• Apple has released a developer preview of Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion” to developer program members, giving programmers and folks who make stuff for the broader Macintosh ecosystem a chance to see where Mac OS X is headed before it actually lands in customers’ hands.
• Mac OS X 10.7 aims to bring technology and interface elements from iOS and the iPad back to Mac OS X.
• Mac OS X Lion’s feature list will be Mission Control, a new feature that combines elements of Mac OS X’s existing Dashboard, Spaces, and Exposé with full screen application capabilities: Mission Control gives users an overhead view of ever application and window running on the Mac and enables users to move between them with a simple swipe or click. Mac OS X Lion will also include an app launcher called LaunchPad, a fullscreen app launcher enabling users to quickly find and run applications without hunting around—and which looks stunningly like iOS home screens.
• Mac OS X Lion will also feature a full screen mode that will enable apps to completely take over a display, hiding all desktop clutter, and enable users to switch apps with a single swipe.
• Rather than touchscreens, Apple will be focusing on trackpad input devices with gesture support, like the trackpads in its notebook computers and its Magic Trackpad for desktop systems. MAc OS X lion will support new multi-touch gestures and animations to provide a “natural and intuitive” way to interact with a Mac, including pinching and swiping.
