Mac OS X Lion to Hit Stores this Summer

Mac OS X Lion is set to take store shelves by storm this summer and includes a slew of new features that were inspired by Apple’s tablet, the iPad which has since entered its second generation. For those who are curious about the future of Apple computing, here is a sneak preview.

Mac App Store

Linux distros already have one, Chromium and Chrome Browser has one, Windows is rumored to get one, and Mac users likely already have it through their updates, the App Store is a popular place to go and purchase and download programs and applications pertaining to entertainment, office and utilities.

The new Mac App Store vouches to allow easy and fast installations of the applications you want without the boxes and disks. It is deemed to be just like the app store on the iPhone, iPod and iPad, just tailored for the Mac.

The apps that you choose to install can be tracked and updated through the app store making it easy and convenient to keep your computer, and your favorite software up-to-date.

The app store will allow you to install apps on every Mac you use and download them later on. The thing that is touted here is that if ever you buy a new Mac, the app store will make the transition from the old one more convenient.

The Mac App Store will be updated with your Mac’s updates which can be found by clicking the Apple in the top left corner, and choosing ‘Software Update…’.

For a list of featured Mac Apps and more information on the App Store, click Here.

Launch Pad

Taken directly from the iPad, Apple plans to include its Launch Pad which from the picture is quite simply a tiled look of all of the apps that are installed on your Mac.

 

 

The Launch Pad can also group apps into folders and be accessed like folders on the desktop.

 

 

 

As an added bonus, applications on the mac will be available in full screen. Below are iPhoto, Mail, iCal, and Preview in their new full screen appearances.

iPhoto	Mail 5
iCal	Preview

Using a swipe on your track pad, you can control whether you see an app, another app, or the desktop in full screen mode.

Mission Control

Expose got a make over to deal with the new features that Mac will now have. It is called Mission Control and will give a comprehensive look at every app your running on your mac with a bird’s eye view. It will allow you to see everything, including the dashboard and full screen apps in one designated location. With a swipe, your desktop zooms out to Mission Control.

All of your open apps will be grouped and your full screen apps will appear as thumbnails.

Multi-Touch Comes to Mac

Mac OS X Lion will feature the multi-touch features that iPad users have come to know. The next cat is set to have a more fluid and realistic gesture response. This includes rubber-band scrolling, page and image zoom and full-screen swiping. In Mac OS X Lion, the gestures you make to communicate with your Mac are set to feel more lifelike and responsive.

Auto Save

Kiss manual saving good-bye, Mac will do that for you auto-saving every step of the way.  By doing this, Mac OS X Lion will save disk space since it is saving to the working document, and not hidden copies. The lock feature will prevent inadvertent changes from being saved and automatically locks documents after two weeks. The revert feature will enable you to return your document to the state it was at the last time you opened it.

Versions

Versions is a new way of finding a previous version of a document that uses a similar interface to Time Machine. Every time you open a document and every hour you spend on it gets archived as a version to enable a slew of options to revert to should something happen to the document in its original state. This feature will also let you copy and paste work from a previous version to the current version – this way you don’t have to revert to get that one part that you mistakenly took out.

Resume

Resume will allow you to restart your Mac and allow it to return to exactly where you left off. This is handy in the case of software updates and doesn’t require you to re-set-up your workspace as Mac will do it all for you. Another part of this feature pertains to opening an app where you left it when you quit it.

 

Mail 5

Mail 5 features a new iPad-like interface that takes advantage of full screen. Messages in your inbox will appear as a full-height preview of the selected message. The new Mailbox bar will give you one-click access to your favorite folders. Mail 5 will also allow you to search your Emails to make finding what you need quick and easy.

Mail 5 will also introduce a feature that Windows users already have in Outlook, Windows Live Mail desktop app and Hotmail which allows an email to be seen and interpreted as a conversation. This feature will group email messages from the same conversation and subject header. When you click on the conversation, you will see a thread that was created by the emails that is easy to sort through in chronological order.

AirDrop

AirDrop will allow you to send files to anyone around you. It doesn’t require set up or special settings. All you need to do to use it is click the AirDrop icon in the Finder sidebar and it will deliver the fire to people nearby who are using AirDrop. You will even see photos of your contacts when you share the file. All you need to do is drag the file you want to share to someone’s name and the file will transfer to the other person’s Downloads folder when he/she accepts the transfer. This is similar to the slow and painful process that Windows users have through Windows Live Messenger when they transfer files back and forth. When you are done with AirDrop, close the Finder and your Mac will no longer be visible to others.

FileVault

Macs will keep your files secure with XTS-AES 128 data encryption at the disk level. The initial encryption is fast and unobtrusive and encrypts everything in the background while you work. It will also encrypt external drives and provides the ability to wipe all data from your Mac instantaneously. This is similar to an enhanced feature in Windows 7 called BitLocker which is the Windows equivalent to FileVault. It will allow you to encrypt your hard drive, external drives and USB sticks.

Server Now Part of Lion

Server Setup

Profile Manager

Wiki Server 3

Macs are now easier to set up as servers in Lion. Lion Server will walk you through the configuration process and provides local and remote administration for users and groups, push notifications, file sharing, calendaring, mail, contacts, chat, Time Machine, VPN, web, and wiki services in one place.

The Profile Manager will deliver simple, profile-based setup and management for Lion, iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices. It also integrates the existing directory services and delivers over-the-air profile updates automatically using Apple Push Notification Service.

Wiki Server 3 makes it easier to collaborate, share and exchange information by allowing users to quickly change between a server’s home page, My Page, Updates, Wikis, People and podcasts. A new Page Editor makes customization simple. File Sharing has also been made simpler.

Wireless sharing for the iPad will be a part of Lion Server. iPad users will be able to access, copy and share documents on the server from applications such as Keynote, Numbers and Pages from the enabling of WebDAV in Lion Server.