Mac OS X Lion Set for July Debut Priced at $29.99, Mac App Store Exclusive

[casaschi]

Oh wow, so if I want Lion I'm going to have to buy Snow Leopard and then buy Lion? That's ridiculous.

Same feeling here... I still hope for some other option.

I'd be really surprised when the company that does things that "just work" tells me that in order to get their new shiny OS I have to go to a shop, get a DVD, install that DVD, go to an application on that newly installed OS, download a new OS and then install that??? "I there an app for that?" (TM)
Not even Microsoft ever made it so complicated.

Besides, I dont see why I should pay twice.

But then, maybe it's a strategy towards a subscription model for the post-Lion OS, something like this: for $19.99 every year you get the right to use your computer with the latest OS. If you stop paying your license, your Mac stops working and all your data is locked into the iCloud... not a bad idea...

 

[iBug2]

no thanks, tried it on a couple of apple apps and dont like it

its very rare i download apps so will just stick to getting them straight from internet (or dvd if they are large)

I'd love to know how you get apps straight from internet without downloading

 

[iBug2]

I agree 200% It's one thing if you just have a sole or maybe even 3 computers but not when you have 7 alone in your household and 40+ at your job.

I hope that Apple gives us more options besides direct download of the OS multiple times through the App Store. I was expecting a flash drive sole option ala the Air.

You can just take a USB stick, copy the installer to it and one by one install it to 40 computers.

This is exactly the same process of buying the OS in a DVD and carrying the DVD one by one to each of those 40 computers and installing. The only difference is that you get to copy the installer to the USB or DVD yourself.

But the price difference is huge compared to the old distribution.

 

[paulsalter]

I'd love to know how you get apps straight from internet without downloading

did you read what you quoted, where i said i rarely download

rarely = i do occasionally do it

just not going to do it for large apps/os's

 

[Scarrus]

Why in the world would you torrent instead of App Store? I understand those who want physical media, but torrenting this has only one purpose: getting it (illegally) free.

jW

Thing is I'm really not fine with installing an OS that way. For Apps, and other stuff, why not. But not an OS...

 

[iBug2]

Oh wow, so if I want Lion I'm going to have to buy Snow Leopard and then buy Lion? That's ridiculous.

That's indeed ridiculous. If Apple wants to insist on digital distribution only they better have App Store available for Leopard and even Tiger. But they won't. This to me is the sole aspect of this method which doesn't make any sense.

 

[stevenw56]

Maybe Apple will keep selling snow leopard so you can buy that and then upgrade. I don't know, I don't think Apple thought this through too much they should have waited until the oldest computers to support the OS came with 10.6 before they switched to digital download only, maybe we would all have enough bandwidth to actually upgrade by then too.

Lion is not a standalone OS. The way I see it it's nothing more than a Windows Service Pack. You will have to have Snow Leopard installed in order to install Lion.

 

[iBug2]

did you read what you quoted, where i said i rarely download

rarely = i do occasionally do it

just not going to do it for large apps/os's

You said "its very rare i download apps so will just stick to getting them straight from internet (or dvd if they are large)"

This means that you'd rather stick to getting stuff straight from internet instead of using App Store. And I wonder how is downloading from App Store any different than downloading something from another website.

 

[iBug2]

Lion is not a standalone OS. The way I see it it's nothing more than a Windows Service Pack. You will have to have Snow Leopard installed in order to install Lion.

This is plain out wrong. You only need Snow Leopard to download Lion, not to install it. Lion installs on empty partitions just as SL does.

Very bad trolling attempt.

 

[paulsalter]

You said "its very rare i download apps so will just stick to getting them straight from internet (or dvd if they are large)"

This means that you'd rather stick to getting stuff straight from internet instead of using App Store. And I wonder how is downloading from App Store any different than downloading something from another website.

mainly downloading from other sites is cheaper, things i have looked at in the past are cheaper in us$ than buying in gbp on the app store

also i dont like everything tied down to one place, i prefer things to be more open

 

[iBug2]

mainly downloading from other sites is cheaper, things i have looked at in the past are cheaper in us$ than buying in gbp on the app store

also i dont like everything tied down to one place, i prefer things to be more open

If App Store is more expensive that's of course bad. But the apps I purchased from App Store did have the exact same price as the developer's website, so far. And I prefer giving my CC info to one place instead of 20 different places.

 

[jonnysods]

I wonder how bootcamp will work without a mac os disc

This is a very good question! Maybe they will make you download software for that too now...

 

[Cicatrix]

Buy Lion>download Lion> Install Lion> Burn Lion to disk once downloaded>continue with your work. That doesn't seem to be out of the norm by any means. What's all the fuss about?

 

[iBug2]

This is a very good question! Maybe they will make you download software for that too now...

Which can be better. Right now if you actually damage your SL install disc, you can't install bootcamp. Apple does not host a bootcamp install application which can install it without a SL disc. So you need to get another working disc. A digitally distributed bootcamp install App could certainly help me back when I lost my SL disc and had to download the whole 5GB thing and burn it again just to install the damn bootcamp.

 

[paulsalter]

If App Store is more expensive that's of course bad. But the apps I purchased from App Store did have the exact same price as the developer's website, so far. And I prefer giving my CC info to one place instead of 20 different places.

good point on the CC, for me its good that there are options, so you can do it which ever way you find easiest

 

[paulsalter]

Buy Lion>download Lion> Install Lion> Burn Lion to disk once downloaded>continue with your work. That doesn't seem to be out of the norm by any means. What's all the fuss about?

for some of us it would be quicker to drive to the shop and buy the dvd and do the install (or get next day delivery)

 

[Digital Skunk]

Sadly, Apple doesn't cater to you. They cater for the consumer who has one or two machines, not the businesses. :-( ( party joking, partly serious ).

I'd be very very surprised if Apple don't offer an alternative to Mac AppStore download. There are too many reasons why digital download via Mac AppStore is too limited / practical, for consumers and businesses alike....

No, you're all the way serious and correct. Apple will always go where the cash flow is and right now that's the household with iPhones and one mac. My main thought when I first heard this was, "How about users that have terrible internet speeds?" Then it went to, "what about Mac houses that use distributed OS updates/installs?"

Both touch on the simple user, and the medium business alike.

There will be a DVD method of distribution for sure though. There are too many users still on Leopard and Tiger that still have upgrade options. I'll be dumping Lion questions in with the Final Cut Pro X question as well though.

You can just take a USB stick, copy the installer to it and one by one install it to 40 computers.

This is exactly the same process of buying the OS in a DVD and carrying the DVD one by one to each of those 40 computers and installing. The only difference is that you get to copy the installer to the USB or DVD yourself.

But the price difference is huge compared to the old distribution.

True, I'd never want to do that in my life, but it does work for the household with more than 3 or 4 machines. The small business with 10 macs could get away with it. Forty+ macs, and you're talking about getting a server to do that kind of work.

So how would one update 40 machines to Lion via Snow Leopard Server? Via the App Store? Those are the questions I have.

 

[jonnysods]

Apple saved a ton of dough by not pressing discs. Good for them though as they give this out at an extremely good price. But of course it's a lure for their iTunes/App Store/Mac App Store ecosystem where the real money is for them.

I'm hesitant to upgrade right away on this OS. No hesitations on Leopard, waiting a while for the developers to get caught up to SL. But what is so good about this release? A lot of funky features, but I'd like to hear more about under the hood improvements. Am I going to see anymore beachballs on a quad core computer with 8gb of ram? Because that's just wrong!

 

[MacManTexas56]

Yes, everyone has a bunch of 5 year olds in the back with laptops for long car trips who are dying without a blu ray player in the laptop.

Really!?!? MOST parents have discovered the joy of NOT having physical media. Less crap to carry around an lose! You are probably one of those people with a fanny pack on vacation filled with 10 gadets and 20 cables.

My god, really though, what did people do before car entertainment systems on long road trips? You know, those things that mount to the back of the head rests or drop down from the ceiling?

duh, i was the one that was talking about how physical media is dying. not BRINGING it with you in the car on vacation. why do you think ipods exist? if everyone wanted physical media, the ipod would have never been invented.

 

[iBug2]

So how would one update 40 machines to Lion via Snow Leopard Server? Via the App Store? Those are the questions I have.

I have not tried but Lion installer may work for any partitions on the network. I'll be sure to give it a try tomorrow.

 

[MacManTexas56]

When you go on vacation you get to bring along your 15mbps cable connection with you? Even on a beach? Or on a bus? Or when driving across the country? Really? How is that working out for you? Does a helicopter hover over you to provide you with that real time cable drop?

it's called an iphone, ipod touch....maybe you haven't noticed those yet.

 

[MacManTexas56]

for some of us it would be quicker to drive to the shop and buy the dvd and do the install (or get next day delivery)

and for some of us it would be a waste of money and gas

 

[mtfbwy]

If part of Apple's strategy is to get everyone to upgrade to the latest and greatest by offering Lion for only $29, there is no way they can't offer a DVD.

I personally know at least 3 people who live in areas with very limited connectivity for which a 4 gb download is not even remotely feasible.

 

[MacManTexas56]

If part of Apple's strategy is to get everyone to upgrade to the latest and greatest by offering Lion for only $29, there is no way they can't offer a DVD.

I personally know at least 3 people who live in areas with very limited connectivity for which a 4 gb download is not even remotely feasible.

if they don't want to have the latest and greatest internet, why do they need the latest and greatest OS??

I never understand why people are complaining so much. how bout complaining about your internet options available to you and upgrade to something where it puts you in 2011.

 

[iBug2]

If part of Apple's strategy is to get everyone to upgrade to the latest and greatest by offering Lion for only $29, there is no way they can't offer a DVD.

I personally know at least 3 people who live in areas with very limited connectivity for which a 4 gb download is not even remotely feasible.

You forget that there are tons of people who don't live in areas with Apple stores, and don't have fast delivery options available either. UPS/Fedex don't deliver everywhere. So for some people, regular mail might be the only option, which can take up to couple months to deliver. So there will always be people who will not get stuff as easy as the majority, regardless of the distribution channel.