14 DAY TRIAL // The seed note accompanying Mac OS X 10.6.8 10K531 - the third beta build of Apple’s next maintenance update to Snow Leopard - provides the first real confirmation that Apple will be distributing copies of OS X Lion as digital downloads through the Mac App Store.
The fact that Apple distributes Lion betas to developers through the Mac App Store makes it easily deductible that the next major version of the Mac OS will arrive not only on retail disc and thumb USB drive, but via Apple's digital storefront for Mac software as well.
Currently, Apple sells Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) copies on DVD.
The Cupertino, California company also distributes the software on USB stick, boxed next to the latest generation of MacBook Air laptops that lack an optical drive.
The seed note for Mac OS X 10.6.8 Build 10K531 (as revealed in a screenshot posted at fscklog.com) is reproduced below:
The 10.6.8 update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Snow Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, including fixes that:
- Enhance the Mac App Store to get your Mac ready to upgrade to Mac OS X Lion - Resolve an issue that may cause Preview to unexpectedly quit - Improve support for IPv6 - Improve VPN reliability - Identify and remove known variants of Mac Defender.
Notably, Apple also plans to use Mac OS X 10.6.8 to patch the widely-publicized Mac Defender threat.
In a Support document dated May 24, Apple pledged to address Mac Defender in a matter of ‘days’ via software update.
It is unclear whether OS X 10.6.8 will be that update, or whether there will be some other release specifically aimed at the malware.
With WWDC 2011 knocking on our doors with the promise of a final unveiling of Lion, it may just as well be this last Snow Leopard system update.