∞ Lion coming in July for $29, only from Mac App Store

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Steve Jobs and company showed off the latest innovations coming to Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion” on Tuesday at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), which kicked off in San Francisco. Apple revealed that Lion will be released in July for $29.99, and will be available exclusively through the Mac App Store in a 4GB download, suitable for installing on all authorized Macs.

[ad#Google Adsense 300x250 in story]Lion sports more than 250 new features. Some of the features were first revealed at a special “Back to the Mac” event last October, but Apple VPs Phil Schiller and Craig Federighi fleshed those features out, and others, in more detail.

Lion incorporates systemwide support for full screen applications, along with new multi-touch gesture support similar to how iOS works, with rubber band-style scrolling, page and image zoom and full-screen swiping.

Mission Control offers what Apple calls a “bird’s-eye view” of everything that’s happening on your Mac, with Exposé, apps, Dashboard and Spaces all combined into a single interface. Launchpad is a new interface element that makes it possible to launch application from a single full-screen layout; you can organize apps into folders and pages, similarly to how they’re laid out in iOS.

Lion also features a redesigned Mail app with widescreen layout; it adds a new “Conversations” function that groups related messages. Mail in Lion also has a new search feature that can suggest matches by person, subject and label as you type. It includes built-in support for Microsoft Exchange 2010.

Apple also revealed that Lion Server will be available as a separate download for users who have already installed Lion. It will cost another $49.99.

Apple says that Lion requires a Mac with a Core 2 Duo, i3, i5, i7 or Xeon processor and 2GB RAM. This appears to exclude early Intel iMacs which had Intel Core Duo processors only.


  • lkalliance

    I don’t like the feel of “bait-and-switch” on the server product. If memory serves, at the last preview Apple announced that Server would be included. Semantically it might be that it’s “included” and it’s true that the combination of $80 for both Lion and Lion Server is much less than, say, Leopard and Leopard Server, and that’s very good…but it just feels badly couched. I know, just a semantic thing, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

    • Steven Fisher

      i don’t think that was ever announced or part of Apple’s pages, though it might have hit the rumor sites.

      • lkalliance

        (Just tried posting a reply, but it contained a link so it has to await approval. Reposting a summary here just to further the discussion)

        I looked up a source, Macworld, and this is what I found:

        “Lion Server is now part of Mac OS X Lion. It’s easy to set up your Mac as a server and take advantage of the many services Lion Server has to offer.”

        This is attributed to Apple’s Lion preview page in a February 25 Macworld article, “Could Lion Bring us Closer to a Mac Home Server?” (link to the article provided in the post awaiting approval). Now I submit that the cost of Lion Server is a huge huge huge discount over past server products, and that I’m probably nitpicking on semantics. But Apple is generally good at getting the details right.

        • Peter Cohen

          If I want Snow Leopard server, it’s gonna cost me $500 today (less if I shop around).
          Lion Server will set you back a total of $80. $30 for Lion, $50 for the server software.

          Yeah, you’re really getting jacked. Draconian Apple!

          • http://www.smiley-dread.com Ian

            And for $80, you get an “exchange” capable server that’s good for the whole family with lots of extras. That’s “mobile me Pro” — the answer for all those who don’t want to use the “cloud”. 

          • lkalliance

            Oh, don’t misunderstand, I’m not disputing that it’s a big savings and a huge price improvement. Just a little detail that left a bad taste in my mouth. Semantics only.

          • lkalliance

            Not sure why my response comment didn’t post the first time; will try again and apologize in advance if it turns into a double-post.

            Don’t misunderstand me, I do realize and enthusiastically acknowledge that the deal is a great one with server software available for a fraction of the price it used to be. Just noting this detail that left a bad taste in my mouth. Purely a matter of semantics, not value, but I’m thin-skinned.

        • http://www.theangrydrunk.com The Angry Drunk

          Confusing as it may be to comprehend, Macworld is not affiliated with Apple. Until Apple announces the pricing (as they just did) everything else is pure speculation.

          • lkalliance

            Just reacting to what Apple did say, not Macworld. See my comment above: Macworld was quoting from Apple’s page. I just used the article as the source, since it referenced Apple’s text.

          • lkalliance

            Not confusing at all. I was quoting Macworld, as it’s my first source for Apple news and insight, but the relevant quote was Apple’s. I just quoted a Macworld article that was quoting the Apple public source.

      • http://www.jphotog.com Hrunga Zmuda

        It was on Apple’s dedicated Lion website. I even emailed Thurrott about it and he conceded the point. I assumed it meant free when I read it, but now it appears it will have a nominal charge. 

  • Haywir3

    So as a current Leopard user, how am I supposed to upgrade?

    • http://www.facebook.com/brianbrown67 Brian Brown

      Probably by upgrading to Snow Leopard. 

    • Peter Cohen

      Upgrade to Snow Leopard, then upgrade to Lion. Or buy a new Mac. Your call.

      • Haywir3

        Its corporate logic like that, that feeds the pirated software realm. I’m willing to pay $29 for Lion like everyone else… I won’t however, pay $58. Now instead of getting my $29, they won’t get anything. 

        • Peter Cohen

          They’ll get mine. I’ll have the smug satisfaction of not being a leeching parasite, too.

          • Haywir3

            Nice knee jerk reactionary response. There are two ways for Apple not to get my money. One involves piracy, the other involves me continuing to use a different operating system platform that was legally paid for and rightfully obtained. For a blogger in your position to publically slander someone based on an erroneous personal assumption is shameful and a detriment to this site.

          • http://twitter.com/darxmac thomas

            What other (commercial) OS is going to cost you $58 to legally own ?

          • http://mangochut.net/ mangochutney

            So it’s your way or the highway, eh?
            Tell me, how much does the cheapest version of Windows 7 cost?

            This isn’t a bazar, you can’t haggle to get the best price.

          • Haywir3

            Nice knee jerk reactionary comment. However, there are two ways in which Apple can be denied my money. One involves piracy, the other involves me continuing to make use of the computing platform that I’m currently using, all of which was paid for and legally obtained. For a blogger like yourself to publically slander someone based on an erroneous assumption is shameful and a detriment to this site.

          • http://twitter.com/Moeskido Moeskido

            Those are all reactions to your remarkably solipsistic declarations of self-entitlement. If you’re determined to deny Apple the equivalent of a dinner for two, simply to avoid paying for a substantial upgrade, I’m hoping your chosen path yields rich rewards, especially when such behavior is exercised in your direction.

          • Peter Cohen

            Nice backpedaling. Feel free to complain to the management.
            Oh wait. I *am* the management. Never mind.

          • Anonymous

            So if you are all happy with your Windows system why are you hanging out on Apple sites making nasty comments and actually expecting folks not to treat you like the troll you are acting like. Do you get off on being a jerk or something. 

        • Anonymous

          You really are a spectacularly mean person then. How many copies of Windows can you get for $58?

        • http://netcropolis.org W. Ian Blanton

          Yeah, you speak the truth to power, Haywir3! How F’ing DARE Apple reduce the price by 84% (total) and expect us to actually PAY for it. You enjoy that jacked version of Lion Server Dude, you deserve it. Also, while you’re scraping gum off the underside of tables for dinner, you might want to ponder the incalculable innovations you’ve brought to society, you human leech.

        • http://www.bynkii.com/ John C. Welch

          Public Enemy would be proud. They wrote that song for you.

        • http://www.facebook.com/people/Sue-Carver/564081873 Sue Carver

          You’ll also have the happy feeling of using an operating system that retailed for $129, not the pittance of $29 (or even $58) Why drive a hatchback, when you can cruise around in a (slightly dated) Cadillac??

        • Anonymous

          Than stick with a PC where you have to pay three times that amount and you have to worry about it installing correctly. 

    • http://www.smiley-dread.com Ian

      The proper question is: why are you as a Leopard user not already using Snow Leopard? 

  • http://www.jphotog.com Hrunga Zmuda

    The Mac App store is what bothers me. There are plenty of situations where that is not going to work. For example, in a corporate environment where their proxy servers or firewalls will block access to the Mac App store. Right now where I work that’s not a problem. BUT, the terms of service specifically exclude corporate environments. 

    Apple must have a separate plan for institutional use.

    And let’s not even get into a situation where you’ve lost your hard drive, and your Time Machine backup isn’t quite complete.

    • Peter Cohen

      Copy the 4GB installation package to a USB stick. Problem solved.

      • Dan H

        Not to mention that the Lion page says you need the App Stire and Snow Leopard if you want to update on Day One. A tsunami of FUD notwithstanding, the picture may change on Day Two, Three or higher. World still turning last I checked.

        • Anonymous

          Actually it is unlikely that they will introduce something else later. They clearly didn’t mention a DVD option and mentioned the whole Snow Leopard thing now so folks can update their computers well before they need it ready. Particularly those folks that need to go buy a Snow Leopard disk because they are still on tiger or leopard

    • http://www.bynkii.com/ John C. Welch

      there are also, to date, a ton of workarounds that have been published for this. 

      • http://www.jphotog.com Hrunga Zmuda

        Well, that’s good to know. But how can there be a ton of workarounds published for this when they just announced yesterday that Lion is MAS-only? I’m aware of how to put previous versions of the OS X installer on a flash stick, as Peter mentions, but licensing is my concern. 

        I just got an email from an Apple engineer and he told me they don’t actually have an official solution yet for my issue of corporate installation of Lion, but they are working on it and will have an answer soon. But I’ll look into these workarounds for more general problems.

        • http://twitter.com/Moeskido Moeskido

          Their official solution to anything has to pass muster with Legal before they can post it publicly. I imagine your impatience to hear the answer will be addressed before you actually need that answer.