Apple Retail Stores Receive Golden Master Copies of OS X Lion

lioninstallApple appears to be setting up the final pieces for OS X Lion's launch this week. A previous report even pinpointed the release as early as Wednesday morning.

We've now been able to confirm that Apple Retail stores have begun receiving final copies of OS X Lion today. The installations have come on hard drive and are meant for the Apple Retail demo computers on the store floor. This, of course, doesn't guarantee a specific launch date, but brings Apple one step closer to launch.

Apple has said that OS X Lion will be launching in July but has not publicly committed to a launch date. Apple seeded the Golden Master version of OS X Lion to developers on July 1st. The Golden Master version is typically the final shipping version of the operating system. Apple is also widely expected to refresh the MacBook Air and Mac Mini computers around the same time as Lion's launch.

Top Rated Comments

iStudentUK Avatar
167 months ago
So soon we will be able to replace all the "where is Lion" threads with "Lion bugs" threads!
Score: 85 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gibbz Avatar
167 months ago
So soon we will be able to replace all the "where is Lion" threads with "Lion bugs" threads!

Yeah, I am awaiting the general comments of "Lion is the worst OS ever! Why did Apple remove the ____ feature? <Insert additional snarky comment about being able to write better software despite not being an engineer.> Lion is clear proof Apple only cares about the iPhones. These hipster kids and their iOS devices. When I was a nerd back in the 80's, Apple was a rebel company who cared about their users. Now they sold out and are like Microsoft."
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NightFox Avatar
167 months ago
Isn't this tantamount to admitting that the Icloud and the Apple Application Store is a failure?

Why would Apple insist that customers download 10.7 from the network, but send physical copies to their own stores?

The mind boggles at the duplicity.

I imagine that it's actually a disk image of Lion tailored for the retail experience, with a few iTunes tracks, pictures, videos and the concierge thing that all the demo Mac's get refreshed with every night. It'll be less effort for the tech guys in the Apple stores just to swap a drive in the store's server than to have to initiate, monitor and execute a download.

Purely speculation on my behalf though, just adding my thoughts to your own.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iGuardian Avatar
167 months ago
Isn't this tantamount to admitting that the Icloud and the Apple Application Store is a failure?

Why would Apple insist that customers download 10.7 from the network, but send physical copies to their own stores?

The mind boggles at the duplicity.

iHypocrisy. Physical media's still the best solution for some people is it Apple? :rolleyes:

Seriously? Downloading Lion from the App Store and installing it on that machine is fine for the average user. The average user does not need to install an operating system on 20+ computers at once right before store opening.

These are different situations entirely. Different situations require different means. This is in no way “hypocrisy."
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NAG Avatar
167 months ago
So soon we will be able to replace all the "where is Lion" threads with "Lion bugs" threads!

As well as "why does my ppc application not work" threads.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mentholiptus Avatar
167 months ago
Meh.

I'm going to miss the Mac operating system. There have been rough releases over the years, but all and all, it's been a good run. This final version of Snow Leopard turned out to be the best of them all. Apple sure went out with a bang on that one. I can see using it for the next year until applications no longer run on it. After that, I guess I'll figure out where to go from there.

Not sure what's in store for the future, but so far... things are looking dismal for the ol' Macintosh. But I guess if you are into iToys like the iPhone, or iPad... then I suppose there's a lot to be looking forward to, so have fun with that.
Jesus, what a bunch of ____ing drama queens.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Apple Vision Pro Dual Loop Band Orange Feature 2

Apple Cuts Vision Pro Shipments as Demand Falls 'Sharply Beyond Expectations'

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:44 am PDT by
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations." As a...
iPhone 15 Pro FineWoven

Apple Reportedly Stops Production of FineWoven Accessories

Sunday April 21, 2024 6:03 am PDT by
Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami." In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has revealed...
iOS 17 All New Features Thumb

iOS 17.5 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday April 21, 2024 3:00 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 17.5 update for the iPhone includes only a few new user-facing features, but hidden code changes reveal some additional possibilities. Below, we have recapped everything new in the iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 beta so far. Web Distribution Starting with the second beta of iOS 17.5, eligible developers are able to distribute their iOS apps to iPhone users located in the EU...
iPad And Calculator App Feature

Apple Finally Plans to Release a Calculator App for iPad Later This Year

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:08 am PDT by
Apple is finally planning a Calculator app for the iPad, over 14 years after launching the device, according to a source familiar with the matter. iPadOS 18 will include a built-in Calculator app for all iPad models that are compatible with the software update, which is expected to be unveiled during the opening keynote of Apple's annual developers conference WWDC on June 10. AppleInsider...
Provenance Emulator

PlayStation and SEGA Emulator for iPhone and Apple TV Coming to App Store [Updated]

Friday April 19, 2024 8:29 am PDT by
The lead developer of the multi-emulator app Provenance has told iMore that his team is working towards releasing the app on the App Store, but he did not provide a timeframe. Provenance is a frontend for many existing emulators, and it would allow iPhone and Apple TV users to emulate games released for a wide variety of classic game consoles, including the original PlayStation, SEGA Genesis,...