People of Earth: Mac OS X Lion is about to be uncaged! Apple finally gave us a more accurate window for the release of the latest operating system release: July, which is only a couple of weeks away. That may seem like a long time if you’re eager to install it right now, but here are a few things to occupy you in the meantime and help make sure you’re ready to cage the big cat on your own Mac when it escapes into the wild.
For those of us who love instant gratification, the highlight of this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference last week was the announcement that Mac OS X Lion would be coming exclusively to the Mac App Store -- a first for Apple, and a clear sign that the company believes the day of the optical disc is behind us at last. No more trips to a local retailer, or even waiting for FedEx to drop the package at your door -- buy, download and install.
The arrival of Lion may also mark the end of another era, much to the likely chagrin of Apple’s software competitors: No more $129 upgrades for major operating system releases. Snow Leopard 10.6 was actually first to usher in the low-priced $29 upgrade, although at the time Apple claimed that was because it was more of an “under the hood” release rather than one introducing tons of new features. That clearly isn’t the case for Lion, which is touting more than 250 new features, a remarkable amount for its $29.99 price of entry ($49.99 for the Server edition), especially when it’s being made available as a relatively simple 4GB download from the Mac App Store.
But just because you know (approximately) when, where and how much it will cost to hunt down the big cat next month, that doesn’t mean your system is quite ready for it just yet. Here are some tips to get your house in order (so to speak) before Lion comes trampling in and cozying up to your Mac.
If you’ve purchased a Mac since late 2006, chances are it’s ready for Mac OS X Lion. The upgrade requires an Intel Core 2 Duo or better processor (including Core i3, Core i5, Core i7 and Xeon processors), and you can easily check what your Mac is packing under the hood by going to the Apple menu and selecting “About This Mac.”
Apple introduced the first Core 2 Duo systems at the end of 2006, so anything older -- including Core Duo or Core Solo Macs -- are going to require new hardware. Also keep in mind that even users with early Core 2 Duo systems may want to start looking at newer Macs for running Lion -- just because Apple claims they’re supported, that doesn’t mean they will necessarily run all that well. No one will know for sure until the cat is out of the bag, so to speak.
According to Apple, if you’re still on Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard but your Mac passes the minimum system requirements noted above, you’ll need to install Snow Leopard (aka 10.6) first, then bring it up to the latest available version, 10.6.7, via Software Update before you can install Lion. That’s because the Mac App Store is the only way to buy and download the new operating system, and there’s no way to install or use the Mac App Store from Leopard. The good news is that Snow Leopard is still available from Apple for only $29, but you’ll need to buy the disc and have it shipped (or pick it up at retail) the old-fashioned way.
If you plan to install Lion on every Mac in your house, you should probably do the right thing and buy the $49 Snow Leopard Family Pack which allows for installation on up to five computers. However, Apple doesn’t enforce OS X installs with DRM or serial numbers, so the basic $29 version can be installed on as many systems as you’d like -- assuming you can sleep at night knowing that it’s not legally kosher. (Thankfully, this problem will be a thing of the past with Lion, which you can install on every system tied to your Apple ID in the same way as any other Mac App Store purchase.)
Users of Apple laptops built in the last few years will already be able to take advantage of OS X Lion’s gestures, swipes and pinches. But what about those of us on an iMac, Mac Pro or Mac mini? Thankfully, Apple has you covered with the $69 Magic Trackpad, which will bring the Multi-Touch fun of OS X Lion to your desktop Mac. While it’s by no means a required accessory, Apple is sending the very clear message that touch-based gestures are the future of the Mac as well as iOS, so why not join the bandwagon now?
In a pinch (pun intended), the Magic Mouse can handle some of the same tasks, but if you’re buying one or the other, the Magic Trackpad is clearly the way to go for the same price. Best of all, you can buy one right now and start getting used to how it works on Snow Leopard so you’ll be a step ahead of the game.
With every major Mac OS X upgrade, some third-party application or utility invariably gets broken or worse yet, left orphaned by the developer. Thankfully, most active developers have been busy working on their apps this year to make sure they’re ready for Lion, so there shouldn’t be too many major issues come next month.
However, that generally only applies to recent versions -- if you tend to be lazy about upgrading, there’s a good chance that one or more of your installed apps may choke on Lion, so it’s better to be prepared. Visit the developer’s website to see if they have anything posted about Lion compatibility for your favorite apps, or check out a Wiki such as the one put together by Roaring Apps, which has a long list of Mac OS X apps and an up-to-the-minute status on how they work (or don’t work) with Lion.
Pay particular attention to third-party extensions or System Preference panes -- these are the most likely to fail after a major OS upgrade since they rely on under the hood hooks to the system itself. The same goes for printer drivers, video card drivers and any peripherals that don’t use OS X-provided drivers.
It probably goes without saying, but OS X Lion won’t work on an older PowerPC computer, much in the same way that you were left behind last time by Snow Leopard -- both operating systems require an Intel processor. But there’s a new wrinkle with Lion, since Apple is now completely abandoning even PowerPC-based software as well.
If you recall, Snow Leopard gave users the option of installing Rosetta, the magical little piece of software that allowed PowerPC-based applications such as Microsoft Office 2004 or Quicken to continue to run under 10.6. If you rely on Rosetta to use an older piece of software -- which includes AppleScripts as well as full applications -- you may want to look the other way when Lion arrives. Apple has abandoned Rosetta completely, rendering all PowerPC applications useless in the big cat.
To quickly see if you have any of that old PowerPC code still on your system, go to the Apple menu and select “About This Mac”, then click on “More Info” and browse to Software > Applications in the sidebar. In a moment you’ll see a list of every application on your system, and you can click on the “Kind” column to sort by what kind they are. Anything marked “Intel” or “Universal” is good to go, but anything marked “PowerPC” will be history after you install Lion.
If you think even $29.99 is expensive for your OS X Lion upgrade, you can probably save a few bucks by grabbing some discounted iTunes Gift Cards while you’re waiting for the release. Bulk stores like Sam’s Club and BJ’s frequently have deals on them, and retailers like Best Buy offer discounted iTunes Gift Cards from time to time. Even with sales tax added on, you can probably save a few extra bucks just by buying when they’re cheap, applying them to your iTunes account and then cashing in when Lion hits the virtual shelves.
Now all that remains is to wait until that fateful day in July when MacLife.com tells you it’s okay to hit the Mac App Store and purchase OS X Lion -- and then keep your fingers crossed that Apple’s servers can handle the inevitable surge of traffic as everyone rushes to buy and download at once.
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jmcd
June 16, 2011 at 5:37pm
Any recommendations on how to concisely print the output when listing all applications? For better or worse, this is probably a good excuse for late spring cleaning and deleting some old applications, a task that could be easier without flipping between windows.
jknowlton
June 14, 2011 at 8:02am
If people are good to go on installing since 2006 and up, that is five years back that you can upgrade to the new MAC OSX and people are complaining? You dont have to switch to the new MAC OSX. Your MAC will still run, so I dont understand the problem. They developed it based off newer hardware capabilites, if not, then we would have a sub-par OSX that is compatible with older stuff and wont take advantage of some great hardware. Its called progression.
Coming from a IT world, computers typically last 3 years before being outdated, we replace all computers at 3 years within our company. Usually at least one thing burns out on that computer. (ALL PC).
From a personal perspective, I used to build a new PC for home use every 2-3 years, since switching to MAC its been the best piece of computing equipment I have ever had, and if I get 5 years out of it, I will be happy.
clasqm
June 14, 2011 at 2:30am
You forgot a few steps:
1. Back up your personal data. That's not just in ~/Documents. You should have a backup of ~/Library since lots of programs store templates, clipart etc in there that you won't get back without a backup. Oh, nevermind, just back up EVERYTHING. Absolutely vital lose-your-house stuff goes to Dropbox, sentimental-value stuff to a set of DVD-Rs, and that plus everything else to Time Machine.
2. Back up all software registration codes, passwords and key files. Work your way through the Applications folder so that you are absolutely sure you have the registration code for that app you bought back in 2007 with a bundle of other stuff. Write down your current network settings.
3 Now back up the backups.
4. If you have one of those applications that ties itself to a specific machine (I'm looking at you, Mekentosj Papers!), deregister the machine. Deregister your machine in iTunes as well.
5. For all non-Mac App Store applications, use the opportunity to visit the app's website and download the most recent installation .dmg or .zip files. Consider upgrading if the app has moved from 1.xx to 2.xx. This is also a good time to decide if you REALLY need the seven different .zip utilities, five text editors and nine iTunes menubar controllers you have installed over the years ...
You are now ready to do a clean install ...
Griffin41
June 13, 2011 at 4:57pm
Being a Core Duo Macbook owner, I feel this is really a kick in the pants. I realize that all things especially computers have a limited lifetime. But I feel Apple has left many of us who rushed out to get our "New" Macbooks out in the cold. This purchase was my first to Apple, I then later purchased an Iphone 3G and now have an Iphone 4. And for an extensive music collection a 80gb Ipod. My Macbook is in great shape with no known issues. Sure I probably look at the spinning beach ball more often then some, but I have rarely been limited in what I want to do. My income is not such that I can just rush out and purchase the latest and greatest. But when I do purchase, I buy new or refurbished new. It burns me knowing I should have waited 6 months to buy my Macbook and would probably have a few more years running the latest OS. I wrote Apple about my thoughts and have yet to hear from the company.
jknowlton
June 14, 2011 at 8:14am
When did you get your Macbook? You said you should have waited six months to buy it (like 6 months ago you got it), so that means that you bought it in 2010? Anything after May 2010 has a Intel Core 2 Duo. Even the 2008/2009 versions had an Intel Core 2 Duo. So I am a little confused.
brandonwalkermedia
June 13, 2011 at 2:34pm
i plan to take a look at the Mac App Store every night at 12:00am in July till it comes out! so i will just post myself when its ready! JK
