14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has confirmed the availability of Mac OS X Lion through the company’s Mac App Store. A Developer preview for now, Lion is touted by Apple as “the eighth major release of the world’s most advanced operating system.”
According to Cupertino, Lion takes some of the best ideas from iPad and brings them back to the Mac.
At first glance, Apple’s official report doesn’t include any new details.
The Mac maker talks about features like Mission Control, Launchpad, and the Mac App Store - all elements that have previously been detailed, one of which is already usable by Mac users worldwide.
However, the company also explains that “Lion brings the full screen experience that iPad users love to the Mac.”
In addition to the option to have apps running in full-screen, “new Multi-Touch gestures and fluid animations give you a natural and intuitive way to interact with your Mac,” Apple explains.
Additional, smaller features, are also touted in the report.
Apple has prepared a new version of the Mail application. It reportedly has an elegant, widescreen layout inspired by the iPad.
A Conversations feature automatically groups related messages into one easy-to-read timeline.
AirDrop is described as “a remarkably simple way to copy files wirelessly from one Mac to another with no setup.”
Versions “automatically saves successive versions of your document as you create it,” Apple explains.
A Resume function brings apps back exactly how the user left them, while Auto Save does precisely what its name implies - automatically saves your documents as you work.
With Lion, users also get full disk encryption for local and external drives, and the ability to wipe data from your Mac instantaneously via FileVault, another exclusive new feature.
Finally, Apple mentions Mac OS X Lion Server which adds support for managing Mac OS X Lion, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices, and is very easy to install, Apple says.
“The Lion preview is available to Mac Developer Program members through the Mac App Store today, and the final version of Lion will ship to customers this summer,” the company confirmed.