For New Download The Lion

To download the Lion installer on one of these secondary Macs, you just launch the Mac App Store application on that Mac, click the Purchases button in the toolbar, and click the Install button next to OS X Lion in the list.

For New Mac OS X Meant Buying

For over a decade, installing the latest major version of Mac OS X meant buying a disc and slipping it into your Macs optical drive.

No longer. Mac OS X 10.7better known as Lionis available for direct download.

In fact, its available only as a download from Apples Mac App Store.

In many ways, this new method of distribution is easier and more convenient.

But it also raises a number of questions and presents significant upgrade obstacles for some users.

Heres a look at the details of installing Apples first-ever download-only OS.

Fair warning: If you install Lion now, keep in mind that youre installing the very first release.

It could be fully baked and bug-free, but if previous debuts of major versions of Mac OS X are any indication, well see the first update, containing a number of bug fixes, within a few weeks.

If your Mac is mission-criticalin other words, if downtime is not an option for youyou might consider holding off for the inevitable Mac OS X 10.7.1.

Finally, before proceeding, be sure to read my article on getting your Mac ready for Lion, which covers system requirements and recommendations, as well as a number of preparatory tasks that will help make the upgrade go smoothly.

For example, you should update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 and install the Migration Assistant Update for Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

Assuming you meet the requirements, getting Lion is easywith a few caveats, noted below.

You simply launch the Mac App Store application, click the Lion banner on the stores main page (or search for Lion, or click this direct link ), click the 29.99 button at the top of the screen, then click the Buy App button that appears.

After providing your Apple ID and password, the Lion installer icon will be added to the Dock, and Lion will begin downloading.

Specifically, the 3.8 GB installer application, called Install Mac OS X Lion.app, will be saved to your main Applications folder ( Applications ).

On my cable-model connection the morning of Lions release, the download took approximately 39 minutes.

First, if you purchased a Mac on or after June 6, 2011, but it didnt come with Lion pre-installed, youre entitled to a free copy of Lion.

Second, if youre a developer who previously downloaded the golden master GM of the Lion installer, the Mac App Store will claim Lion is Installed on any Snow Leopard Macand thus not let you download the official releaseif it detects that installer on any connected volume.

The solution is either to delete the GM, after compressing it or copying it to a removable drive if you want to keep it handy, or to disconnect the drive on which the GM resides.

Third, if youre trying to download the Lion installer onto a Mac thats already running Lion (either the GM or the official release), the Mac App Store will claim that Lion is already installed and, again, prevent you from downloading it.

Try these tricks: Optionclick the Buy App button in the Mac App Store.

If that doesnt work, quit the Mac App Store app and then hold down the Option key while launching the Mac App Store again.

One of these three procedures should get rid of the Installed status for Lion and let you download it.).

If youve got multiple Snow Leopard Macs, you can download the installer onto any of themyour purchase of Lion entitles you to install it on any of your authorized Macs.

Mac Os For New Install