2008 was the last time OS X received a major overhaul. It’s been proven by many that the iPad is the future of computing, at least for the average consumer. However, there’s still a large need and demand for a more traditional desktop (specifically, laptop) computer.
I’ve been running Lion (GM) for the past week now, and it’d be an understatement to say that I’m impressed. The interface is beautiful and intuitive. The features work like they’re supposed to. It’s really just a pleasure to use.
It’s been heavily emphasized that Lion takes features from the iPad and iPhone full circle. Team Jobs has been chanting about how well elements like multi-touch have been integrated. And to say the least, their chanting has held true.
I’m not going to cover every new feature of Lion (according to Apple, there’s 250+) because that’d be downright boring. I am going to touch on the features that I particularly like or find interesting.
AirDrop
I’ve been using Dropbox for this kind of thing since its inception. AirDrop simplifies the process. Instead of having to upload the file, send someone a link, then the receiver having to download the file, AirDrop is simply drag-and-drop. The receiver can choose to accept or deny the file being sent.
The rest of my family owns a Mac, and I’ve already used this feature to share family photos and other media throughout the house.
Auto Save
This should be an option program to program. I don’t know many people that would prefer Auto Save over manual save in apps with a high crash rate like Photoshop and iMovie (including FCP X). I’ve already lost an entire Final Cut project because the app crashed in the middle of the Auto Save process.
In other light-weight apps, Auto Save hasn’t been a problem for me. I’ve been able to close out without loosing any changes.
Electronic Distribution
No more having to deal with purchasing a physical disk. For those worried about the 4GB download, I hear Apple plans to invite users to drop by their Apple Store and download Lion there.
I do wonder, though, how Lion will be bundled with new Macs. The smartest way would be to adopt what the MacBook Airs have — a flash drive that contains Lion and the version of iLife shipped with the computer. I couldn’t imagine Apple continuing to bundle physical disks.
Finder
The best new feature in Lion’s Finder is the gesture controls. I can horizontally scroll through folders and files using my Magic Trackpad or Mouse.
Other enhancements like being able to merge folders and group (or snap together) files are appreciated, also. A lot of previously tedious tasks have been made easy in Lion’s Finder.
Full Screen Apps
Full screen just isn’t for me. I am a heavy user of menu bar apps, and full screen renders them useless. I like being able to see my desktop background, too.
For those folks that prefer full screen, the feature is well-implemented. Especially since you can use gestures to switch back and forth between apps.
iCal
iCal on the iPad was bad enough, and the updated interface of iCal in Lion is even worse. There’s a reason I use a digital calendar — I don’t care to see the remains of the former month’s calendar after I tore it off.
Launchpad
To be honest, I haven’t really found myself using Launchpad. I already have a Dock, Spotlight Search, and Finder. I don’t need yet another way to launch applications. It makes sense on iOS, because it’s the only intuitive way to open applications. But on the Mac, it just isn’t needed.
Launchpad is also the only noticeably laggy feature in Lion.
Mail, v5
The only real alternative to Sparrow. Right now, I’m stuck with using Mail since Sparrow has yet to update their UI to support Lion. [UPDATE: Sparrow has updated their UI to support Lion. Awesome!]
Apple was obviously trying to compete. Sparrow still pulls ahead in many areas, and will most likely remain the preferred mail client for many.
Mission Control
I’m not too fond of the spaceship icon, but for a spaceship, it looks nice (compared to MarsEdit’s icon). Beyond the icon, I love Mission Control.
Spaces and Expose has always been one of my most favorite features on the Mac. I use it all the time to organize my windows and tasks. With Mission Control, it’s window and task management to the extreme. I can see everything I’m doing all at once.
I have yet to find an option to turn off the “use different desktop background for each space” feature. I change my wallpaper fairly often and would appreciate it if I only had to change it once, instead of multiple times since I regularly use four spaces or more.
Multi-Touch Gestures
As detailed in many of the points above, I love the various gestures integrated in Lion. Using Snow Leopard, my Magic Trackpad would sit on my desk and collect dust. I finally have a use for it.
Preview
Because of the type of business I’m involved in, I regularly have to send out documents to clients that need to have signatures affixed to them. While I probably won’t use this feature myself, my clients will definitely appreciate it if they don’t already have a digital signature.
I rarely use Preview, so most of the other features render useless to me. Not to say that they won’t be helpful for other users, though.
QuickTime Player
QuickTime is slowly becoming a lightweight cross between ScreenFlow and iMovie. You can record your screen or webcam, stitch together and cut clips and share to various social media services. Better name for it would be ‘QuickTime Movie Maker’.
Resume
So many times I’ve updated my software and a system restart was required. I was usually in the middle of things, and upon startup I had to re-open everything I was working on. Even in the past week, Resume has proven to be a valuable feature.
Safari
I have to admit, I really like the new version of Safari in Lion. Tap and pinch to zoom are really fun to play around with.
The ability to automatically set up Mail and Calendar accounts by logging in online makes it super simple to configure everything. Mail settings and servers can often be intimidating for the average user. At the time of this writing, the ability to automatically configure Mail and Calendar is only available for Gmail and Yahoo Mail.
Some really simple features are still missing though like Google search in the address bar, one click URL select and favicon support for tabs.
Screen Sharing
I use this a lot around the house, and being able to login to other user accounts using an Apple ID has improved security by not having to share passwords with others.
Auto-Correct
DamnYouAutoCorrect is about to get a whole lot more popular.
Versions
Auto Save would not be complete without Versions. Being able to see every past version of your documents and projects is essential. It’s also neat that you can copy between versions and compare two versions side-by-side.
Other Features
I don’t really care much about resizing from any edge. But finally I can manually move through pictures on a screensaver. One thing from Windows I’ve missed. It’s neat that you can play songs from the iTunes artwork screensaver, too. And you can’t forget the iOS-like scrollbars. Those are just awesome.
Performance
I don’t notice a huge performance difference with Lion, but the OS as a whole feels more fluid and “flowy” if you will.
Final Thoughts
I really like Lion. So many great features I’ve gotten used to using on the iPad, now in a desktop experience. I’m also excited for the new MacBook Air’s rumored to be coming out in a matter of days. They’re a great — if not the best — companion to Lion.
