For goodness' sake...

We all know that technically the terms we use to describe our base 2 units are base 10 descriptors, BUT we all also know that these base 10 terms such as KB, MB, GB, TB, etc., have been used since the 1960's to indicate multiples of 1024, probably because these terms were already in our language and easier for people to grasp. Yes it's technically incorrect, but it's accepted, common practice. There are plenty of misused terms in our language, but we let it slide because we all know what we mean.

If only the powers that be had had the foresight to start out using the proper terms (MiB, GiB, etc.) from day one this would never have been an issue, but they didn't so here we are.
It's far too late to be introducing 'new' terms for tens of millions of computer users to get used to (i.e. MiB, GiB, etc.), and it's also far too late to decide to change/correct the value of the universally used terms, MB, GB, etc.

Imagine telling the world, "Hey guys, you know the unit of measurement we call the 'foot' is made up of 12 inches? Well actually it isn't, it's 10. All that time ago, when we told you that 1 foot = 12 inches, err, well, we lied. 1 'foote' is 12 inches; 1 'foot' is actually only 10 inches, so now you're all going to have to get used to the 10 inch foot... So when you order curtains or timber or clothes or windows (anything!) it will still be measured, constructed and labelled using the 12 inch 'foot', but when you get it home you'll most likely find that none of it fits because you measured up using the new improved 10" foot. Ok?" Err... WTF? No!!
[Sorry, I know it's not the best analogy in the world, but hopefully it conveys my point]

Anyway, as we've all agreed to ignore the misrepresentation of Mibibytes as Megabytes, etc., for the last 40-odd years, let's just carry on shall we, and get the blasted storage device manufacturers to conform to the way it's been since modern computing began so we can have some consistency back in our wonderfully binary lives!

To illustrate why this won't work and how it will confuse people: If I download a 200MB file, I expect my OS to report that it is taking up 200MB of my storage medium, but Snow Leopard will tell me that it's about 204.8MB. Not confusing?

Similarly, when I upload a 200MB file that I've created to, say, Rapidshare, I want it to arrive on their servers and see a 200MB file sitting in my account, but of course a '200MB' file created in Snow Leopard will only be a 195.xMB file on the server so I'll think the upload broke and try again, with exactly the same confusing result.

In Snow Leopard, EVERY FILE I ever upload will appear online to be smaller than it appeared on my computer.
Have Apple lost the plot?!!