RUMOR: Apple’s OS X Lion to launch July 6th at 9am PDT

“We’ve just received word from our source in the San Francisco Bay Area that Apple is planning to release Mac OS X 10.7 Lion on Wednesday, July 6th at 9:00 am Pacific Time,” E. Werner Reschke reports for T-GAAP.

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“One particular item of interest about this news is that with OS X Lion being an online-release-only, Apple can wait until the 11th hour to release new OS,” Reschke writes. “They don’t have to first lock it down, then press it onto DVDs, then box it, then ship to their hundreds of stores and through distribution in order to meet a certain publicly announced launch date.”

Read more in the full article here.

38 Comments

      1. Maybe one of you two will install it right away and let the rest of us know how to extract the installer from the download, so we can create bootable backup media and also avoid lengthy downloads for multiple legal machines and partitions.

        1. Just searching and found this:

          http://holgr.com/blog/2011/02/creating-a-bootable-os-x-10-7-lion-disc/

          No idea if it works or not but looks good.

          DVD version: http://www.pressbyte.com/2968/diy-bootable-mac-os-lion-install-dvd/

          Again, I don’t have a dev copy so I don’t know if it works or even if it will work with the gold release.

          You’d think they’d include something to make this more user friendly. I can see downloading it once but if you have multiple machines it would be nice to not have to wait on the download for each one.

        2. Unless apple changes the app store, we have been able to do that with Xcode and lion so far.
          I created a normal disc for Xcode after reading the lion tutorial.

    1. This is just a rumor from a “source.” I think it will be toward the end of the month. Don’t we usually hear about a string of near-final developer builds before a final release?

      It is possible that it will be “released” (pre-installed) on some new Mac models (the ones that are supposedly waiting until Lion is ready) before a general release for all the rest of the supported Macs. This would get those Macs on sale; it would be easier to finalize testing on a few of the newest models, before being ready to support Macs that go back to as early as 2006.

      Like the article says, Apple can wait until July 31st to make it “golden,” put it on the Mac App Store, and not be “late.”

      1. I’m with you really. I want it Tuesday… i Doubt it will be though.

        I think you are correct, there will be “final developer builds” we hear about. Maybe the source has one part right.. maybe Tuesday apple will release the last build to developers.

      2. The current beta is not even complete. Features are turned off that were working before and Apple lists work-arounds for several other things. No way they’re going to issue another beta now and pump out the gold master after this holiday weekend. Sorry, ain’t gonna happen.

  1. I hope they’ve made a few updates from DP4. I find that FTP transfers in general (and some web transfers) are not reliable, stalling for no apparent reason. This has happened enough times to know it’s not a rare occurrence, and using my 10.6 iMac on the same network, there are no issues whatsoever.

    My main concern is compatibility, particularly with third party plug ins and apps. I’ve found DP4 to be relatively flaky in behaviour, even with apps like Chrome, or Postbox, or Pages. A number of times the OS has seemingly crashed, sending me back directly to the login screen. Conveniently, 10.7 reopens your apps/docs when you log in

  2. Interesting – I hadn’t thought about the implications of disc releases on past release dates. Pressing gold masters to disc, packaging the discs, and then shipping them out would add a *lot* of delay time to the release process. Whereas with Lion, they can just unleash it online once it’s ready.

    I’m not 100% convinced the July 6th date is accurate, but I do appreciate this observation from the article.

      1. Because the Mac App Store allows you to install the apps you purchase there on ALL your authorized macs…
        If you buy Lion for $30, you can install it on all your Macs with one purchase.

        I assume the limit is 5, since you can only authorize 5 machines on your iTunes account. (could be wrong though, just guessing)
        I have no problems installing the stuff i bought on both my iMac and my MBP.

  3. I’m just gonna say it. Theres nothing in lion that excites me except for the new multitouch gestures. Seriously I think when I download it I’m gonna be dissapointed

    1. Ae you kidding me there are so many new things to be excited about. What about mission control. What about autosave. What about launchpad. What about resume. All these things and many more are things to get excited about and I can’t wait to download it so I can have my first 21.5 inch ipad.

  4. Boys and girls, I’m as much of a fanboy as you are. I have been an Apple customer since 1982. But please, be patient. Let others be the canary in the coal mine. Wait a few days to make sure there are no hiccups. And heed the advice of some of the more wise souls among us to back up your data first, repair permissions, and to wrap your body in aluminum foil before attempting the download.

    No doubt, Apple has tested this up the ying-yang. But it makes sense to wait a few days to make sure that no bugs lurk in the woodwork affecting the OS or its new-fangled delivery mechanism.

    Also, be sure to floss regularly and eat three servings of fruits and vegetables. Also always say please and thank you.

    Did I miss anything?

    1. “Also, be sure to floss regularly and eat three servings of fruits and vegetables. Also always say please and thank you.
      Did I miss anything?”

      …… If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.

  5. “One particular item of interest about this news is that with OS X Lion being an online-release-only, Apple can wait until the 11th hour to release new OS,” Reschke writes. “They don’t have to first lock it down, then press it onto DVDs, then box it, then ship to their hundreds of stores and through distribution in order to meet a certain publicly announced launch date.”

    OR, they can launch I’m the 1st hour, because they don’t have to wait for the DVDs and packaging to be made, assembled, and distributed before releasing it.

    1. No Rosetta in Lion. Supposedly Intuit is working out a deal/plan/scheme/scam/lie (take your pick) to somehow incorporate Rosetta elements into Quicken to run under Lion. (Don’t hold your breath.)
      I am making the switch to iBank (working great so far – easily incorporated 20 years of Quicken data) since Intuit is worse than clueless when it comes to Mac users.

      1. Thank you Mac Plus. It appears to be as I suspected about Intuit’s laggard ways re: Mac Users.

        I will take a look at Ibank, as you referenced, and see if it will work for me.

  6. Definitely be more patient with this one.

    Keep in mind that the delays of pressing, packaging and distribution for previous releases also meant more time for users to discover issues.

    I’ve always installed as soon as possible, but *only* on spare machines and beta units.

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