It requires Core 2 Duo or newer, which leaves the following Macs behind unless you update the firmware and install a Core 2 Duo CPU:Īdditionally, Lion is the first version of OS X with no support for PowerPC software.

First of all, Lion is a 64-bit operating system, so it won’t work on those 2006 Macs built around 32-bit Core Solo and Core Duo processors.

Like OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, Lion requires an Intel-based Mac, but it goes two steps beyond that. As a convenience, Apple allowed users to bring their Macs to a nearby Apple Store and use Apple’s WiFi to make the download. You must have OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard installed to purchase, download, or install Lion, and the 4 GB download could take some time with slower DSL connections (we don’t even want to think about how long it would take with dial-up). Lion was only available by purchase and download from the Mac App Store, where it retailed for US$29.99. Some of these changes were to make it easier for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users to adapt to the Mac, some to make the two platforms work better together, and some to keep making the Mac better and better. Among the headlining features are support for full-screen applications, more multitouch gestures, system resume, auto save for app data, AirDrop file transfer, and a feature called 'Launchpad' that mimics the icon-based app launcher in iOS.OS X 10.7 Lion was released on Jand made some huge changes to the Mac. Apple released OS X 10.6.8 a few weeks ago, which included tweaks to the Mac App Store software to ease the transition to Lion.Īpple says Lion packs in 'over 250 new features.' The OS first made its debut at an event dubbed ' Back to the Mac' in October, where the company also launched its second-generation MacBook Air and iLife '11 software. Lion will be the first by Apple to be released only through its Mac App Store as a digital download.īecause users first need to be Snow Leopard users, the update requires that users are running the latest version of Apple's Mac OS software. However that release required that Apple stamp and produce boxed discs to send out to retail stores. With Snow Leopard, Apple's previous Mac OS release, the time between going from gold master status to hitting store shelves was approximately two weeks. Today's GM seed suggests that the release will be much earlier in the month, possibly as soon as next week. That's typically the same build users get when the software is released.Īt its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Apple announced that it would be releasing Lion as a $29.99 update to users in July, though it did not specify a particular date. Today Apple offered developers the gold master seed of the software. The next major version of Apple's Mac OS is one big step closer to being released.

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