Mac OS X Lion to Launch Today

Keep an eye on your App store today, Apple’s long anticipated Lion will be showing up shortly. If the release candidate will be any indicator as to how large the download will be, this version of Mac OS X won’t require a dual layer DVD as its size has nearly halved.

When it becomes available in your area – whether online or in stores, you will be able to purchase Lion for $29.99.

However, before you spend that money, here are the system requirements and how to see if your Mac will run Lion.

Unlike previous versions of Mac OS X, only 64 bit machines will be supported which means that machines that are older than 2006 cannot upgrade to this version of Mac OS X.

Seeing if you can Upgrade

Go to the Apple Menu and select About This Mac to get your needed information.

Once there, the following criteria for the Processor must be met.

• Intel or Core in the name
• Doesn’t contain Solo in the name
• Has both Core and Duo in the name
• There must be a 2 between the Core and Duo – Therefore Core 2 Duo is good, Core Duo isn’t.

This Mac will not be able to run Lion because it doesn’t have an Intel Processor.

For further verification, you can open the terminal and follow these steps.

1. Copy  and Paste the Following command to the Terminal and Press Enter.     
   sysctl hw.model hw.machine
2. Check the first Line of output and make sure that it is not the following:
   • iMac 4,1
   • iMac 4,2
   • Mac Mini 1,1
   • MacBook 1,1
   • MacBook Pro 1,1
   • MacBook Pro 1,2
3. If your Mac has x86_64 under hw.machine, you’re good to go.   
   The Mac in this screenshot will run Lion.

If your Mac’s model number is in the list above, you will not be able to run Lion. But, if you have a Mac Mini 2,1 for example, it will run Lion. It is important to make sure that your processor is 64 bit and Intel-based.

If you want to see what’s new in Lion, read this article: What is New in Mac OS X Lion?