A Lion of an OS

The latest version of Apple’s Mac OS X is out and ready for a school’s worth of upgrades before the kids show up for the first day of school. OS X 10.7 costs $30 per system and at the moment is only available as a download, all 3.5GB of it. Later in the year, Apple will make it available on a memory key, but you can say good-bye to the upgrade DVD.

It’s got everything you love and hate from the current version, but adds a slew of new features:

• There’s now a 20,000 foot view of a Mac with Mission Control software. It shows what each open app is up to and can disappear with a swipe.
• There’s better integration with Apple’s Mac store for downloading new programs, but that’s because many of the company’s previously boxed software will soon only be available online.
• When you reopen apps, they start up where you left off.
• Lion can handle multi-touch gestures on touch screen systems for things like zooming in and out and go between open apps.
• Everything is now saved incrementally, and some apps may get rid of the save button. Along with that is Versions software, which shows the history of any document or file.
• Finally, a feature that teachers will love: AirDrop lets Macs that are within Bluetooth range to share files. It’s perfect for distributing an assignment or even a quiz.