Lion represents something of a landmark in the history of operating systems, for many reasons.
One of them, I think, is the way Apple has “appified” their operating system to make it as simple, as hassle-free as possible to install.
Lion will cost 30 bucks. It will be a 4GB download from the App Store, purchased using your existing Apple ID. It will download, extract itself, and install itself, with the minimum of fuss and disruption. Apple’s aim is to make it as easy to upgrade your OS as it is to install Angry Birds.
This is a big deal because for many people, OS upgrades have been a barrier. People get nervous about doing anything that they think might mess up their computer. Traditionally, OS upgrades have come with warnings, they’ve been the kind of thing bloggers write how-to guides about. Apple wants to remove the fear, to make the OS upgrade no more hassle than installing everything else.
Why do they want to do that? Well, partly because making life easier for your customers is always a good thing. But also because making life easier for customers means more customers.
Lion is more than an operating system. It’s a gateway to the Mac App Store, which itself is a gateway to vast chunks of Apple income for many years to come. Apple has to get more people using OS X, so it has to make it as easy as possible to get hold of it.
