Apple finally launched OS X Lion today, and although the release will be exclusive to the Mac App Store initially, Apple has confirmed it will be available on a USB thumb drive for $69 in August.
Of course, that $69 price tag is twice that of Lion’s Mac App Store price, which is just $29.99. However, it will enable those without broadband access in their homes or strict data caps from their ISPs to install Apple’s latest operating system, which weighs in at a pretty hefty 3.49 GB:
Users who do not have broadband access at home, work or school can download Lion at Apple retail stores and later this August, Lion will be made available on a USB thumb drive through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com) for $69 (US).
It’s currently unclear whether those eligible for a free upgrade to Lion can get the USB drive at a special rate.
[via AppleInsider]
Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
21 responses to “Lion’s Mac App Store Exclusivity Will End in August With $69 USB Thumb Drive”
How the fuck do they justify doubling the price?? Sounds like a Netflixesque dick move – keep the price of offline medium unreasonably high so that people are forced to use the online medium.
How the fuck do they justify doubling the price?? Sounds like a Netflixesque dick move – keep the price of offline medium unreasonably high so that people are forced to use the online medium.
wait… will the appstore price remain $29?
That’s only one physical way to get Lion. Find a friend who has a computer that had Lion purchased and get them to burn it to a cd/flash drive for you and it’s free (or you can pay them back).
Yes .
Those USB keys don’t produce themselves magically out of thin air. Although the price does seem a little steep, but I don’t agree that it should be the same price as the download.
Except each copy comes with its own individualised serial number linked to the account of the person who bought it.
Yes, pirate a 30 dollar OS.. Cheapskate.
No, it most definitely does not. Each copy of Lion downloaded from the App Store is identical, byte-for-byte. Need proof? Compare a checksum to the hundreds that have posted around the internet.
wonder about the size of the flash drive… if it’s just covering Lion’s file size, it will be a total rip off… and i wish it can be use as a standard flash drive too.
Yes. Because they are making this for the folks that never bothered to upgrade to Snow Leopard. So $29 for Snow Leopard, $29 for Lion, the rest is materials etc.