Apple has always touted the Mac as the “ computer for the rest period of us , ” wearing its report on its shoulder for designing visceral interfaces and expectant experience . But there have always been parts of Mac OS X where those claims just do n’t hold up . retrieve the last time you attempt to explain to your parents or non - proficient Friend how to download and install Firefox from a Disk Image — or for that matter , what a Disk Image even is ? With the meteorologic rise of iOS and the iPad changing our percept of the personal information processing system , Mac OS X can sometimes look downright Windows - y by comparison .
Lion is designed to fix that .
You got your iOS in my Mac OS
Apple is n’t pull the leg of around when it says the iPad was the aspiration for many of the big additions and changes in Mac OS X Lion . In the October preview , we saw some of the blossoming fruits of iOS ’s muse : full - screen apps , even deep multitouch support with fresh gestures , and a new Launchpad position of all your apps that was stolen directly off the iPad ’s homescreen — all are focused on making percentage of Mac OS X and our apps more accessible .
There is a general theme in Lion of simplifying Mac OS X , either by streamline survive features or by bring iOS workflow perquisite to the Mac . For model , Apple unveiled a new Lion feature on Thursday , called AirDrop , which is “ a remarkably simple way to copy files wirelessly from one Mac to another with no setup . ” But this just vocalize like an update and rebranding of the Bonjour file share-out and public folder features that Mac OS X has had all along , except the goal of AirDrop is to make file sharing between family and coworkers much , much easier to grasp and use . Like it did for some voice of iOS , Apple simplified survive Mac OS 10 features and polished them up with a better interface .
There are plenty of other more subtle tweaks that are establish the pilgrim’s journey from iOS to Mac OS , all in the name of streamline the interface and the many ways we interact with apps . From more legible and universal ikon ( see Mail 5 onApple ’s Lion page ) , to popover ( see iLife ’ 11 ) , to scrollbars that can hide when you do n’t involve them , Mac OS X Lion will simply look cleaner and more intuitive than any of its predecessors , and it has iOS to give thanks .
Viva la Mac
But if the iPad was “ just a giant iPod tactual sensation , ” is the Mac becoming “ just a giant iPad ? ” Not in the least . The file system has n’t go anywhere , the Finder looks to have have some much - take care , and despite vexation of Apple sweep up digital totalitarianism after denote the Mac App Store , you will not be force to give up the ability to install package from anywhere on the Web .
Another new Lion lineament Apple announced , “ Resume , ” is also an ode to iOS , but it will probably have an even large impact on the Mac . Just like flip-flop between apps on an iPad or iPhone , or even restarting the gadget , Resume is Lion ’s official financial backing for third - party Mac apps to pick up right where they left off , even after a restart . That ’s not but a good idea in iOS , it ’s just a good mind for any fairly complex computing machine — especially one that is design to multitask and beguile many apps and subject windows with ease .
Speaking of recovering your data , a duad of young characteristic will make it easier to continue working with private documents and recover lost data — key requirements of any prole bee who necessitate more top executive and flexibility than Io typically offers . Auto Save will allow apps to automatically keep your work as you create it , while Versions brings the continuous backup concepts and interface behind Time Machine down to a per - text file ground . You will be able to maltreat back through the history of the current file on - the - fly and easily revert to a previous iteration .
Great artists reciprocate
iOS and Mac OS X are symbiotic entity . When designing iOS , Apple distilled the Mac down to something pocket-sized , but the core conception are there , such as an app - centric work flow , an always - accessible “ home fundament ” Dock , and a fierce pursuit of visceral interfaces . After put on knowledge and experience from almost five eld and four versions of iOS , Apple clearly feel that it ’s time to come back the favor in Lion . Apple is incorporate some of the bracing ease of Io back into its point - and - click background computation program that , at its conceptual magnetic core , is almost three decades old .
When Lion make it , the Mac might begin to resemble some facial expression of Apple ’s simpler , more aerodynamic OS that ’s design for peregrine devices . But that ’s only because they are fundamentally estimable ideas that can round a full - featured background political platform and make it even easier to utilise , without sacrificing any of the power and flexibleness that impart substance abuser to the platform to set out with .
[ David Chartier is a Macworld associate editor . ]
