On Wednesday, Apple released the highly anticipated Mac OS X 10.7 Lion via the Mac App Store. The eighth major release of OS X, Lion marks the first version of the world’s most advanced operating system available exclusively through the Mac App Store. Bypassing the traditional CD/DVD format of past releases, Mac OS X Lion is a significant step forward both in terms of its new features and in how operating systems are acquired and installed.
Introducing over 250 new features, Lion is an enticing upgrade—especially given its very affordable $29.99 price point. The scale of Wednesday’s release is in line with the shift from Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger to Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard in the fall of 2007. While Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard acted as a bridge between Leopard and Lion, it was more of a refinement of the features already introduced in 10.5. Given this, Mac users have been waiting patiently for nearly four years for an upgrade of Lion’s scale, and thankfully it doesn’t disappoint.
Lion includes many groundbreaking new features including: enhanced Multi-Touch gestures, support for full screen apps, Mission Control, Launchpad, the Mac App Store and a completely redesigned version of Mail. As mentioned during keynotes and media events throughout its development, many of these new features are directly inspired by, or even copies of, features of Apple’s iOS mobile operating system. Due to this amalgamation, Lion has been toted as a synthesis of the best aspects of Mac OS X and iOS.
Almost as amazing as its new features is the way Lion is acquired and installed. No longer is a trip to the store to purchase a boxed version of the OS required. Users running Mac OS X 10.6.8 with compatible Intel Macs can download Lion from the convenience of their homes and offices through the Mac App Store. What many are already referring to as the simplest install of OS X ever, Lion can be installed and configured with just a few clicks. Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing contributed the following on Lion’s release and the ease of its install:
“Lion is the best version of OS X yet, and we’re thrilled that users around the world can download it starting today. Lion makes upgrading a Mac easier than ever before; just launch the Mac App Store, buy Lion with your iTunes account, and the download and install process will begin automatically.”
Supplementing the aforementioned features, Lion includes a series of refinements which look to radically change the way OS X is experienced and used. Among these Resume, Auto Save and Versions effectively eliminate the need to save files as they automatically preserve your Mac’s state prior to a restart or shutdown, continuously save your documents in the background and even keep a running history your of files as you work. Lion also introduces AirDrop, which revolutionizes file transfers to nearby Macs, making Sneakernet flash drive exchanges a thing of the past.
Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is now available on the Mac App Store, and retails for $29.99. To ensure your Mac is compatible and ready to upgrade, click here.
To purchase Lion, click here. (opens the Mac App Store)
System Requirements:
- Intel-based Mac with a Core 2 Duo, i3, 15, i7 or Xeon processor
- Mac OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard
- 2GB of RAM
- 4GB available hard drive space
We’ve been covering the client version of Leopard a lot. How about the server version though?