Apple has given a preview of the next version of Mac OS X, known as Lion and due to ship next summer. The focus for Lion, explained Steve Jobs, is in taking technologies Apple developed for the iPhone and iPad and employing them on the Mac. Some of these, such as multi-touch, have already made that journey, but Lion will see much greater integration between the two versions of OS X.
Among the new features are a Mac App Store; Launchpad, which Apple describes as ‘a new home for all of your Mac apps’; system-wide support for full screen viewing of applications; and Mission Control, which pulls together Exposé, Spaces, Dashboard and full-screen apps in one interface.
Launchpad looks and works very much like the Home screen on the iPhone and iPad, with app icons displayed on a grid. Users can create folders and arrange Home screens in the same way as on the handheld devices, and navigation between Home screens uses the same swipe, albeit on a Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad or Multi-Touch trackpad.
‘Lion brings many of the best ideas from iPad back to the Mac, plus some fresh new ones like Mission Control that Mac users will really like,’ said Steve Jobs.
The most controversial new feature is sure to be the App Store. Many developers have expressed concern in recent years that Apple will seek to control Mac OS X applications in the same way as it does iApps. Jobs, however, was keen to stress that while Apple believes that the App Store will be the best way to discover new Mac Apps, it won’t be the only way.
The Mac App Store will work in the same way as the App Store currently: downloaded apps will install instantly, and the Store will keep track of upgrades, alerting you when they are available. Apple will take a 30% of revenue from apps sold through the App Store.
In addition to being part of Lion, the App Store will be available for Snow Leopard ‘within 90 days’ and Apple said it will start taking submissions in the next few weeks.
