Want Mac OS X Lion Early? Here’s How

Apple just released the first developer preview of their new operating system “Lion.” If you are a paid Mac Developer you can download the release directly from Apple’s App Store.

Be sure to check out Apple’s new Lion page for an in depth overview of all the new features including: Launchpad, Air Drop, mission control, mail 5, auto save, resume, etc.

Since we are official developers we have access to Lion before it comes out to the general public this Summer. Please post your feedback and bug reports at: https://leimobile.com/post-your-thoughts-of-mac-os-x-lion/


Here is Apple’s Official Press Release:

Apple Releases Developer Preview of Mac OS X Lion

CUPERTINO, California—February 24, 2011—Apple® today released a developer preview of Mac OS® X Lion, which takes some of the best ideas from iPad™ and brings them back to the Mac® for the eighth major release of the world’s most advanced operating system. Lion features Mission Control, an innovative new view of everything running on your Mac; Launchpad, a new home for all your Mac apps; full screen apps that use the entire Mac display; and new Multi-Touch™ gestures. Lion also includes the Mac App Store?, the best place to discover, install and automatically update Mac apps. The Lion preview is available to Mac Developer Program members through the Mac App Store today, and the final version of Lion will ship to customers this summer.

“The iPad has inspired a new generation of innovative features in Lion,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Developers are going to love Mission Control and Launchpad, and can now start adding great new Lion features like full screen, gestures, Versions and Auto Save to their own apps.”

Mission Control is a powerful, entirely new feature that unifies Exposé®, Dashboard, Spaces®, and full screen apps to give you a bird’s eye view of every app and window running on your Mac. With a simple swipe, your desktop zooms out to display your open windows grouped by app, thumbnails of your full screen apps as well as your Dashboard, and allows you to instantly navigate anywhere with a click.

Launchpad makes it easier than ever to find and launch any app. With a single click, Launchpad displays all your Mac apps in a stunning full screen layout where you can launch, re-order or organize apps into folders. You can also arrange apps into multiple pages and swipe between them.

Lion brings the full screen experience that iPad users love to the Mac. With one click, your application window goes full screen, taking advantage of your Mac’s brilliant display. You can swipe from one full screen window to another and even back to your Desktop or Dashboard.

New Multi-Touch gestures and fluid animations give you a natural and intuitive way to interact with your Mac. New gestures include pinching your fingers to zoom in on a web page or image, swiping left or right to turn a page or switch between full screen apps and swiping up to enter Mission Control.

Lion also includes the Mac App Store, where you can find great new apps, buy them with your iTunes® account, and download and install them in just one step. Apps purchased from the Mac App Store are installed directly into Launchpad.

Additional features in Lion include:

  • a new version of Mail, with an elegant, widescreen layout inspired by the iPad; Conversations, which automatically groups related messages into one easy to read timeline; more powerful search; and support for Microsoft Exchange 2010;
  • AirDrop, a remarkably simple way to copy files wirelessly from one Mac to another with no setup;
  • Versions, which automatically saves successive versions of your document as you create it, and gives you an easy way to browse, edit and even revert to previous versions;
  • Resume, which conveniently brings your apps back exactly how you left them when you restart your Mac or quit and relaunch an app;
  • Auto Save, which automatically saves your documents as you work;
  • the all new FileVault, that provides high performance full disk encryption for local and external drives, and the ability to wipe data from your Mac instantaneously; and
  • Mac OS X Lion Server, which makes setting up a server easier than ever and adds support for managing Mac OS X Lion, iPhone®, iPad and iPod touch® devices.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple is reinventing the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices

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Comments

  1. says

    Is the redemption code ONLY to retrieve the download? Once you’ve got the .dmg (from whatever source that may be) is there any sort of authorization?

  2. matrixsinghal says

    I just donated $10. Please someone explain what should I do next.
    There is one more problem though, I donated using my PayPal account before creating a new account on leimobile. Would this make any difference?

  3. A7eXander says

    Hopefully by the time backup and partitioning is done, I’ll get the email. Thanks again for the opportunity.

  4. macnerd93 says

    right I sent a 10 dollar donation, so how do I send feedback thanks?

    I hope this works so much 😀

    • says

      You will get an email to the same email address that your PayPal receipt went to that invites you to the Apple Developer program. Follow the instructions then go to the Mac Dev Centre and request a code, then redeem your code within the App Store. Simple.

  5. wyatt8609 says

    Hi, im able to reach the developers download site, but it will only let me have access to 10.6. When I try to select 10.7, it says im not a authorized developer. What should i do?
    Thanks

    • Dave says

      I fixed this issue.

      if you clicked on the link, logged in using a existing iTunes ID, and then are unable to access the Lion section. simply:

      1)go back to the original invite e-mail
      2)click on the invite link again
      3)click continue
      4)sign on using that same account (this time you wont be asked all those questions
      5)copy and paste the invitation code in this window
      6) click continue again
      7)you should now have access to the lion section

  6. says

    Just donated $20.00! That’s awesome you guys are offering this to those of us who are interested but aren’t developers or can’t shell out the cost required.

    • Eddie says

      wow… $20 to get a beta? :/ your going to end up paying that much to get the official version 🙁
      i just went to imodzones download section and download the dmg :/

  7. Aaron Schildkraut says

    Hey Guys!

    Just donated $15 – really looking forward to testing out Lion!

    Thanks!

    Aaron

    • dartflare says

      It was really quick! Im downloading… I dont know if apple servers are busy but its a bit slow… anyways… I even thought it wasnt downloading so all from the suddly a blue dot shown up on the progress bar lmao… Thanks for the oportunity!

  8. David says

    Thanks again for this opportunity! I just donated my $10. I can’t wait to try this out, and let you know how things go.

  9. Dave says

    quick question

    I am planning on installing Lion as soon as i get my code, BUT!

    I want to install it without dual booting. When Lion comes out officially in the summer will I have any issues installing Lion.

    I understand that I cant upgrade, but can i do a fresh install. or will the DEV install some how lock me down?

    when re-reading that question it sounds very stupid…. but im new to MAC, so the question stands.

  10. Treynam says

    I just donated $15. I want to know will it automatically download in partition or do I have to do it myself?

  11. Dave says

    for users experiencing an issue where after they register using the invite to register and log in, and still do not have access to the Lion section. follow these instructions:

    1)go back to the original invite e-mail
    2)click on the invite link again
    3)click continue
    4)sign on using that same account (this time you wont be asked all those questions
    5)copy and paste the invitation code in this window
    6) click continue again
    7)you should now have access to the lion section

  12. ao_wynn says

    Just donated. When we get the authorization email, will it only allow us to download this version of the beta, or will it be for the upcoming beta releases as well?

  13. Lyons00 says

    Help for a newbie…anyone?

    I’m ready to install this, it’s on my dock right now. I want to install in it the new partition drive I set up. If I click install, will it give me a place to pick to install it? If not, how would I install it on the partition I set up? If for some reason, I want to un-install Lion, can I just erase my new partition hard drive and will that get rid of it and keep all of my Leopard files intact? One more…sorry….Once I get Lion installed, how do I pick which OS I want to open…Leopard or Lion?

    Thanks, Jerry

  14. Taylor says

    Isn’t this illegal? I mean, it’s great that you guys are offering this, but shouldn’t apple be getting the money? If this is legal, then I would be more than happy to pitch in 10 dollars, however currently I’m just questioning the legality of the situation.

    Taylor

    • says

      you are not paying to be on our Mac development team. You are helping to support leimobile development with a donation and we are adding members to our Mac development team.