OS X Lion, the newest edition of Apple’s operating system for Mac desktops and laptops, will be released soon.
Lion is the latest update to Mac OS X which first came out in 2001. It puts some features to the operating system that were inspired by the iPad, counting the LaunchPad, which provides one-click access to applications, and a more gesture-based control system.
Chief financial officer of Apple, Peter Oppenheimer, informed analysts in the previous night that Lion would be released on July 20.
Oppenheimer and Apple’s chief operating officer Tim Cook announced record profits throughout the call with analysts. Apple reached $28.57bn in revenue in the second quarter of 2011, selling over 20 million iPhones and 9 million iPads along the way.
The new operating system goes live now and will cost £20.99. OS X Lion will be accessible only through the Mac App Store and not accessible on disk. This is the first time that Apple has released an update to its operating system as a download-only.
Other features of Lion consist of a system-wide auto-save feature, which means that each app will perform regular background saves, eliminating the danger of lost work and AirDrop, an easy means of moving files among Macs.
Two of the key apps of Apple have been updated for Lion. Mail, the email client of Apple, now has better search functions and an updated format for message threads that breaks the parts of a conversation down into easy timeline. Safari, the web browser of Apple, currently features gesture-based navigation and a Reading List feature that stores web pages for reading later.
