OS X Lion: Top 5 New Features from a PC User

Also available in a special "Disney Princess" edition.

Apple has finally released its new OS, Mac OS X Lion.  While I no longer tote around a Mac, I definitely wanted to take the time to lay out my top five favorite new features included in the OS, pulled directly from apple.com.  Is it worth $30?  Who knows?  Read on to see the wonderful world of Lion!

1. Multi-touch Gestures

If you've ever used a Mac's two-finger scroll, there's not much more I can tell you.  Windows hardware is plagued by low quality at best, non-existent at worst, multi-touch gestures.  While I won't say that touch is the future of laptop and desktop interaction, it can be damn useful in certain situations.  I love you two-finger scroll.

2.  Auto Save

Alright, so I am admitting that this post is going to radically decay into features that are totally underwhelming.  This feature falls somewhere in the middle.  Apple is touting a new auto save feature that saves in the background so you're not interrupted, saves everything in a single file, and allows you to return to old versions.  Now, I admit this is fantastic... except I'm not sure what applications don't already perform this very same task.  As it turns out, I'm pretty sure Microsoft Word has auto saved for maybe a decade and I know for a fact that Google Docs has done the same for quite some time.  So way to advertise something that's been around for years.  But really, that's what Apple does best.

3.  Full Screen Apps

Oh thank goodness.  While I will concede that full screen applications can be useful on an 11" screen, the benefit outside of that situation is limited.  However, even in that situation, is my life really improved considerably by removing a menu bar at the top of the screen that occupies maybe 1/20 of my screen?  I'm so relieved that I can read one more line of text in emails or web pages.  PS.  Apple includes full screen Calender, Mail, Photo Booth, Preview, Quick Time, Safari, etc., as well as the ability to exit full screen mode as part of its 250 new features.  Bravo Apple.  Bravo.

4.  Launch Pad

Launch Pad is a single location where you can launch any of your applications.  If only there had been a way to launch applications prior to this!?  As I recall, the only way to accomplish this was to 1.) launch from the desktop; 2.) launch from the dock; 3.) launch from Spotlight; 4.) launch from the applications folder.  Really, four ways was too few.  Often, I myself was lost when faced with the agonizing task of opening iTunes.  In addition, Launch Pad allows you to organize your apps any way you like and delete apps.  Again, if only this was possible prior to Lion!?  Um, it was.

5.  Finder

And finally, the last upgrade impressed upon me is Finder's ability to let you view all your files in a single window. For the record, a quick view of the total files in my "Program Files" folder on my computer yielded a total of nearly 80,000 files.  I can't tell you how relieved I am that Mac OS X Lion is finally allowing me to view all of those in a single window.  Because, many of my computing problems have certainly resulted from me not being able to view thousands of files at once.  Again, Apple pushes the boundary of computing.


I hope you were informed.  Rock on $30.  Unless you haven't upgraded to the version prior to Lion, in which case that will cost you $30 first, then Lion will cost another $30.  Another one of the 250 upgrades I presume.