Mac OS X Lion Now Available In The Mac App Store

Apple has officially released Mac OS X Lion, the eighth major release of the company's operating system which includes more than 250 new features. Customers can get the upgrade as a downloadable version from the Mac App Store today for $29.99 or you can wait until August, when Lion will be made available on a USB thumb drive for $69.

The download will be roughly a 3.7GB file, which on average has been taking users anywhere from 1.5-2hrs depending on network speeds. For users that want to do a clean install, or place a copy of the OS on DVD we've posted a guide on "How To Burn A Mac OS X Lion Install Disk".

Some of the features in Lion include: new Multi-Touch gestures; system-wide support for full screen apps; Mission Control, the Mac App Store integrated into the OS, Launchpad, a new home for all your apps; and a completely redesigned Mail app.

Additional new features in Lion include:

• Resume, which conveniently brings your apps back exactly how you left them when you restart your Mac or quit and relaunch an app;
• Auto Save, which automatically and continuously saves your documents as you work;
• Versions, which automatically records the history of your document as you create it, and gives you an easy way to browse, revert and even copy and paste from previous versions; and
• AirDrop, which finds nearby Macs and automatically sets up a peer-to-peer wireless connection to make transferring files quick and easy.

Lion requires an Intel-based Mac with a Core 2 Duo, i3, i5, i7 or Xeon processor and 2GB of RAM. Lion is an upgrade and can be installed on all your authorized personal Macs. Details regarding Business and Education licensing can be found at apple.com/macosx.

The OS X Lion Up-to-Date upgrade will be available through the Mac App Store at no additional charge to all customers who purchased a qualifying new Mac system from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller on or after June 6, 2011. Users must request their Up-to-Date upgrade within 30 days of purchase of their Mac computer. Customers who purchased a qualifying Mac between June 6, 2011 and July 20, 2011 will have until August 19, 2011 to make a request. Additional information can be found at apple.com/macosx/uptodate.