Jeff Wexler Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 Lion Reviews Are Out: 'Great Value', 'Shakes Things Up', 'Very Few Bugs' Wednesday July 20, 2011 12:13 pm PDT by Jordan Golson Now that Lion has been released, NDA's are lifted and reviews are starting to come in. Here are some choice excerpts: David Pogue - New York Times: In Mac OS X 10.7, known as Lion, Apple went with the “shake things up” philosophy. It follows an old Apple pattern: embrace what’s cool and progressive, and ruthlessly jettison what it considers antiquated. That’s great if you love stuff that’s cool and progressive, and not so great if you hate people moving your cheese... The Lion upgrade, in other words, is classic Apple: innovative to some, gimmicky to others, big leaps forward, a few stumbles back. It may never be the king of the jungle. But once the world’s software companies have fully Lionized their wares, and once Apple exterminates the bugs, Mac OS X 10.7 might be something even more exotic: a fast, powerful, good-looking, virus-free, thoroughly modern operating system. Walt Mossberg - All Things Digital / Wall Street Journal: There are, however, downsides to anything this new and major. In my view, the biggest of these is that switching to Lion will require a major adjustment even for veteran Mac users, though it will be easier for those who use iPhones or iPads. Lion will significantly increase the learning curve for Windows users switching to the Mac... Lion is very different. It’s a big leap, and gives the Mac a much more modern look and feel for a world of tablets and smartphones. If you are willing to adjust, it’s the best computer operating system out there. Harry McCracken - Time: Most of the highest-profile changes share a unifying principle: They make a Mac feel a little less like a cranky, complicated personal computer, and a little more like a 21st-century appliance... Lion feels, to revive an old OS X tagline, like a new Mac for your Mac. At $129, it would have been a meaty good value. At $29.99, it's a steal — the no-brainer upgrade that defines the notion of a no-brainer upgrade. John Siracusa - Ars Technica (a staggeringly long review): Though the Lion name suggests the end of something, the content of the operating system itself clearly marks the start of a new journey. Seemingly emboldened by the success of iOS, Apple has taken a hatchet to decades of conventional wisdom about desktop operating systems. Jesus Diaz - Gizmodo: I love Mac OS X. I've used it since the very first and painful developer preview, back in September 2000. I love iOS too, because its modal nature simplifies powerful computing, and, at the same time, empowers normal people. I hoped Mac OS X Lion was going to merge both perfectly. Sadly, from a user interface point of view, it has failed to achieve that. And by failing at this task, it has made a mess of what was previously totally acceptable. Matthew Panzarino - The Next Web: Yeah, yeah, but should I buy it? The short answer is yes. OS X Lion offers enough value in its security enhancements and improvements to features like Exposé and Spaces, in the form of Mission Control, to justify the $29.99 price tag alone. There’s really very little reason not to purchase the upgrade if you’re already a Mac user on Snow Leopard. So, Lion appears to be worth $29.99 but as with any dot-zero release, users are encouraged to backup first and be careful about using it for mission-critical applications until Apple -- and your fellow users -- have gotten all the bugs out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfisk Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 I have a friend that just purchased it, and he really likes it. I'm still going to wait a while, though. I don't trust any brand new operating system, no matter who makes it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjerknes Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 I have a friend that just purchased it, and he really likes it. I'm still going to wait a while, though. I don't trust any brand new operating system, no matter who makes it. It's probably a good idea to wait a while, I bought Lion today, Boom Recorder and Metacorder seems to work fine but Pro Tools stopped working. Aside from that I like it a lot, it has som great new features. /Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Visser Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 I just tried to purchase, but never downloaded, servers must be busy? I'm only installing it on a drive that I never boot off of for my regular work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Gilchrist Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 I just tried to purchase, but never downloaded, servers must be busy? I'm only installing it on a drive that I never boot off of for my regular work. Same issue here with the download or so I thought. It will download in the background, though. And suddenly the installer will pop up. I think the App Store speed will be a problem in the future. I have a very fast connection here, averaging 32 MB/S down and anywhere between 22 and 30 up. It took a long time for Lion to download, even with a cabled connection to the router. The Apple "every thing is wifi" world will bit them on the butt in the near future. It should be noted that the new Mini is optical drive-free (didn't look at the other new hardware), and that software will be available on thumb drives at physical Apple Store locations at a premium price starting in August, I think. Best regards, Jim PS: Preparing my laptop as I would for a major upgrade - back-up, clone and so on, for example worked great and my new partition with Lion works great. But on the other hand, the Safari update killed my desktop machine. so I ended up spending extra time that would have been unnecessary if I had been sure to do a backup before the Safari download. I'll be sure to do so in the future for any update or new install that requires a restart. JG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted July 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 But on the other hand, the Safari update killed my desktop machine. so I ended up spending extra time that would have been unnecessary if I had been sure to do a backup before the Safari download. I'll be sure to do so in the future for any update or new install that requires a restart. JG I did the Safari update on my desktop (iMac) and it was smooth sailing. Purchase, download and install went fine, but slowly, on one of my laptops. I like everything with Lion so far except the "update" to Address Book and iCal --- awful! I thought we had moved way beyond the idea of trying to may an address book LOOK like an address book... cheeze. Both programs have lost features and functionality and I could care less if they look more like their physical counterpart (I haven't used a physical address book or calendar in probably 10 years). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Karlsson Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 I downloaded and installed Lion on my laptop's second drive late last night (I replaced the optical drive in my MacBook Pro with a second HD a while ago, so I can use the second drive as the audio drive for Pro Tools, Logic etc.), so I will keep the Snow Leopard drive un-touched for now. I got to say, it's pretty slick overall, and I do really not think it's my imagination when I say that Mail app and Safari seems to run better/faster/smoother on Lion. Love the interface of the new Mail so far. Jeff, I really really agree with what you said about iCal and Address Book... seriously WHY did they think this would be a good idea I wish they would have gone the same direction as Mail here, but oh well, maybe if they get enough complaints about it.... The "reverse direction" scrolling does make sense if you think about it, it's the same as the iPhone / iPad, but I am so used to the old way of doing it that it will take a few days before it's feels natural to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arovinsky Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 This is my own cursory list of which apps work -- and which do not, in Lion. Presumably it helps to have the newest version. DO WORK Final Cut Pro 6 & 7 (& presumably X works) this includes the whole suite: Soundtrack Pro, Color, LiveType, & Motion. Plural Eyes 2.0 Boom Recorder Handbrake, Toast 10 & 11 Audacity 1.3 or above Wave Agent Visual Hub Crossover. Newsfire 2.0 ($5 purchase from Mac app store ; previous versions were free.) I've read that one has to download new versions of Parallels and Quicken; that the otherwise recent versions do not work The new Pro Tools 9.0.3 does not work in Lion. Avid says they are working on it. There are, however, downsides to anything this new and major. In my view, the biggest of these is that switching to Lion will require a major adjustment even for veteran Mac users, though it will be easier for those who use iPhones or iPads. Lion will significantly increase the learning curve for Windows users switching to the Mac... Lion is very different. It’s a big leap, and gives the Mac a much more modern look and feel for a world of tablets and smartphones. If you are willing to adjust, it’s the best computer operating system out there. Harry McCracken - Time: Most of the highest-profile changes share a unifying principle: They make a Mac feel a little less like a cranky, complicated personal computer, and a little more like a 21st-century appliance... Lion feels, to revive an old OS X tagline, like a new Mac for your Mac. At $129, it would have been a meaty good value. At $29.99, it's a steal — the no-brainer upgrade that defines the notion of a no-brainer upgrade. John Siracusa - Ars Technica (a staggeringly long review): Though the Lion name suggests the end of something, the content of the operating system itself clearly marks the start of a new journey. Seemingly emboldened by the success of iOS, Apple has taken a hatchet to decades of conventional wisdom about desktop operating systems. Jesus Diaz - Gizmodo: I love Mac OS X. I've used it since the very first and painful developer preview, back in September 2000. I love iOS too, because its modal nature simplifies powerful computing, and, at the same time, empowers normal people. I hoped Mac OS X Lion was going to merge both perfectly. Sadly, from a user interface point of view, it has failed to achieve that. And by failing at this task, it has made a mess of what was previously totally acceptable. Matthew Panzarino - The Next Web: Yeah, yeah, but should I buy it? The short answer is yes. OS X Lion offers enough value in its security enhancements and improvements to features like Exposé and Spaces, in the form of Mission Control, to justify the $29.99 price tag alone. There’s really very little reason not to purchase the upgrade if you’re already a Mac user on Snow Leopard. So, Lion appears to be worth $29.99 but as with any dot-zero release, users are encouraged to backup first and be careful about using it for mission-critical applications until Apple -- and your fellow users -- have gotten all the bugs out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Gilchrist Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 I did the Safari update on my desktop (iMac) and it was smooth sailing. Purchase, download and install went fine, but slowly, on one of my laptops. I like everything with Lion so far except the "update" to Address Book and iCal --- awful! I thought we had moved way beyond the idea of trying to may an address book LOOK like an address book... cheeze. Both programs have lost features and functionality and I could care less if they look more like their physical counterpart (I haven't used a physical address book or calendar in probably 10 years). Jeff, If the appearance of iCal and Address Book are still bugging you, take a look at this page. You can either download aluminum look skins and replace the stock look manually or use the installers. It makes a huge difference in how well the 2 apps work for me, 'cause now I'll use them! Best regards, Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted August 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 Thanks Jim, I found those 2 little bits also and it has made a world of difference! I was just so put off, not so much the "look" but the underlying philosophy/concept that it represents. I think we have gone so far beyond the idea that these applications should look like their physical counterparts, a physical counterpart that isn't even part of most people's lives anymore. While you're at it, Jim, what do you know about the incredibly ugly Application icons in the sidebar? Mine are all generic, look like a broken sawhorse, and I want to change them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Gilchrist Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 (edited) Thanks Jim, I found those 2 little bits also and it has made a world of difference! I was just so put off, not so much the "look" but the underlying philosophy/concept that it represents. I think we have gone so far beyond the idea that these applications should look like their physical counterparts, a physical counterpart that isn't even part of most people's lives anymore. While you're at it, Jim, what do you know about the incredibly ugly Application icons in the sidebar? Mine are all generic, look like a broken sawhorse, and I want to change them. I don't usually have apps in the sidebar (more of a dock guy), but if you're seeing generic app icons instead of application-specfic icons, you should be able to remove the generics and replace them by dragging in the icons out of your applications folder. They are just another form of alias to the original item. Control-clicking or right clicking will reveal a submenu of available actions for items in the sidebar. So I just went to my machine with Lion and checked, I guess application specific icons aren't supported in the sidebar. Perhaps an effort to force the use of Launchpad? Or to make every Apple product act like iOS devices? I can't make a transition to Lion on my main machine because I'm mulling over the options for a couple of applications I need to replace. iCal is ok in Lion, but I really dislike the UI for Address Book as well. Best regards, Jim A postscript: Here's a discussion of the sidebar on macthemes.net. JG Edited August 2, 2011 by Jim Gilchrist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Spaeth Posted August 24, 2011 Report Share Posted August 24, 2011 the only reason that keeps me form going Lion, sadly, is that I'd like to continue using my old MBox with Pro Tools. Since Lion only supports PT 9 and PT 9 doesn't support the old MBox, I feel kind of locked out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Ragon Posted September 5, 2011 Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 Just something to note here.. Lion OS doesn't support SAMBA, the protocol used for file sharing between different OSs. Basically, this broke my file sharing Linux Box that I use. Or perhaps not broke (because I still operate it) but I'm unable to now access my internal cloud on my home network server.. Just an FYI to anyone who runs multiple OSs within one home. -Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lukas Morawski Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 (edited) Here also waiting for Avid to release a solid update for PT. Also without the whole iCloud thing I don't think I would miss Lion Edited September 6, 2011 by Lukas Morawski Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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