New Macbook Pro, want to upgrade to Lion

[atc1]

Greetings,

I'm new to the Apple family after purchasing a new Macbook Pro 15". It's still in the box by the way with the Snow Leopard insignia. I'm an old PC guy (since the DOS days) and want to start my new learning experience with the Lion OS. I would appreciate some feedback on getting started. Here are a few questions that come to mind.

1. I know Apple is offering Lion as a free upgrade within 30 days of purchase. Would it not be best to do a clean install of Lion as opposed to upgrading from Snow Leopard? If so, I need some guidance.

2. Others have said I need to register with Apple and to obtain an Apple email address. Is this necessary?

3. As stated before, my Macbook Pro is new (still in the box). I've learned that some of the F keys have changed with Lion. Has the printing on the keys changed as well? If so, should I return the computer and exchange for the newer keyboard?

I'm sure I will think of other questions later. Thanks for all of your recommendations and advice.

 

[mrine2]

Welcome

As to question number 1: I simply updated from Snow Leopard to Lion. Like you I had a new MBP 13" that I purchased on the same day as Lion was launched. I have had no issues what so ever. None.

As to question number 2: Yes you must sign up for an Apple ID to purchase software from the App Store and Music, Movies, etc. from the iTunes Store. But it does not need to be an Apple email account.

As to question number 3: The function keys have changed but that is merely a cosmetic change and I wouldn't return the machine just for a logo change on one function key.

 

[r0k]

Why is this thread here? Shouldn't this be in the OS X Lion forum?

Anyway, upgrading to Lion is painless. The only thing I would caution you is that after you download "install os x lion.app" just quit the app rather than let it install. Google how to make your own recovery USB and do that before allowing Lion to install or you will find yourself with only a recovery partition to get your system back up and running if you ever have problems or upgrade your HDD.

Basically, you pick install os x lion.dmg and pick "show package contents." You then navigate to sharedsupport and pick installESD.dmg and copy it somwhere safe such as an external drive or a 8 gb usb stick. You can use it with disk utility to create a bootable usb stick or even make your own lion recovery dvd. Apple offers a free utility to make your own recovery usb stick but it makes a stick that still relies on downloading a lot of stuff over the net to restore your machine. Unless you have a fiberoptic ethernet connection, you really only want to download Lion once. Detailed instructions available here.

 

[atc1]

Sorry r0k. I didn't think my inquiry was Lion specific, therefore I did not post it in the Lion OS forum. They were general questions about upgrading the OS and hardware. None-the-less, thanks for your reply.