It’s no secret that Apple is moving away from packaged software, with even OS X Lion being sold as a Mac App Store exclusive. As it turns out, there’s one noteworthy side effect of this new push -- the copy of iLife you get free with every new Mac will also work on any other system using the same Apple ID as well.
Macworld is reporting that the free copy of iLife you get with a new Mac can be used on any other Mac you already own, assuming the hardware is compatible, of course. We’re not talking about the DVD that used to be packaged with a new Mac -- that’s gone, replaced by free Mac App Store downloads for the individual components. As s such, any other compatible system tied to the same Apple ID will be able to download and install iLife to that system as well.
“Which means that if you haven’t yet gotten around to upgrading to iLife ’11, buying a new Mac mini or MacBook Air essentially gets you iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand for all your Macs running OS X 10.6.6 or later (since you need at least that version of Snow Leopard to run the Mac App Store),” explains Dan Frakes. “And this isn’t sneaky or dishonest -- it’s right there in the Mac App Store’s software license.”
Of course, this tip comes with a caveat -- since iWeb and iDVD aren’t sold on the Mac App Store, you don’t get them with a new Mac purchase anymore since iLife ’11 isn’t bundled on disc. But if you don’t want or need them, this discovery is a great way to get the main trio of apps on your other Macs for free. (Apple has already announced that iWeb is being put out to pasture, and we’re confident that iDVD will likewise be kicked to the curb with the next iLife release.)
Unfortunately, as Macworld points out, this trick doesn’t apply to OS X Lion itself -- there’s no DVD or thumb drive included with a new Mac, which means the big cat only lives on your new Mac’s recovery partition, which appears to be tied to the hardware itself -- meaning you can’t install it on your other Macs without ponying up the $29.99 from the Mac App Store.
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shanecbryson
July 29, 2011 at 6:23am
Incorrect if you buy Lion once, you can use it on any mac you have as long as you use the same Apple ID for each one. I know, I have done it.
micjefhar
July 29, 2011 at 10:06am
Yes, if you buy Lion from the Mac App Store, you can download on all Macs with the same Apple ID... however, when you buy a new Mac with Lion pre-installed, you would not also receive a code to access it through the Mac App Store. Therefore, simply buying a new Mac with Lion would NOT give you access for other Macs you own.
