The release of Mac OS X 10.7.1 has led some in the media to attempt to impugn OS X Lion for getting an update “so soon.”
In fact, this is standard operating procedure for every Mac OS X release that Apple’s ever conducted.
Not only that, but the 27-day wait for OS X Lion 10.7.1 was the second longest span ever, eclipsed only by the 48-day span between Mac OS X Puma 10.1 and 10.1.1 back in the autumn of 2001:
Length of time between initial OS X release and first update:
• Mac OS X Lion 10.7: 27 days
(10.7 released on July 20, 2011. 10.7.1 was released on August 16, 2011)
• Mac OS X Snow Leopard: 13 days
(10.6 released on August 28, 2009. 10.6.1 was released on September 10, 2009)
• Mac OS X Leopard: 20 days
(10.5 was released on October 26, 2007. 10.5.1 was released on November 15, 2007)
• Mac OS X Tiger: 17 Days
(10.4 was released on April 29, 2005. 10.4.1 was released on May 16, 2005)
• Mac OS X Panther: 17 days
(10.3 was release on October 24, 2003. 10.3.1 was released on November 10, 2003)
• Mac OS X Jaguar: 25 days
(10.2 was released on August 24, 2002. 10.2.1 was released on September 18, 2002)
• Mac OS X Puma: 48 days
(10.1 was released on September 25, 2001. 10.1.1 was released on November 12, 2001)
• Mac OS X Cheetah: 21 days
(10.0 was released on March 24, 2001. 10.0.1 was released on April 14, 2001)
FYI: Mac OS X Public Beta, the predecessor to Mac OS X 10.0, was released on September 13, 2000.
Another factor to take into account is that 10.7.2 is already being tested for integration with iCloud etc, and depending on exactly when that comes out it could mean that the next update is very quick.
Who cares for facts as long as it generates a few clicks?
The media is waiting for Apple to fail, and since it doesn’t they just invent something, see antenna-issue.
That said, there are a few bugs in Lion (where’s the artwork of m4a gone in the Finder?) but overall it’s a perfectly ok release…
You obviously were not paying attention to the laundry list of bugs that people have been reporting – if that is a perfectly OK release you have got some mighty low standards, you just switch from Windows or what?
In a way it generates excitement just watching this circus!
As a side note: Is anyone having issues loading the Apple Online Store? I was getting the “we’ll be back soon” page but now that doesn’t even come up.
Yeah I haven’t been able to get on it for about ten minutes.
It’s up now, couldn’t see any changes. Didn’t look too hard though.
GM:
MDN are NOT journalists. This is a news aggregation site. That means they scour the web for Apple-related news articles and post links to those articles. With those links MDN often provides comentary (MDN notes and takes), and every once in a while, Steve Jack (the name behind MDN) writes an opinion article on some issue. MDN does NOT write their own articles (investigative or just plain news); they leave that job to the professional journalists.
This particular article is just a compilation of dates, in response to some reactions to yesterday’s release of the first point update to the Lion. Mind you, yesterday’s posting about that update generated 48 user comments (third highest for the day, after a political clickbait about Rush Limbaugh and a little less political one about Brooklyn borough president begging for an Apple store). Apparently, people other than GM seem to be interested enough to comment.
You often come across as an angry person. You should try and relax a little.
I don’t see the comment to which you are replying. Was it that bad that MDN pulled it?
Moderately bad, but nothing out of character for GM. He was just not interested in updates and assumed that none of us here would be either.
You counted the postings?
Since Lion was released electronically via the app store, it was likely more fresh than a DVD release. Thus, a longer first update release is to be expected.
just thought i’d mention the obvious. every new release will have problems, some more significant than others as it is nigh impossible to release software that will work perfectly for every potential user, do to the various and differing combinations of installed software, hardware, oarm settings, and/or other sundry, and personal quirks. that being said, the question becomes how has the upgrade impacted you personally? this can’t be quantified by a sampling of news bits scavenged from the internet. just because you read 100, or even 1000 reports of a problem doesn’t mean it’s a widespread, general upgrade problem… how does it impact YOU…personally!? so yes i believe Lion to be a very smooth and basically problem free upgrade, though i have had issues with Safari and other annoyances.
I have already given only a partial list of my complaints elsewhere – all of which relate to Preview and Launch Pad and Finder – and none of which where issues in 10.6.
When Apple can’t even get their own software to work as it should that is sub-par in my book.
Overall I am a fan of what they are doing with Lion (Autosave being the exception) but I was hoping for much greater improvements with the first update. All of the bugs I had are all still a problem.
As a software developer o can tell you that the release of such a complicated piece of software with NO bugs is virtually impossible… The various combinations of application software, hardware, etc precludes beta test perfection… Ther is only one way to do this…. Get it as tweaked as you can and release…. Then fix the bugs as soon as possible once reported. To expect anything mord Is naive .
We are all software users and I ALWAYS take pride in being an early apple convert since 2007…
I have asked friend to convert too and proudly say it has been a success.
But for Lion have already told a lot of of people for forestall installing especially due to to the wifi bug.
Will wait for the result and see if the integration is fixed especially for wireless network stability.
Until then i will just tell people to just by Ipads and Iphones…but not new macs with lion..
What WiFi bug??? Several Macs here, various vintages, no issues whatsoever with WiFi.
Silent majority doesn’t get heard, and we have no WiFi issues with Lion. There may be many who are experiencing some problems with their Airport, but they are still a minuscule minority. Surely not a reason to steer people away from Mac as a platform.
Early Apple convert, 2007? Hardly! I bought my first Mac in 1990 and wouldn’t be so audacious as to call myself an early convert! This put a smile on my face after an awful day… Thank you and wish you a better day than I’ve just had.
No wi-fi bugs here either. Though I did encounter graphic interface issues with full-screen apps and mission control
lion problems i have:
1 – the new address book is awful… where is the 3 pane version? the way it functions sucks….
2 – text edit, not having save as version.. wtf?
3 – mail – i have to quit my mail and re-launch to get all my emails.. some don’t come thru
4 – not crazy about scrolling