Apple Sells One Million Copies of Lion

ByMike Moffit

Yesterday, Apple announced Mac OS X Lion has already amassed over one million downloads. The freshly debuted operating system reached this impressive sales figure in just 24 hours, making it fastest selling OS release in Apple’s history. The first major OS X release available exclusively through the Mac App Store, Lion’s easy install and relatively low $29.99 price point likely aided in its tremendous early adoption rates.

Lion has been in the wild for over two days now and, although Apple has yet to disclose additional sales numbers, it is highly probable downloads are approaching—or have potentially surpassed—the two million mark. With over 250 new features and refinements to nearly every aspect of previous versions of OS X, it’s easy to see why Lion is a runaway hit. Speaking on the operating system’s excellent reception, Apple senior VP of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller offered the following:

Lion is off to a great start, user reviews and industry reaction have been fantastic. Lion is a huge step forward, it’s not only packed with innovative features but it’s incredibly easy for users to update their Macs to the best OS we’ve ever made.

Putting Lion’s success in better perspective, MacRumors cites it took Apple more than a month to sell two million copies of Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger when it originally launched in 2005. It’s remarkable to think that Apple may have already exceeded this number in just 48 hours.

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
  • 7GB available hard drive space
  • Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply
  • Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply

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