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Apple Details Lion Purchase Process for Business and Education

Friday June 17, 2011 1:15 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
Apple today released a PDF documenting (PDF link) how large business and educational customers with many Macs will upgrade to Lion via the Mac App Store. It appears that even for those customers, Apple will not be offering Lion via physical media. Like the consumer release, OS X Lion will be available via online delivery only.


Apple will offer business customers volume license contracts for $29.99 per license, with a minimum of 20 licenses. Education customers can purchase the Apple Software Collection (Mac OS, iLife and iWork) starting at $39 per license, with a minimum of 25 licenses.

For customers wanting OS X Lion Server, it will be available as an add-on for $49.99, in addition to the $29.99 upgrade for standard Lion. Snow Leopard Server is not required to purchase Lion Server, but existing Snow Leopard Server installations can only be upgraded to Lion Server. Both Lion and Lion Server need to be purchased for Snow Leopard Server-equipped machines.

To actually download Lion, volume license customers will receive one redemption code for each contract. The redemption code can be used to download Lion from the Mac App Store. When the redemption code is entered, the Lion installer will download to the Applications folder, but will not install immediately. This Lion installer is used to install Lion on other systems. Download once, install many times.

IT departments will be able to use the same mass installation techniques they use today. To install Lion on multiple systems, they'll copy the Install Mac OS X Lion application from the Mac App Store to each target system. Once copied, the installer will be launched and Lion will install in place. There is no need to boot from an external disk. Administrators will also be able to use System Image Utility in OS X Lion Server to create NetInstall or NetRestore Images.

Apple previously announced that it will be releasing OS X Lion in July.

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longofest
107 months ago

[url=https://www.macrumors.com/2011/06/17/apple-details-lion-purchase-process-for-business-and-education/]Like the consumer release, OS X Lion will be available via online delivery only.


I still don't quite understand how Apple expects Leopard and earlier users to upgrade to Lion if they only do digital delivery via Mac App Store. Are they still going to sell Snow Leopard DVDs, so you upgrade twice? That would be very un-apple like.
Rating: 21 Votes
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DerfBWH
107 months ago
This entire App Store only situation is a mess.
Rating: 15 Votes
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matt4836
107 months ago

You can do a clean install now, but don't get your hopes up with getting physical media. It's pretty clear now that the Restore partition is its replacement.




Restore it to an partition or USB key instead. Install takes 20 minutes.


I created an account just to make this same reply. No serious IT guy is going to carry around DVDs. I have not used a DVD to restore an image in a LONG time. Are these people PeeCee IT guys that need a DVD to restore? As mentioned, restore the Disk Image using Disk Utility to any drive, boot holding Option. You are done in 20 minutes. You can do clean installs and everything from it.

Yes the App Store method was a nightmare for Developers getting the Beta version, but retail Apps are a breeze.

As long as you can create a Deploy Studio/Netboot image from it, which you can, real IT guys will be happy.


This is a freaking disaster. How are enterprises suppose to develop images without the media. This is not good.


Please explain how you create Images now. I have created images for over 20 Schools and businesses, not once did I waste my time using DVD/CDs. Maybe I am a rare IT guy that doesn't want to spend all day running up the meter setting a computer up.

In conclusion Apple is brilliant. I knew DVD media was going away, I thought for sure Final Cut Studio 3 was going to be Flash Drive based. The first thing I do when I get software is make a disk image of it, and put it on a drive. Apple is saving me a step. Thank you!

Also great for real IT guys, when there is an OS update we can download a new FULL INSTALL to, 10.7.5 for example, instead of installing to 10.7 then running updates and so forth. Apple can easily post a new version to download from the App Store. No need to have multiple partitions for various processors etc.
Apologies for disrupting the negative feedback here. But Apple is doing a great thing, pushing new technology. Maybe you should push your hate at your crappy ISP service that is stealing your money giving you 3down/.5up.

I am an Apple Certified System Administrator, I have been doing this awhile and see this as a huge plus for us.
Rating: 15 Votes
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silusesMac
107 months ago
i hate the whole mac app store download thing, why cant we have it on flash drives or something, thats what they did with the macbook air reinstall.
Rating: 11 Votes
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Mattie Num Nums
107 months ago

You sound like you need to go to the PC world to be happy.

Why bother with Apple if they don't do anything you like?


Because I've been an Apple Engineer for the last 6 years (worked for Apple for 4 as well.) I love Apple's products I just don't like what Apple has been doing to Enterprises the past 2 years.

Why the hell is it so hard for some people here to accept the fact that you can like Apple's product but not like what Apple is doing.
Rating: 11 Votes
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longofest
107 months ago

Most users who didn't upgrade to snow leopard probably won't upgrade to lion either, so this is probably not really an issue for apple. For those still running leopard, you're already one release behind, so upgrading to snow leopard now will be exciting for those people.


Some people don't upgrade EVERY release. They upgrade every other release, or when they feel the features apply enough to them to warrant an upgrade.

I'm set, as I run 10.6. But I know a number of folks who are going to be left behind by Apple's plan.
Rating: 9 Votes
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Cougarcat
107 months ago

This is a freaking disaster. How are enterprises suppose to develop images without the media. This is not good.


From the article:

Administrators will also be able to use System Image Utility in OS X Lion Server to create NetInstall or NetRestore Images.

Rating: 9 Votes
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GeekLawyer
107 months ago

What's the point? Can't people just buy it ONCE for $30 and install it as many times they want anyway? Why buy 20 licenses for $30 each if you can get 20 licenses for $30 in TOTAL?

Because copy and license don't mean the same thing.

You are licensed to install it on your personal Macs for home use.

In corporate and business installations, you're not. Each computer must have a separate license.

Yes, you can install as many copies on as many computers as you want. But that's theft without the appropriate license.
Rating: 8 Votes
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humblecoder
107 months ago
...and what about those that simply like to archive/clean-install when a new OS arrives? O_o
Rating: 7 Votes
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NAG
107 months ago

Thats awesome. Will we be deploying the Developer Preview? This just shows the ignorance in the community in relation to managing Mac environments. Would you walk into work and say, "Hey Boss lets do this upgrade I have this little document from Apple that says nothing, but the beta does this, and all these great people on Macrumors say its ok, lets write a check!" Thats not how it works bro. I have clients who bring billions of dollars in for this company and produce products that cost 5-100 million dollars a pop. We need to know. We don't "play around" or "go on what the DEV PREVIEW" does. We go on whats Gold Master. This isn't a sandbox kid, this is a big business.


You know that macs continue to work after 10.7 is released even if they don't have 10.7 installed, right? I'm sure they'll give you enough time to find out all the details about the installation process before activating the killswitch that explodes every mac not with a 10.7 install.

In all seriousness, has Apple ever given good documentation for an OS prior to a release day even being announced?
Rating: 6 Votes

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