Lion is the code name for Apple’s latest version of their already awesome operating software, OS X. This update takes Mac computers, and takes them about 10 steps farther away from what is considered a customary operating system. Simple things like habitually hitting Command-S to save or the old ways of scrolling through a page are done away with. Nearly every new feature is an improvement on an old Mac feature. Exposé is replaced with Mission control. Versions is like Time Machine, but on a per-document basis. And everything is worth the $30 upgrade. I have found that using Lion has made using my computer much less of a hassle. But besides all the little graphical enhancements and smooth animations, I feel that Lion helps me get more done. Lion has turned Mac computers into Beasts of Productivity.
Lion boasts several new features and improvements to its operating system, four of which I'll cover here. The first is full-screen apps. I think full screen apps are a little misunderstood. Hasn't Windows had the "maximize" button for ages now? True. Hasn't Mac had that... strange little "+" button that sometimes maximizes windows? Yes.. And wouldn't it be just as fine if you just drag the edges of the windows out till they cover the entire screen? No. By full-screen, I mean completely and totally FULL screen. Even the menubar disappears! Every lit pixel on the screen is available for the app. The dock slides out of view and the app gets true full-screen. I use full-screen apps every chance I get, and not to justify buying Lion. I enjoy dedicating my computer to one app. It allows me to focus and phase out all other distractions. Multitasking is great, but sometimes you just need to step back from it all and focus on just one task, and full-screen apps do just that.
The next useful feature is autosave and versions. Basically, applications are able to save in the background without you needing to hit Command-S every few minutes. It adds an extra security net to those who simply don't remember or don't care to save constantly. But sometimes you don't want your document to keep saving itself, and for that there are easily-accessib options to turn of auto-saving, force an auto-save, and even browse previous versions of the document in Time Machine-like style. And the best part is that these require no setup; it just works. I don't believe that you should rely solely on auto-saving, since it may goof up because, well, nothing's perfect, but it certainly has its moments. For example, today I wrote a single-page letter today that took me around 45 minutes. Well, as my typical habits would have it, I wrote the letter and THEN decided to save it! Fail, I know. But epic fail when Pages locked up when clicked "Save"! That's right, I left it sitting there for 10 minutes with the beach ball of death, hoping it would recover and let me chose where to save it. But no, that didn't happen. I took a screen shot so I could duplicate the letter or at least print the screenshot and force-quit the app. I relaunched Pages to see if it could recover the document. And to my relief, there it was! It had rolled back a couple edits I made, but at least I didn't have to re-write the entire document. And that is why auto-save and versions are great additions to OS X.
The next feature I want to talk about is Launchpad. Launchpad offers a new way to view, arrange, organize, and launch apps in Mac. It's Apple's way of brining together OS X and iOS. Launchpad takes its inspiration from the home screen on iPhones, iTouches, and iPads. When you activate launchpad from the Dock or Applications folder, it overlays your screen with your wallpaper faded in the background. The applications are organized in neat rows, columns, and folders. Launchpad draws its items from your Applications folder, but ignores documents and non-application folders. It will display shortcuts, or "Aliases" as their so called, so you can put your Steam games in there! I personally have Launchpad set to my bottom-left hot corner so I can easily summon it, because I keep my dock hidden, now that I have lion.
And a Launchpad wouldn't be complete without a Mission Control. I probably use Mission Control more than any other feature in Lion. What Mission Control does is, once summoned, neatly displays all opened applications, both full-screened and windowed, and any desktops you have running. You can access Mission Control by either double-tapping with two fingers on the Magic Mouse, or three-finger swiping up on a trackpad, or clicking its icon in the dock or applications folder. Mission Control works seamlessly with the operating system because, well, it is part of the operating system. It's transitions are smooth, and it is very easy to use. Mission Control is Exposé and Spaces in Snow Leopard done right. It combines the simplicity of those two and makes it super-accessible. You can add a second desktop on-demand by moving your mouse to the upper-right corner. And by multiple desktops for those who don't know, I mean having a second virtual desktop to store windows in. (Imagine being able to swipe to the side, and a whole new empty desktop is in front of you to work in, and still have your old one just one swipe away.) You can easily drag and drop windows into other desktops and just as easily close desktops. Mission Control, although the name is lame, is an essential part of the Lion operating system. You could live without it, but it certainly makes things easier.
Now, it's the little things that really make of break an Operating System. If it boasts the ability to make toast on command, but you have to navigate 4 hidden system folders, launch a hidden batch file, navigate the menu bar, go through an 8-page dialog about how brown you want it and which toaster it should use, and if it should include butter, then you're a lot less likely to want toast in the mornings and will probably just go make some eggs. What I'm getting at is convenience is just as important as new features. And Lion is one of the most convenient operating systems I've ever used. They added new gestures to use, including two and three finger swiping. You can swipe to go forward or backwards in Safari, or use two fingers (three if you have a trackpad) to switch between full-screen apps, desktops, and even your dashboard. They changed the Application badges from that weird red burst shape to the glossy red circle from iOS. Messages and windows pop up with a smooth animation, and buttons and progress bars have been given a makeover. Auto-correction has been implemented in applications like Safari, Pages, and Twitter, and I assume is universal to all Mac apps now. (Don't worry, undoing an auto-correction is super-easy; just hit backspace.) Scrollbars have been removed almost entirely, and only appear when you mouse over where they would be. There is now rubber-band scrolling, where if you scroll too far, the windows will keep going, then bounce back, again taken from iOS.
Oh yeah, and they reversed scrolling to make it more like iOS. It is so that you get the illusion of "pushing" the page up to scroll down, or "push" the desktop to the left to move over to the right. It's difficult to write describe this with text, so make your way to a Mac computer with Lion and either a Magic Mouse or a Magic Trackpad and give it a try for yourself. At first, you'll think it's stupid, and there's no way to revers this. But I love it. I don't like it when companies try to change my habits, especially with something as fundamental as scrolling, but Lion just works better with this type of scrolling. It give me better interaction with my computer, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Sure, there's the question of why Apple would take so bold a step to change the way you scroll through web page, but I believe that it takes boldness to make advancements in fields such as Technology. More power to innovation!
My final verdict is as follows: OS X Lion makes using your computer easier, way more enjoyable, and one more step to the future of personal computers. It allows you to be more productive with less effort. You can get more done in a funner way, and the eye candy Apple is known for is icing on the cake. If you don't have it yet, get it. But don't forget a Magic Trackpad or Magic Mouse, as those make all the difference.
