One Million Copies of Lion Bought From Mac App Store

Apple announced today that more than 1 million copies of OS X Lion have been downloaded from the Mac App Store worldwide in the day it has been available. Apple notes users are buying Lion faster than any other OS release in Apple's history.

1102lion missioncontrolApple marketing chief Phil Schiller:

Lion is off to a great start, user reviews and industry reaction have been fantastic. Lion is a huge step forward, it’s not only packed with innovative features but it’s incredibly easy for users to update their Macs to the best OS we’ve ever made.

At 3.7GB per download, this totals more than 3.5 petabytes of data -- 3,700,000 gigabytes.

In 2005, it took more than a month for Apple to sell two million copies of Mac OS X Tiger. Two years later, Apple sold more than two million copies of Mac OS X Leopard in its first weekend.

In 2009, it was estimated that sales of Snow Leopard -- which, like Lion, was priced considerably cheaper than either Tiger or Leopard -- were double that of Leopard, although Apple didn't tout sales numbers in a press release like they have with Lion.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 3

Monday November 17, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
Apple provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming iOS 26.2 update, and there are still new features that are being added with each beta that we get. We've rounded up all of the changes that Apple made in beta 3. AirDrop Apple added new AirDrop functionality, providing a way for two people to share files temporarily without having to add one another as contacts. iOS 26.2...
applecare apple care banner

Apple Brings New AppleCare+ Options to India

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:42 am PST by
Apple today announced an expansion of AppleCare+ coverage in India, with new options for monthly and annual plans, and the addition of Theft and Loss for iPhone for the first time. Options for monthly and annual AppleCare+ plans in India provide more choice and flexibility, allowing users to keep coverage for as long as they require. Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday November 19, 2025 4:00 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

iPhone Driver's License Feature Launching in Illinois

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:47 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Starting this Wednesday, November 19, the feature will be available to residents of Illinois. The announcement confirmed that the...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air N1 Feature

iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16 Wi-Fi Speeds: New Study Reveals the Winner

Tuesday November 18, 2025 10:53 am PST by
A new study has revealed that the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air achieve significantly faster average Wi-Fi speeds compared to the iPhone 16 series, thanks to Apple's custom-designed N1 chip. The study was conducted by Ookla, the company behind the popular Speedtest website and app. It said the results are based on global, crowdsourced Speedtest user data...
macbook black friday

The Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals

Tuesday November 18, 2025 7:32 am PST by
We're getting closer to Black Friday, which lands next week on Friday, November 28. In the lead-up to the shopping holiday, we're tracking a few lowest-ever prices on Apple's most popular Macs, including the M4 MacBook Air and brand new M5 MacBook Pro. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment,...
Magic Keyboard Touch ID Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for 140W USB-C Power Adapter, Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad

Tuesday November 18, 2025 1:05 pm PST by
Apple today released updated firmware for several accessories, including the 140W USB-C Power Adapter, the Magic Trackpad 2, the Magic Trackpad USB-C, the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, and the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad. There is no word on what's included in the updated firmware at this time, but it could offer performance improvements and security updates. Accessory...
Apple Sports App Preview Feature

Apple Sports App on iPhone Now Available in More European Countries

Monday November 17, 2025 6:27 am PST by
The free Apple Sports app on the iPhone was released in additional European countries today, including Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Poland, Hungary, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Romania, Ukraine, and others. The app was already available in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Austria, France, Germany,...
best early black friday deals

Best Black Friday Apple Deals Live Now - Save on AirPods, iPads, and Apple Watches

Saturday November 15, 2025 1:45 pm PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
ipad mini 7 feature red and blue

iPad Mini 8: Four Major New Features to Expect

Wednesday November 19, 2025 7:50 am PST by
Apple's eighth-generation iPad mini is highly likely to arrive next year, offering a significant refresh of the device with at least four major new features. OLED Display The next-generation version of the iPad mini could feature an OLED display, as part of Apple's plan to expand the display technology across many more of its devices. Apple's first OLED device was the Apple Watch in 2015, ...

Top Rated Comments

King Flamez1 Avatar
187 months ago
+3 MILION on torrent (the faster way to download it)

Lion is the first piece of software that i actually bought legally, i mean seriously a whole operating system for 30$? why torrent it? you're probably going to run into trouble updating it anyway
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gibbz Avatar
187 months ago
So that's $30 million in one day, or around $21 million after Apple takes their cut .... wait a second ...
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gnasher729 Avatar
187 months ago
A whole new OS? your kidding right?
It's a slower Snow Leopard with "NEW" WALLPAPER and "NEW" HORRIBLE Exposè.
Come on guys this is Apple Vista, it must be free.

Let's see. News is that Apple sold over a million copies of Lion in 24 hours. Your first post is to recommend downloading illegal copies. Your second post compares Lion to the biggest flop in operating system history and insults Apple's engineers and implicitly anyone buying it.

So answer me this: Are you trolling because you are just a nasty person, or is it some weird insecurity that makes you behave this way?
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kycophpd Avatar
187 months ago
Apple's Data Center

For those saying North Carolina or Apple's Data Center are getting a workout, several reports out today saying Akamai actually handled all the licensing and downloading for Apple. So maybe those servers are still sitting, waiting on the iCloud.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Retrofire Avatar
187 months ago
Man who gives a damn. The price is so low that even a welfare scrounger would call the upgrade to Lion pocket change.

How realistic! A "welfare scrounger" who uses a Mac, or Hackintosh.

*ROTFLMAO*
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
err404 Avatar
187 months ago
Adobe Suite dosen't work on this new GREAT OS. I work with my mac I don't play like with iPad so I don't install it. That's all from me.
Never update your OS on day-one for a machine that is critical to your business workflow. This rule stands for every OS!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)