At long last, Lion is available, and just like the previous versions of the Mac OS, big changes produce big questions: Is it worth it? What are the best reasons to upgrade? How can you get it? We’ve spent some time going over what Apple has disclosed about the Mac OS X update, and we’re ready to answer those questions—along with any others you might have about Lion.
Q: Why should I upgrade to OS X Lion?
A: The decision to upgrade depends upon your needs and the current software packages you are running. Lion adds several new features and provides increased security and stability. In the process several legacy software items, including anything that requires Rosetta to operate, will no longer be supported. Before deciding to upgrade be sure to check any essential software you may have for compatibility with Lion.
Q: How to upgrade to Mac OS X Lion
A: Go to Mac App Store and click on Upgrade Now, buy it in $29.99. Then, Download the Mac OS X Lion, follow few on-screen instructions …and You are Done! Really? yes..it is so easy! Have Fun!
Q: I bought a Mac recently. Do I get a discount to buy Lion?
A. Yes. The Mac OS X Lion Up-To-Date upgrade is available at no additional charge via the Mac App Store to customers who purchased a qualifying new Mac system from Apple or an Apple Authorised Reseller:
- between 6th June 2011 and 20th July 2011. Such buyers must request their Up-To-Date upgrade by the 19th August 2011.
- on or after the 21st July 2011. Such buyers must request their Up-To-Date upgrade by the 19th August 2011.
Q. How many computers can I install Lion on?
A. Consumers – you can purchase once and install Lion on as many supported Macs as you own that are authorised with your Mac App Store ID.
A. Businesses, commercial, education and/or site licence users – You can install Lion on as many computers as you have licensed the software for installation on but business/commercial users must purchase a minimum of 20 licenses and for Education users there is a minimum purchase of 25 licenses.
Q. In our family/household the different Macs have different iTunes / App Store accounts on them. Do I have to buy Lion multiple times?
A. No. You can have more than one iTunes / App Store authorisation on a single machine. Use one of the iTunes / App Store accounts to authorise each computer in the family/household in turn to download and install Lion (in the App Store application click on the “Purchases” tab). However, please note that you will need to download Lion on each computer (at 3.7GB in size each time) to install or you will need to obtain the Mac OS X Lion Disc Image.
NOTE: App Store authorisations (for consumers) are different to iTunes authorisations. App Store authorisations are unlimited whereas the iTunes authorisation limit is 5 (soon to be 10 once iCloud launches).
Q. Which Macs are compatible with Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion”? Which Macs are not compatible? Can incompatible Macs be “hacked” or upgraded to run Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion”?
A. Lion requires an Intel-based Mac with a Core 2 Duo, i3, i5, i7 or Xeon processor and a minimum of 2GB of RAM. You can check whether you have a compatible Mac by going to Apple menu > About This Mac and checking the information listed for “Processor”, “Memory” and Mac OS X “Version”. You can also see the Mac OS X Lion minimum system requirements here.
Q. My Mac has the correct type of processor but I don’t have enough RAM. What can I do?
A. All the supported Macs can run at least 2GB of RAM so all you need to do is upgrade your RAM to at least 2GB. Most Macs usually only have two memory slots so it is best to upgrade to as much RAM as you can afford the first time. If your Mac supports 4GB or 8GB then upgrade to the maximum.
Related posts:
Yeah! Very useful tricks for extreamly using Mac OS X!
Thanks!