Apple announced the release of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion during this summer, and it will make the switch to a new kind of digital distribution for it os upgrades by releasing the software 1st through its new Mac Apple Store.
The Mac App Store, available to all users running the most recent version of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, will become the de facto method for obtaining the Lion upgrade, people familiar with the matter have revealed. Users will be able to upgrade instantly without the need for physical media by purchasing Lion through the Mac App Store.
While the Mac App Store will be the preferred method for installing Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, set for release this summer, it's logical to presume that Apple will also offer an optical disc for people who may not have broadband. At least person with knowledge of the situation claims that this will indeed be the case "for those with slower connections, or not want to download it."
Apple will likely reveal its distribution plans for Lion at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, Calif., set to take place June 6 through 10. Apple has promised that this year's conference will showcase the "future" of the Mac operating system, and will be an event developers will not want to miss.
Hardware requirements for the Mac App Store are the same as those for Snow Leopard, including an Intel-based processor, 1GB of system RAM, and 5GB of available disk space. But those with Apple's earliest Intel-based machines will not be able to run Lion, as it has a minimum requirement of a Core 2 Duo processor.
