Apple Worldwide Developer Conference WWDC June 6th 2011

[Cougarcat]

I doubt you will be able to create a bootable dvd from a downloaded os sync file.
They clearly saying

"Go into the App Store, click "buy," it downloads locally and starts the upgrade.

No more discs. Lion will be available only in the App Store. Making it the "Easiest upgrade ever."

You can make a disk, but Apple doesn't want you to. You have to "show package contents" on the installer to extract the dmg. If you need to reinstall, the desired method is to reboot into a created recovery partition and download and install the OS from there.

I'm not sure what they expect you to do when your hard drive dies, though. Take it into Apple for service, I suppose.

So, what do people do who do not own a real Mac or a Hackintosh yet but want to build one? There will be no way to give Apple money for a legal copy of the OS. Is this the end of this site?

 

[Cougarcat]

So, what do people do who do not own a real Mac or a Hackintosh yet but want to build one? There will be no way to give Apple money for a legal copy of the OS. Is this the end of this site?

As I said earlier, simply install Snow Leopard, and when that's done, download Lion and upgrade using that.

That's not a long-term solution. It won't be possible to purchase Snow Leopard forever.

 

[diver]

It won't be possible to purchase Snow Leopard in about 2 months, let alone forever.

 

[tomhukk]

What do you think the problem is, from Apple's perspective, in allowing the option to "burn a disc image" from the download? Is there a reason why they wouldn't want you to do this, or wouldn't build in this option? On the same note, what's the reason for making the OS "download only"? What does that give Apple in the end? More money? How? Less piracy? What's the reason?

I don't get why one install method has to necessarily rule out alternative methods. I also can't see the reason for this from Apple's perspective. Especially since it's only $29.99. What's the point?

I have a feeling this is only a method to launch the new OS. I can't see this being the only method especially when SL is phased out. I also have a feeling, given the low cost of the OS, and the fact that you can install it on an unlimited number of devices, that Apple is thinking it can't make any money from the OS itself anymore. The real money is in the App store. Maybe it will actually be EASIER to install it on a hack. since Apple will be more interested in you purchasing apps.

Edit: Also I found this: "Lion will be released in July as an upgrade to Snow Leopard, Mac OS X 10.6; it's a 4-GB download, the result of a download method that distributes only differences in files."

http://www.informationweek.com/news/har ... /230100024

Does this mean that the downloaded Lion isn't even an entire install? This would mean you MUST have SL forever in order to get Lion, since the full Lion doesn't even exist. Something about this has to change.

 

[Cougarcat]

What do you think the problem is, from Apple's perspective, in allowing the option to "burn a disc image" from the download? Is there a reason why they wouldn't want you to do this, or wouldn't build in this option? On the same note, what's the reason for making the OS "download only"? What does that give Apple in the end? More money? How? Less piracy? What's the reason?

I think Apple sees it as, everything they do, they do it for the sake of simplicity, and a better user experience. To the average user, burning or restoring DMGs and rebooting is cumbersome, so making an OS install as similar to a normal install is a better experience. If you want to reinstall, you have the recovery partition. If your hard drive becomes toast, you go to Apple (the new iMacs have a proprietary cable, so you have to go to them anyway.) Apple will reinstall the OS on your machine for you.

Apple is also phasing out the disc drive in their laptops; a downloadable version is able to be used by all their computers, and USB sticks would probably be cost prohibitive at the moment. They called the MBA the "future of the MacBook." Count on the superdrive being gone in two or three revisions.

As for options? Well, they are nice, but let's face it, Steve Jobs has never been a fan. To him, it's better to have one simple way of doing something than a simple and a complex one.

This is their reasoning, but I'm not saying I agree with it. There's still need for a physical version for the reasons already stated in this thread.

Edit: I think Information Week was confusing the new App Store delta updates with the Lion download. The version you get from the MAS at the moment is 3.5 gigs and is a full install, complete with a dmg inside.

 

[gotmilk70]

Well, I bought the retail dvd for Snow Leopard. I installed it with my custom pc with minimal issues. And even then, those issues were resolved with the help of this awesome community. If I have to purchase Lion online via the Mac app store, so be it. I just hope that installing the update will break the system. I love my new Mac(PC) and I will probably not use windows that much anymore rofl. Only time will tell, and who knows? Maybe some one (or some people) here will develop a method to install Lion through a dvd or maybe, just maybe Apple will release a Retail DVD.
I’m sure this decision to download via Mac store only will **** off a lot of people (and don't get me started on business users). If they complain hard enough, I’m sure Apple will not disappoint their customers, as they have not. As much as I love the ideas behind Lion, I love my Mac the way it is more. If installing this update will break my system, I will not update till it is safe to do so. I’m also sure that a lot of people here feel the same way.

 

[rx7dude]

http://www.apple.com/macosx/whats-new/features.html#internetrestore

Internet Restore and Utilities

Built into Lion
OS X Lion includes a built-in restore partition, allowing you to repair or reinstall OS X without the need for discs.

Reinstall OS X
OS X can be reinstalled on your Mac from recovery mode.

so yeah, I guess their target is jump from Snow Leopard or get a new mac.

If they truly want to persist with the "no way to get Lion on your Mac except via network" method ... Lion Server had better have an as-yet-unannounced extension to their NetBoot server to allow it to host that install/restore image, as well as physical install media for the server itself. It's not a big deal for a home user, but for a business with 200+ Macs? You're asking them to not only expose every one of those Macs to the outside Internet, but to download nearly a terabyte of incredibly redundant data. Not going to happen. I already have clients calling me today wanting to meet to draft plans to migrate all their OS X installations to Windows because of this.

Just curious; How do you manage IOS updates? I realize they are not 4GB but the last Iphone update was 667 MB... Did they draft plans to switch to Windows Mobile?

 

[diver]

I suspect optical drives will be gone from MBA's in the next revision. Apple is looking to merge the Mac with the iOS experience. In a couple of years the iPad will be as powerful as the outgoing MBP. It will run apps like Lightroom. Jobs sees desktop machines as a specialized and shrinking market. Overall, desktops are a shrinking market as compared to notebooks and netbooks. It looks even worse when tablets and media servers are thrown into the mix.

The implication of the download only distribution of Lion is pretty clear. If you don't have something running OS X already, you can't get it without stealing it. New macs will rely on their recovery partition. If the HD dies, it's probably a trip to Apple service. I see a bootable utility disk that recreates the recovery partition as a long shot.

 

[NeoGeo71]

the recoverery disk image has been found in the install. so hopefully it will be in the final release as well.

 

[rx7dude]

I see OS X distribution method as merging with IOS. People don't have install DVD's for Iphones and Ipads. They are did not get one with IOS 4 and certainly will not get one with IOS 5. The Mac is the next step. I think it's pretty cool. The average Apple user does not care about install disks and such.

Unfortunetly for us, I think the Hackintosh is going to dry up. :
Get your SL disk while you still can....
Personally, I'm in no rush to move to Lion. SL does what I want.