Apple seeds OS X 10.7 Lion GM. Desktop down, mobile to go!

By Rene Ritchie
last updated

Apple has just seeded the Gold Master (GM) candidate for OS X 10.7 Lion to developers. That's the desktop jab, scheduled to land this month, that Apple is using to set up the overhand right of iOS 5, which will finish the combo this fall.

What's interesting here is that Apple seems to be distributing Lion by Mac App Store redeem codes for the major milestones, and via Software Update for the smaller releases. By contrast, Apple has stuck with the tried, true, traditional direct download method for iOS 5 beta 1 and beta 2, though with the new over the air (OTA) features built into iOS, it's possible they could try and test that system sometime in the next couple of months.

Lion, like iOS 5, will tie into the also-in-beta iCloud system so developers testing iCloud APIs for iOS will probably want to see how they work in Lion as well.

We probably won't see iOS 5 GM until September, but once and while, new iOS-centric features sneak into the OS X updates as well, so keep your eyes open.

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Rene Ritchie
Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.

8 Comments
  • so I received the 660mb update about lion in my software update do I also need to download the lion GM seed?
  • you received an update to 10.6.8, not Lion (10.7)
  • Have you ever considered about addnig a little bit more than just your articles? I mean, what you say is important and everything. But think about if you added some great images or videos to give your posts more, pop ! Your content is excellent but with pics and videos, this blog could definitely be one of the best in its niche. Excellent blog!
  • what's the install process for non-devs?
  • Wrong! If you click on Download Mac OS Lion, you will get a redemption code for the Mac App Store…
  • That's one thing I like about Microsoft over apple, they let anyone that wants to try their beta os for free. I ran windows 7 betas for months with no problemo.
  • Remind me. What is typically the timeframe between gm and public release?
  • Downloading now.:-)