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.