In keeping with their continued effort of transitioning Mac related software to the App Store, a new report out today says that once Apple decides to release Lion into the wild this summer, they'll distribute it via the Mac App Store. Users would be able to upgrade instantly without needing to pop any sort of physical media into their system.
According to AppleInsider, people familiar with the matter revealed that the Mac App Store, which is available to all users who are running the most recent version of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, will become the medium in which users will be able to upgrade their system.
However, even though the Mac App Store would certainly be the way to go for installing the new operating system, one would have to think that Apple would also have an optical disc version ready to go for users who may not have broadband. A source familiar with the situation says that this would be the case "for those with slower connections, or [for those who for whatever reason do] not want to download it."
Regardless, it's widely expected that Apple will make their distribution plans for Lion known a little shy of a month away at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, June 6 through 10. Apple has stated that the conference this year would feature the "future" of the Mac operating system.
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CaptainV45
May 06, 2011 at 8:22am
I would prefer to use a disk myself. But mostly I have a collection of every OS Apple has made since System 7 sitting on my shelf. It is handy when I buy something off of eBay or from a used Mac dealer. Ninety percent of those will be sans OS disk. Plus what if I want to put a bigger Hard Disk in my Mac, I would like to have the OS on a disk to reinstall from scratch.
Ben
May 04, 2011 at 7:06pm
I'm kind of hoping they release a USB flash drive installer.
I ALWAYS blow my system away between each major upgrade, not sure how digital download would let me do that without burning it to a disc myself [which defeats the purpose?].
matthew12
May 04, 2011 at 6:13pm
The digital download interests me, but it just took me two and a half hours to download and install Xcode 4. I'd also prefer the disc format because I always get the family pack and it'd be easier for me to spread it around that way (no putting it on a jump drive).
