Are You Happy With Lion?

[Taz Mangus]

I am loving using Lion. Some of the features that I really enjoy using:

1. Natural scrolling.
2. Screen sharing in a different account then the one that is logged in. This features even works when I use my iPad using the VNC Viewer app.
3. The built-in gestures like swiping left and right with two fingers in Safari to go back/forward a page, four finger gestures (up, down, left and right).
4. Safari, under Lion, is snappier as compared to running under Snow Leopard.

Lion has been pretty solid running for me on 2011 27" iMac and my 2009 17" MacBook Pro. I have not had any lockups. I did have one crash with iTunes happen yesterday. Sleep and Wake on Network Access both work great. I know some people are having issues with these.

Lion seems to run as fast as Snow Leopard did and has improved in at least one area over Snow Leopard, faster WiFi access on my iMac (108Mb/s for Snow Leopard vs 162Mb/s for Lion).

I am finding some minor bugs cropping up here and there, pretty minor stuff for a .0 release.

At this point, I can't see myself going back to Snow Leopard as I would miss the new features that Lion has to offer. Lion as simplified the use for me which has made the usage of my Mac computers more productive.

 

[randomerratum]

Extremely happy.
A few bugs here and there but I'm SOLD!

LOVE natural scrolling. After a few days you can't remember why it was ever any different.

I'm not a tidy guy so I always found myself losing things in Spaces... I ended up turning off the feature or using no more then 2 spaces at a time. The new implementation really keeps things simple and organized despite my best effort Re-arranging them in order of last used and simple swipes between them has become a standard part of my workflow!

I can appreciate how people who've come to depend on rows and columns and have a solid proceedure can feel limited by Lion, but I think if you can 'let go' and allow Lion to do all the menial stuff for you, you'll start to realize that this is exactly the kind of stuff you computer SHOULD be doing for you anyway!

 

[mrmister]

"Totally agree. I installed Lion on only one 'extra' mac I have just to test it out, and can't get used to it. So many of the changes are cosmetic and don't improve functionality at all. For me there are no new and innovative features that make me more productive as there were in Leopard and SL (I switched from Windows to Mac at Tiger). Leopard brought us Time Machine and Stacks, these were actually totally NEW features, which made me more productive (or saved my butt a few times). SL brought Spaces, which again made me more productive. In Lion we get a 'new' look to Mail?, a mashing of Spaces and Expose together into 'mission control'? Dashboard now wipes the screen just to see the widgets?, Stacks is turned into 'iOS-like' launchpad?, and the Finder sidebar is stripped of icons and the text is in a less readable gray instead of black?? None of these will make me more productive. I think Lion has ALTERED the user experience, but not necessarily improved it.

To me Lion is 95% about getting all those iPad/iPhone/iPod touch users to try macs. It's a huge customer base that Apple would love to move to the Mac. It's very little about improving the productivity of SL users."

AGREED EMPHATICALLY.

This is right on the money.

Even Lion's defenders in this thread are mentioning relatively minor changes--some gestures they like, or a new way an existing feature works--and those are the supporters.

Lion's priorities are no longer with the Mac base that has been with the company for years, because Apple's priorities don't lie there.

Jobs once was asked in an interview what he would do if he was in charge of Apple--this is during his time in exile. He said, "Milk the Mac for all its worth while figuring out the next big thing, and then dump it."

That strategy is being implemented. Some people won't mind the changes, and some people are in denial about them...it all depends on what kind of user you are.

 

[AtmChm]

Correction on Snow Leopard...

Correction, Spaces was actually introduced in Leopard. So we got Stacks, Spaces, and Time Machine in Leopard. Can't really remember what the new stuff in SL was supposed to be (other than removing the bloat from Leopard which slowed it down, and pulling the PPC code), which may make Leopard the last truly INNOVATIVE OS X with NEW features introduced rather than just changes to existing features/apps. I guess that also makes sense from the standpoint that they sold SL at $30 per LICENSE. Now, Lion is being sold for $30 per ACCOUNT. Maybe we should use that adage "you get what you pay for."

Honestly, I could go back to Tiger were it not for Time Machine, Spaces, and Stacks (in that order).

 

[aliensporebomb]

Sigh

I like it to a point - it made my system run hotter than normal which is why I believe it killed it.

 

[QuarterSwede]

A few things in Lion infuriate me (Mission Control is not well thought out) but I do like how fast it connects to wifi and how fast you have a usable desktop when logging in. Those are major improvements in my opinion. Snow Leopard brought less to the table overall.

 

[WSR]

Correction, Spaces was actually introduced in Leopard. So we got Stacks, Spaces, and Time Machine in Leopard. Can't really remember what the new stuff in SL was supposed to be (other than removing the bloat from Leopard which slowed it down, and pulling the PPC code), which may make Leopard the last truly INNOVATIVE OS X with NEW features introduced rather than just changes to existing features/apps. I guess that also makes sense from the standpoint that they sold SL at $30 per LICENSE. Now, Lion is being sold for $30 per ACCOUNT. Maybe we should use that adage "you get what you pay for."

Honestly, I could go back to Tiger were it not for Time Machine, Spaces, and Stacks (in that order).

I memory serves, Leopard improved the GUI with what you mentioned and more I'm sure. Meanwhile, Snow Leopard was an under the hood update. What I mainly remember is it improved usage of multi-core processors. So you didn't SEE much difference but more FELT it.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

A few things in Lion infuriate me (Mission Control is not well thought out) but I do like how fast it connects to wifi and how fast you have a usable desktop when logging in. Those are major improvements in my opinion. Snow Leopard brought less to the table overall.

I noticed that too. After a reboot or coming out of sleep(no matter what time length) wifi comes in instantly. On SL after a long sleep I would have to wait anywhere from 10-30 sec for wifi to kick in. On a reboot desktop wasn't really useable until all the start up programs loaded. With Lion it's near instant use as soon as my desktop appears. It's also a faster boot up time too.

Overall, I'm very happy with Lion.

 

[soulreaver99]

I like it so much that I downgraded back to SL so I would miss all the spinning beach balls, increased hit, system instability, and not being able to wake up from sleep mode!

 

[AtmChm]

And another thing...

The assumption with Lion is that the features they incorporated from iOS are actually an improvement to OS X. However, (for me) the fact that apps start up right where they left off in iOS is actually a limitation to iOS rather than being better than OS X. It maddens me that in iOS Safari windows never close when you move to another app. After a while you end up with many open Safari windows, which you have to go through and close manually. It's also a step backward to have to close open documents in office apps in Lion before you quit, otherwise they will open automatically the next time you open that app. Resume is also useless. Like a friend of mine said, "Isn't that what putting a Mac to sleep is for?" The list goes on...

 

[artguy3d]

So the thing I don't get is why (if it is all 64 bit now rather than partial 64 bit) isn't it faster.

Snow Leopard is just faster on all my machines, and it runs all my software.

Seems like Lion added so much bloat it just dogs down - when the point of true 64 bit should be speed. What I would of liked was 64 bit speed without sacrificing a compatibility layer.

 

[sidewinder]

So the thing I don't get is why (if it is all 64 bit now rather than partial 64 bit) isn't it faster.

Snow Leopard is just faster on all my machines, and it runs all my software.

Seems like Lion added so much bloat it just dogs down - when the point of true 64 bit should be speed. What I would of liked was 64 bit speed without sacrificing a compatibility layer.

Up until 10.7, I let my Mac Pro (early 2008) run in whatever mode the OS wanted to run it in by default. That, even with 10.7, was 32-bit. I used a utility that caused my Mac Pro to boot up in 64-bit mode. I don't know if it is a placebo effect or real, but my system is running faster and better than ever. Even faster than it did with 10.6.

S-

 

[artguy3d]

Up until 10.7, I let my Mac Pro (early 2008) run in whatever mode the OS wanted to run it in by default. That, even with 10.7, was 32-bit. I used a utility that caused my Mac Pro to boot up in 64-bit mode. I don't know if it is a placebo effect or real, but my system is running faster and better than ever. Even faster than it did with 10.6.

S-

Well you do have a 8 core with 10 gb ram. That's quite a machine so it better run fast.

I do remember seeing a OSX roadmap to 64 bit but now can't quite remember the particulars. Probably somewhere in the MacRumors archive...

 

[djshack]

On my 2010 MacBook Pro, I was running Lion from release until yesterday. I tried to like it. I even used "natural" scrolling. However, after trying to run Adobe CS 5.5, I finally caved in and went back to Snow Leopard.

I almost forgot how this MBP is supposed to run--cool, quick, and smoothly. Lion changed all that for the worse, and now it's all back to normal. The laptop does not burn me despite 2% total CPU usage.

Further, I forgot how good Expose really was, and how effed up Mission Control is.

Given the direction Apple is heading, my next computer will likely run Windows, as I do not think any updates to Lion will persuade me to like it. I've been an Apple laptop user since 2003, but this might just be the last one I own.

 

[Corridore]

It's not bad. Some of the gestures on the Trackpad are decent. However, there are many issues with it right now. Safari (and Chrome, which I tried to see if I could fix the issues), has a tendency to freeze up right now. The load-up on some apps are slower than what I would expect. I'm really not a fan of the internet windows that stay open after sleeping out. Also, with Snow Leopard, I never really noticed any issues. With Lion, it's easy to notice them.

Hopefully Apple resolves these issues at some point in the near future. Without a fix, I don't know whether it is worth going with a Lion Mac or going to Windows 7.

EDIT: Speaking of which, has there been any word of a fix in the near future? I haven't really heard anything recently, and I just want to see if anyone else has.

 

[djshack]

It's not bad. Some of the gestures on the Trackpad are decent. However, there are many issues with it right now. Safari (and Chrome, which I tried to see if I could fix the issues), has a tendency to freeze up right now. The load-up on some apps are slower than what I would expect. I'm really not a fan of the internet windows that stay open after sleeping out. Also, with Snow Leopard, I never really noticed any issues. With Lion, it's easy to notice them.

Hopefully Apple resolves these issues at some point in the near future. Without a fix, I don't know whether it is worth going with a Lion Mac or going to Windows 7.

EDIT: Speaking of which, has there been any word of a fix in the near future? I haven't really heard anything recently, and I just want to see if anyone else has.

It's not necessarily bad, but to me, Snow Leopard was perfect and by far the best OS X version.

The changes in Lion seem to be changes for the sake of changes. And, not necessarily good ones. Mission Control is somewhat of a failure--I didn't use Spaces before, so I actually like how it handles the spaces. However, the Expose feature of Mission Control is awful compared to that of Snow Leopard.

And, honestly, that is probably the only "feature" or "change" I care about. LaunchPad is useless. Anything else I just don't notice or use (such as Mail and iCal, which is now hideous).

 

[Corridore]

It's not necessarily bad, but to me, Snow Leopard was perfect and by far the best OS X version.

The changes in Lion seem to be changes for the sake of changes. And, not necessarily good ones. Mission Control is somewhat of a failure--I didn't use Spaces before, so I actually like how it handles the spaces. However, the Expose feature of Mission Control is awful compared to that of Snow Leopard.

And, honestly, that is probably the only "feature" or "change" I care about. LaunchPad is useless. Anything else I just don't notice or use (such as Mail and iCal, which is now hideous).

I agree. To be perfectly honest, LaunchPad just seems like a glorified version of the Applications folder in Finder. I rarely used Spaces with Snow Leopard because I really didn't use my Macbook all that much, but I'm really not a fan of Mission Control. The speed and freezing issues are the biggest issues for me right now. The new features can't cover those two things for me, so hopefully Apple is working on it right now.

Could just be my aluminum Macbook, though.

 

[djshack]

The one thing that keeps me hopeful is that when Snow Leopard was new, everyone hated it, it had issues, and blogs were claiming Snow Leopard was Apple's "Vista."

Perhaps this will be the same as with Lion, which can potentially be great. However, for that to happen, Apple must modify Mission Control and some other "features," not just increase speed and stability.

When using Lion, I just can't help but thinking how much I actually like Windows 7 over it (and obviously Snow Leopard).

Then again, Microsoft is messing around with some form of tablet-like interface on Windows 8, which may very well turn out to be a complete disaster.

 

[sidewinder]

djshack and Corridore,

You two are just comical. Please switch to Windows 7......

S-

 

[AtmChm]

The one thing that keeps me hopeful is that when Snow Leopard was new, everyone hated it, it had issues, and blogs were claiming Snow Leopard was Apple's "Vista."

I think you mean Leopard. Leopard was a bit of a bungle when it came out. Snow Leopard ultimately fixed the problems in Leopard and worked well from day 1.

 

[djshack]

djshack and Corridore,

You two are just comical. Please switch to Windows 7......

S-

So, I have a perfect, working 2010 MacBook Pro, which runs Snow Leopard absolutely perfectly. I've been a user of Macs, because I've preferred them, since 2003. I'm not happy with Lion, so I downgraded to Snow Leopard--this computer will likely last another two years minimum.

Your response is to switch to Windows 7? That's very thoughtful and constructive--if you drink the Apple Kool-Aid.

I like Apple and most of Apple's products, but I am willing to admit when they are not perfect, or in fact far from it. I also use an Android phone and have a Roku hooked up to my TV.

So, yes, I may not be the typical Apple fanboy you find among there forums, but I like my MacBook running Snow Leopard, and while I stated that Lion basically sucks and I prefer Windows 7 to Lion, Snow Leopard will do just fine on this computer until either Apple no longer supports it, or I need a new laptop.

If you don't have anything useful to contribute to this discussion, please don't. Thank you.

 

[sidewinder]

djshack,

You are the one that that threatened to buy a Windows machine with your next purchase. Since all you want to do is whine back and forth with your MA friend stating how terrible 10.7 is and how you see no way that any updates Apple brings out for 10.7 will change your mind, you might as well hasten the move.

10.7 has been absolutely wonderful on my system. I have yet to come across a bug and I have found the changes to be quite intriguing. Of course, I am open to change and have looked for ways to improve my workflow using the new features. Some of the changes didn't make sense until I looked at them for a different perspective.

Natural scrolling is a prime example. I took a step back and realized that it makes no sense if you are working from a perspective of manipulating the window control. But it makes perfect sense if you are manipulating the page directly. Do you get that difference? That's why Apple is hiding the controls until scrolling takes place. It makes a lot of sense to do this. So, you need to change your perspective if you want natural scrolling to seem natural.

Give change a shot.....bugs will get fixed along the way.

S-

 

[Michael383]

I have Lion on my iMac and MacBook Pro and except for a couple of issues with my MBP I'm happy with Lion.

 

[Corridore]

The only problem I really have with Lion is the Safari issue and some other slow issues. Nothing that is beyond a bug fix. Once that happens, Lion will probably be the best operating software out there. Just because I criticize some aspects of Lion doesn't mean that I'm abandoning Apple right now.

 

[aliensporebomb]

Ah!

As awful an experience I've had so far with Lion I did get eight days of flawless service before my drive took a dive and actually lead me to drag my Mac into the Apple store.

Once I can get it installed again I'll use it.