Is Your Mac Ready for OS X Lion?

OS X Lion is here and everyone every Mac user is excited about it and I’m sure the $30 price tag will not stop you from upgrading your Mac. But before that, is your Mac compatible enough for OS X Lion? Let’s find out more in Lion Compatibility. Here are few things you need to consider before upgrading to Lion.

Lion Compatibility

Apple specifies that your Mac must have an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon processor to run Lion and not anything lower than this. If you’ve purchased your Mac in 2006 or later, then you’re good to go. Also, a minimum of 2GB RAM and at least 4GB of additional disk space is a pre-requisite.

Just because Apple specifies that Core 2 Duo systems may not require any upgrades, it doesn’t mean that Lion will run all that well. It’s advised to have the latest processor, but you can still give it a shot.

Tip: To check the processor and RAM details, go to the Apple menu and select “About This Mac”.

Are you running Snow Leopard?

Make sure your Mac is running Snow Leopard 10.6 or higher version and has the Mac App Store app installed. If you’re running OS X 10.5 Leopard or anything less, then it’s time to upgrade to Snow Leopard first. Snow Leopard is available for $29 (plus shipping) at the online Apple Store.

The reason why you need to upgrade is because OS X Snow Leopard was the first version of OS X to support the Mac App Store.

Software Compatibility

Make sure that your third party applications that are installed are upgraded to their latest version. Sometimes, these third party applications may not work properly with Lion. Thankfully, most app developers are working on their apps to make sure they’re ready for Lion, so a software update may fix the issue. Frequently visit the developer’s website to see if the developer’s have updated anything about Lion compatibility.

The same problem may occur with printer drivers, video card drivers and other peripherals that don’t use OS X provided drivers.

Gesture Ready?

OS X Lion comes with a multi-gesture feature that lets you perform multi-touch gestures like tap, two-finger scroll and swipe. If you’re using a MacBook, then you can take full control of these features. However, if you own a desktop Mac, then you need to shed some cash for a Magic Trackpad,  in case you want to use these features.

The Magic Trackpad is the first Multi-Touch trackpad designed to work with your Mac desktop computer. It uses the same Multi-Touch technology as the MacBook Pro. It is available for purchase at $69.

Lion Compatibility – And finally, are you ready?

So, are you ready to experience OS X Lion? Are you going to upgrade? Are you still worried about Lion Compatibility issues? Let us know!

OS X Lion will be available sometime in July for $30. If you think that $30 is expensive for your OS X Lion upgrade, then you must consider some discounted iTunes Gift Cards which may save you some cash. Stay tuned for more updates. If you have any questions about Lion Compatibility, feel free to leave a comment below!

Are You Going Lion Mad?

What I find amazing is the OS X is not even out yet, and already there is a book for Lion Dummies on sale in Amazon, the mind boggles.