Sunday, July 24, 2011

Apple to Release Lion on USB in August


Lion is coming to a USB stick near you.
Apple this week launched the newest version of its OS X operating system, Lion. The software debuted in Apple's Mac App Store and has already racked up a million downloads. However, downloading is not your only option; Apple is also releasing the new iteration of its OS on USB stick next month.
Costing $69, it's a full $40 more than the $29 users are paying for the download. Why is Apple selling the OS on USB and charging more than double the price? We can't say for sure, but we're betting it's got something to do with the fact that OS X Lion is a rather hefty download (almost 4GB) and not everyone has the speed or bandwidth to download it. Still, that doesn't completely excuse charging so much extra (Apple does need to cover costs for materials, shipping, handling, etc., but it can't be that much). Considering the month between digital and USB release, it would seem Apple is doing its best to push people towards the Mac App Store.