Back to The Mac: Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Previewed

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Steve Jobs took to the stage today and in addition to announcing iLife 11 and Facetime for the Mac (both of which are available as of today), he also talked a bit about the next version of OS X — 10.7 Lion.

And this part of the event was where the name came from, Back To The mac, and according to Steve Jobs they created OS X and iOS and now they are taking some of those features found on the iPad and bring them into 10.7 Lion.

Sadly though, unlike iLife 11, this version of OS X is not going to be available today. In fact, this is only a preview in which we are learning a few of the key features. That said, if you are a fan of the iPad and ease of use and features you may like what you hear. This also makes a little more sense in regards to seeing those iLife apps running in full screen mode.

So without further adieu, the key features that are coming into 10.7 Lion will include multi-touch gestures, an App Store, app home screens, full screen apps, Launchpad, Mission Control, auto save and the ability for apps to resume when launched.

• Multi-touch gestures: Thankfully this is not coming in regards to touchscreen displays, because that would initially lead to plenty of sore arms and later plenty of muscular arms from being held up all day. Instead these gestures will take place on the notebook trackpads as well as the Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad.
• App Store: It was noted that the App Store has served up 7 billion downloads so far. Given that it comes with little surprise as to why they are building this into OS X. Otherwise, this will be similar to what we have come to know with iOS in that it will have one-click downloads, automatic installations and automatic app updates. But perhaps a little nicer, the App Store in Lion will allow for the apps you purchase to be licensed for “use on all your personal Macs.” And again, similar to the iOS App Store, the OS X App Store will offer a 70/30 split with developers.
• Launchpad: Another new feature for Lion, which when launched will bring up an iPad like layout displaying your apps. Almost like a springboard launcher for OS X. And similar to iOS, the you will be able to create folders.

With that, the release of Lion is not expected until sometime in the Summer of 2011. And as of now there was no mention in terms of pricing. The good news however comes in the form of the App Store, that will be available for Snow Leopard users sometime within the next 90 days.