Apple Starts Selling $69 OS X Lion USB Thumb Drive

Apple has started selling the OS X Lion USB Thumb Drive, intended for users without a broadband connection.

lion
As noted by 9to5Mac, the USB thumb drive is available for sale on Apple's online store for $69.00. Apple had pre-announced that they would be selling the USB stick back in July. The USB stick offers the full OS X Lion installation without any need to download it over the internet:

OS X Lion is available on a USB thumb drive for installation without the need for a broadband Internet connection. Just plug the drive into your USB port and follow the instructions to install. OS X Lion is also available for a lower price as a digital download from the Mac App Store.

Earlier this month, Apple released a downloadable utility that would let users create a Lion recovery partition. That partition, however, still required you to download Lion from Apple's servers.

At $69.00, this USB option costs $39.01 more than the corresponding digital version through the Mac App Store. OS X Lion also remains available on the Mac App Store for $29.99.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
maxresdefault

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
maxresdefault

Apple Planning to Launch Low-Cost MacBook Powered By iPhone Chip

Monday June 30, 2025 3:20 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. In an article published on X, Kuo explained that the device will feature a 13-inch display and the A18 Pro chip, making it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
maxresdefault

Five Features Coming to AirPods Pro 3

Friday June 27, 2025 10:52 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022 other than a shift from Lightning to USB-C, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model. Subscribe to the ...

Top Rated Comments

ChazUK Avatar
181 months ago
Sorry Apple but this has to be the biggest joke ever. £55 for a thumb drive with lion on it!
Still cheaper than Windows on a DVD.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lex Yu Avatar
181 months ago
Don't you get it?

This IS NOT about the flash drive price. This is about the LICENSE!!

Downloadable Lion is $29 but requires Mac App Store which requires Snow Leopard which is another $29.

So, the total expense to get the downloadable Lion is $58 not $29.

This USB stick, however, DOES NOT require Mac App Store nor Snow Leopard; Tiger or Leopard users can install Lion through this USB stick, without purchasing Snow Leopard.

So, it's not $29 vs. $69 but $58 vs. $69. The USB Stick with an Apple logo on it costs only $11, and it ships for FREE.

Think, folks. THINK!!
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
World Citizen Avatar
181 months ago
Guys,

this is just a normal price...

Keep in mind there has to be employees selling it, and an distribution channel.. Cost to create and design it, the box, License .. etc etc...

AND they have to ship it...

Remove to cost of Lion an you come close to what it should cost...

Come on guys keep it real!!!!
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hamshi Avatar
181 months ago
why usb and not on DVD?

because Apple have been on a mission to kill the optical drive for over a decade
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hamshi Avatar
181 months ago
No clue why they are selling it for so much, but at least they give users an option to make their own install off of their own thumb drive for free.
there selling it for so much because this is primarily aimed at Leopard users who before this needed to upgrade to Snow Leopard (~$35) then buy Lion of the AppStore. For those select few this has been the only way since about 2 weeks before Lion was launched

Can this drive be erased to be used as an empty drive?
this question has been around for a while with the macbook air USB's. ive always wanted to do it but apparently they have almost no, or none at all, writing capability. maybe these will be different but its unlikely
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
brandscill Avatar
181 months ago
Sorry Apple but this has to be the biggest joke ever. £55 for a thumb drive with lion on it!
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)