Release record
Lion
Release notes
Editorial synthesis with inline references and a source ledger when citations are available.
Mac OS X Lion 10.7 became publicly available on July 20, 2011. The release combined a new application and workspace model—Multi-Touch navigation, full-screen apps, Mission Control, Launchpad, and an integrated Mac App Store—with document continuity, local file sharing, a redesigned Mail app, and a download-first upgrade process.[1][2]
Apple issued the Lion developer preview to Mac Developer Program members on February 24 and said the final version would ship in the summer. A June 6 announcement narrowed availability to July, and the July 20 launch page records same-day public distribution through the Mac App Store.[3][4][5]
Lion reorganized common desktop work around gestures, systemwide full-screen apps, a unified Mission Control overview, Launchpad, and OS-level Mac App Store access. The detailed interaction descriptions come from Apple's February and June pre-release material only where the July launch independently confirms the named feature.[6][7][8]
Resume, Auto Save, and Versions formed a coordinated document-continuity layer; AirDrop added nearby peer-to-peer file transfer; and Mail received a broad redesign. Apple described Mail's widescreen layout, Conversations, search, and Exchange 2010 support before launch, while the July announcement confirms the redesigned app shipped with Lion.[9][10]
Apple sold the Lion consumer upgrade through the Mac App Store for $29.99 in the United States, described the download as roughly 4GB, and required Snow Leopard 10.6.6, a listed Intel processor family, and 2GB of memory. Retail-store downloads and later USB media were alternate access paths rather than a staged software rollout.[11]
On July 21, Apple reported that more than one million users had bought and downloaded Lion during its first day. This is an Apple-supplied sales and download claim, preserved as launch-history context rather than presented as an independently audited measurement.[12]
This article records the initial 10.7 public package only. Apple's archived 2011–2012 security index omits an initial Lion 10.7 line and later identifies 10.7.2 on October 12; its 10.7.2 advisory applies to 10.7 and 10.7.1 systems but does not establish which fixes were present on July 20. No later security repair is projected backward, no preview-only feature is promoted without public-launch confirmation, and no undocumented behavior or build number is inferred.[13][14][15][16]
Source ledger
Sources are linked to the claims they support. Publication and access dates are shown when available.
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2011-07-20T00:00:00.000Z · July 20, 2011; launch overview and feature list
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2011-06-06T00:00:00.000Z · June feature descriptions
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2011-02-24T00:00:00.000Z · February 24 developer-preview availability
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2011-07-20T00:00:00.000Z · July 20 public availability
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2011-06-06T00:00:00.000Z · June 6 announcement and July availability
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2011-06-06T00:00:00.000Z · Gestures through Launchpad paragraphs
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2011-02-24T00:00:00.000Z · Mission Control through Mac App Store paragraphs
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2011-07-20T00:00:00.000Z · Public-launch feature list
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2011-07-20T00:00:00.000Z · Launch feature list and additional new features
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2011-06-06T00:00:00.000Z · Mail and additional new features
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2011-07-20T00:00:00.000Z · Pricing & Availability
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2011-07-21T00:00:00.000Z · July 21, 2011; first-day adoption claim
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2011-02-24T00:00:00.000Z · February developer-preview scope
Apple Support · Apple · 2023-08-10T00:00:00.000Z · July 20 entries and OS X Lion v10.7.2 — 12 Oct 2011
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2011-07-20T00:00:00.000Z · July 20 public-launch scope
Apple Support · Apple · 2026-07-30 · OS X Lion v10.7.2 availability for 10.7 and 10.7.1
Apple Support · Apple · 2023-08-10T00:00:00.000Z · 2011 security chronology
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2011-02-24T00:00:00.000Z · February 24, 2011
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2011-07-20T00:00:00.000Z · July 20, 2011
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2011-07-21T00:00:00.000Z · July 21, 2011
Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2011-06-06T00:00:00.000Z · June 6, 2011
Apple Support · Apple · 2026-07-30 · OS X Lion v10.7.2 later-version boundary
Documented & observed
Source-linked features, fixes, known issues, removals, and community-observed behavior recorded across this version’s appearances and verified builds.
Release changes
Features, fixes, removals, and regressions first observed in this release record.
feature · introduced
Lion provided an application-focused home screen where users could launch software, arrange icons, group apps into folders, and move among pages.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
Lion introduced local wireless file transfer that discovered nearby Macs and set up the peer-to-peer connection without requiring a separately configured network share.
Recorded at Public
compatibility · changed
The public release made the Mac App Store the main upgrade channel at a US launch price of $29.99. Apple also offered retail-store downloading for people without broadband and announced later USB media at a separate price.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
The feature created a full-screen workspace for supported applications and a gesture-driven path among those apps and desktop spaces. Apple's June description named several Apple apps prepared for the mode, while the July launch confirms the systemwide capability.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
The operating system added automatic document persistence for applications that adopted the feature, reducing reliance on manual save commands.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
Lion added a consolidated workspace view that grouped open windows by app and exposed full-screen apps, Dashboard, and desktop spaces for navigation.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
Lion added system behavior intended to return users to the application state they left when reopening an app or restarting the Mac.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
Lion paired document history with supported applications so earlier states could be inspected and reused without maintaining a separate stack of manually named files.
Recorded at Public
enhancement · changed
The July launch confirms a complete Mail redesign. Apple's June pre-release description identified its principal elements as a widescreen interface, grouped Conversations, search suggestions and refinements, and built-in Microsoft Exchange 2010 support.
Recorded at Public
compatibility · changed
Apple's launch requirements named Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and Xeon Macs with 2GB of RAM, and allowed the purchase to be installed on a user's authorized personal Macs.
Recorded at Public
enhancement · changed
The store became part of Lion's system experience, with purchased apps installing into Launchpad. Apple's June pre-release announcement also said the store would support smaller delta app updates and Lion-aware app capabilities.
Recorded at Public
enhancement · changed
Apple's June announcement described momentum scrolling, tap-or-pinch zoom, horizontal swipes for pages and full-screen apps, and a gesture for Mission Control; the July public-launch announcement confirms new Multi-Touch gestures as part of Lion.
Recorded at Public
Milestones
Every recorded channel appearance in chronological order. Open an appearance for any available build, scope, notes, and sources.
Developer beta
Public release
Mac OS X Lion 10.7 reached the public channel on July 20, 2011 with a gesture- and full-screen-focused desktop model, Mission Control, Launchpad, document continuity, AirDrop, redesigned Mail, and Mac App Store distribution.
Historical context
Pace, intervals, and duration compared with earlier releases on the same platform.
Cycle vs. platform average
146d (avg: 102d)
44 days longer than the macOS average
Longest gap in this cycle
146 days
Between Beta 1 and Public