Apple Removes OS X Lion and Mountain Lion From Online Store

Apple has officially ceased the sale of OS X Lion 10.7 and Mountain Lion 10.8 from its online store.

os x mountain lion disc page
The change was spotted by @ClassicII_MrMac on X, formerly Twitter. The original release of OS X Lion was available either as a digital download from the Mac App Store or via a USB thumb drive preloaded with the installer. Mountain Lion, on the other hand, was distributed exclusively as a downloadable product, delivered via an emailed redemption code.

Apple's shift from physical to digital distribution became clear upon the release of OS X Lion in July 2011, marking the company's transition to online-only releases. Lion introduced features such as multi-touch gestures, Mission Control, and full-screen apps, but it also posed a challenge for users without access to the ‌Mac App Store‌. This was particularly true for those still running OS X Leopard, as they were unable to upgrade to Lion without first obtaining Snow Leopard or purchasing the Lion installer thumb drive.

OS X Mountain Lion, which debuted in July 2012, continued this trend. Mountain Lion was the last macOS version not initially offered for free. The digital-only approach was solidified with OS X Mavericks (version 10.9) in October 2013, establishing the ‌Mac App Store‌ as the sole avenue for obtaining new macOS versions.

While Apple ceased supporting both Lion and Mountain Lion some time ago, it continued to sell digital copies of these operating systems until now. Apple continues to offer OS X Lion and OS X Mountain Lion as free digital downloads for those who still need them.

Popular Stories

iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT 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. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
macbook pro blue green

M5 MacBook Pro No Longer Coming in 2025

Thursday July 10, 2025 12:38 pm PDT by
Apple does not plan to refresh any Macs with updated M5 chips in 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are now planned for the first half of 2026. Gurman previously said that Apple would debut the M5 MacBook Pro models in late 2025, but his newest report suggests that Apple is "considering" pushing them back to 2026. Apple is now said to be...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

Leaker Reveals Amount of RAM in iPhone 17 Through iPhone 17 Pro Max

Wednesday July 9, 2025 8:08 am PDT by
Three out of four iPhone 17 models will feature more RAM than the equivalent iPhone 16 models, according to a new leak that aligns with previous rumors. The all-new iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will each be equipped with 12GB of RAM, according to Fixed Focus Digital, an account with more than two million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Foldable iPhone Display Production Begins Ahead of Launch Next Year

Wednesday July 9, 2025 10:59 pm PDT by
Production of foldable OLED displays for Apple's first foldable iPhone have begun ahead of its expected launch next year, Korea's ETNews reports. The first foldable iPhone's displays are being produced by Samsung Display, who are establishing a production line dedicated to the upcoming Apple device its A3 factory in Asan, Chungcheongnam-do. The production line will make displays exclusively...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...

Top Rated Comments

ricketysquire Avatar
22 months ago
I don’t know why people are cheering on the death of physical media. You’re just giving away control. I can take a CD of Office 2010 and install it on a machine and not have to worry about subscriptions, cloud updates that break things, AWS being up or down, or some bull around lawsuits or copyrights causing them to take it down or to take away some functionality. I can just use it like the way it should be.
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AAPLGeek Avatar
22 months ago
End of an era. OS quality aside, it was always something special with these physical releases.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Return Zero Avatar
22 months ago

Womp womp.

I still have my Snow Leopard DVD. "New Version 10.6.3" says the sticker on the box.
Snow Leopard was simply the best OS ever, IMO. Everything you needed, nothing you didn't, and as stable as they come.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrfr Avatar
22 months ago
These were never sold on CDs, or DVDs for that matter. This article is poorly written.
Mountain Lion was download only and Lion was available as a USB installer, but the Apple Store listing was for a download code which is no longer needed.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GraXXoR Avatar
22 months ago

End of an era. OS quality aside, it was always something special with these physical releases.
I will keep these DVDs as a memento of a bygone era to maybe show my future grandchildren and have them shrug at me for being so old.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
elvisimprsntr Avatar
22 months ago
I remember when Microsoft Office came on at least 20 3.5 inch floppies. Good riddance!



Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)