. Not responsible for typos.

Buying through some of these links benefits Low End Mac. Buying at these prices benefits you.

Amazon.com

Free ground shipping on items direct from Amazon.com if order totals $25 or higher. Amazon.com collects sales tax on orders shipped to KS, KY, ND, NY, and WA.

Apple Store

Low End Mac is no longer an Apple Store affiliate and thus earns nothing from these links. However, this is the best prices you’ll find. Apple collects sales tax.

MegaMacs

Add $2.96 for First Class Mail.

  • iLife 09, single user, no box, $19.99
  • iLife 09, 5-user family pack, no box, $39.99
  • iLife 11, single user no box, $19.99
  • iLife 11, 5-user family pack, no box, $59.99
  • iWork 09, single user, no box, $29.99
  • iWork 09, 5-user family pack, no box, $49.99

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