Introduction

A lot has happened since Apple introduced Mac OS X a decade ago. What started as an incomplete replacement for an established operating system has become not only the backbone of today’s powerful Mac computers, but also the foundation for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. At one point, that was just a novel bit of technology trivia, but with Mac OS X Lion, many capabilities found in those handheld devices are coming back to the desktop.

The signature new features of Lion are inspired by iOS: Launchpad makes it easy for new users to locate and open applications; Auto Save means you don’t have to save a document before closing it; Mission Control and full-screen mode can run applications in their own spaces; and Multi-Touch gestures give you more ways to interact with the computer. Other new features just make it easier to use the Mac, such as transferring files between computers using AirDrop, restoring a document’s earlier state using the Versions feature, buying and downloading applications directly from the Mac App Store, and keeping your data secure using FileVault 2.

With Lion, Apple is setting up the Mac (and how it interacts with the iOS devices) for the next decade.

How to Get Lion

If you’ve just purchased a new Mac, congratulations! Lion is already installed. If you are upgrading, your options include:

• If you’re currently running Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, you can buy Lion for $29.99 from the Mac App Store and download it; Lion is not available on disc (see Chapter 2 for more details).

• If you’re running Mac OS X 10.5 or earlier, you must first upgrade to Snow Leopard ($29) to gain access to the Mac App Store.

Will Your Mac Run Lion?

Lion requires a Mac with one of the following Intel processors: Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon. (Lion will not run on a Mac with a Core 2 Solo processor, such as an early Mac mini.)

If you own a MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or Mac Pro, those are all Intel-based; iBook, PowerBook, and Power Mac lines are not. The iMac and Mac mini made the switch with their names intact; if you’re not sure what processor is in your Mac, go to the Apple menu and choose About This Mac (Figure i.1).

Figure i.1. Discovering your Mac’s processor

How Big Is Your Pocket?

I don’t cover absolutely every aspect of Lion in this book; there’s just too much information for a Pocket Guide (and none of my pockets are large enough to carry a 500-page book). Therefore, I’ve focused on what I believe are the most important—or just plain cool—elements of Lion. If you’re looking for a more thorough reference, I highly recommend Maria Langer’s Mac OS X Lion: Visual QuickStart Guide.

I’m also making some assumptions: You know how to turn on your computer, operate the mouse or trackpad, and take precautions such as not resting open beverages directly on the keyboard (I mean, balancing a martini on the top edge of your iMac is one thing, but keep it away from the keyboard for heaven’s sake!).

As this isn’t a basic-level guide, I’ll also assume that you know some of the core actions of using a computer in the twenty-first century, such as starting up and shutting down your Mac, accessing menu items (single-click a menu name that appears at the top of the screen to reveal its list of options), and double-clicking an application to launch it.

Conventions Used in This Book

• When I talk about accessing a command from the menus that appear in every program, I separate each component using an angle-bracket (>) character. For example, “choose File > Open” means “Click the File menu item, then choose Open from the list that appears.” A succession of commands indicate submenus: “choose View > Arrange By > Name” translates to “click the View menu, then the Arrange By item, and then the Name item that appears in the submenu.”

• When I refer to a “preference pane,” I’m talking about the options found in System Preferences. Choose System Preferences from the Apple () menu, or click its icon in the Dock. To access the “Network preference pane,” for example, open System Preferences and click the Network icon.

• Keyboard shortcuts are expressed with the name of a modifier key and another key that must be pressed at the same time, such as, “Press Command-S to save the file.” However, the Command key has always been a source of confusion: the key often appears with a or symbol.

• When I refer to a “gesture,” I’m talking about using finger motions on a laptop trackpad or Apple’s Magic Trackpad. For example, the gesture to open the Mission Control interface is to swipe upward with three fingers.

• In a few places, I refer to more information found in the Mac Help files. Choose Mac Help from the Help menu.