Do I need Snow Leopard before purchasing Lion

Hi. im currently running Leopard and want to purchase Lion when it comes out. I didn't get Snow Leopard when it came out but do i need it to purchase Lion or can i go straight from Leopard to Lion?
Thanks

Apple - OS X Lion - Sign up to be notified when Lion is available.
Apple - OS X Lion - Get Lion in July. Only from the Mac App Store. Lion requires an Intel-based Mac with a Core 2 Duo, i3, i5, i7 or Xeon processor and 2GB of RAM. The Lion upgrade can be installed on all your authorized personal Macs.

Similar Messages

I need to upgrade from OS X 10.6.8 to 10.7.0. I have no idea if I need Snow Leopard or Mt. Lion.

I'm 77 yrs old and need some help, please. I'm running a MacBook 10.6.8 and need to upgrade to 10.7.0 to accomodate a new program I bought. Do I need Lion first, then Mac 10.7.0? Thank you in advance to assisting me.
ChasManley

See the following to get you going. Obviously, you can skip the Snow Leopard upgrade section since you already have it installed. You have the options of Lion or Mountain Lion depending on what is supported on your computer. If it supports Mountain Lion I suggest it rathen than Lion, but that's your option.
Upgrade Paths to Snow Leopard, Lion, and/or Mountain Lion
You can upgrade to Mountain Lion from Lion or directly from Snow Leopard. Mountain Lion can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $19.99. To access the App Store you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.6 or later installed.
Upgrading to Snow Leopard
You can purchase Snow Leopard through the Apple Store: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Apple Store (U.S.). The price is $19.99 plus tax. You will be sent physical media by mail after placing your order.
After you install Snow Leopard you will have to download and install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 to update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 and give you access to the App Store. Access to the App Store enables you to download Mountain Lion if your computer meets the requirements.
     Snow Leopard General Requirements
       1. Mac computer with an Intel processor
       2. 1GB of memory
       3. 5GB of available disk space
       4. DVD drive for installation
       5. Some features require a compatible Internet service provider;
           fees may apply.
       6. Some features require Apple’s iCloud services; fees and
           terms apply.
Upgrading to Lion
If your computer does not meet the requirements to install Mountain Lion, it may still meet the requirements to install Lion.
You can purchase Lion by contacting Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service - this includes international calling numbers. The cost is $19.99 (as it was before) plus tax. It's a download. You will get an email containing a redemption code that you then use at the Mac App Store to download Lion. Save a copy of that installer to your Downloads folder because the installer deletes itself at the end of the installation.
     Lion System Requirements
       1. Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7,
           or Xeon processor
       2. 2GB of memory
       3. OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
       4. 7GB of available space
       5. Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
Upgrading to Mountain Lion
To upgrade to Mountain Lion you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or Lion installed. Purchase and download Mountain Lion from the App Store. Sign in using your Apple ID. Mountain Lion is $19.99 plus tax. The file is quite large, over 4 GBs, so allow some time to download. It would be preferable to use Ethernet because it is nearly four times faster than wireless.
     OS X Mountain Lion - System Requirements
       Macs that can be upgraded to OS X Mountain Lion
         1. iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 7,1 or later
         2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 5,1 or later
         3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 2,1 or later
         5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         7. Xserve (Early 2009) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
To find the model identifier open System Profiler in the Utilities folder. It's displayed in the panel on the right.
Are my applications compatible?
         See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps.
     For a complete How-To introduction from Apple see Upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion.

I have leopard, do I need snow leopard and then Lion for iCloud?

I have just got an iPhone 4S. It lets me have iCloud. I like iCloud. My Mac on the other hand does not like iCloud. I have 10.5.8 (I believe to be leopard) do i need Snow leopard or can I jump to lion to get my Mac to like iCloud?
Thanks
Jonathan

You can jumpt directly to Lion by purchasing the Apple USB Lion flash drive installer - $69.00 at your local Apple retailer. Otherwise, do as Carolyn has recommended - $29.00 for Snow Leopard and $30.00 for Lion. You save $10.00 doing it that way. If you choose to use that method then you may want to make your own USB installer:
Make Your Own Lion Installer
1. After downloading Lion you must first save the Install Mac OS X Lion application. After Lion downloads DO NOT click on the Install button. Go to your Applications folder and make a copy of the Lion installer. Move the copy into your Downloads folder. Now you can click on the Install button. You must do this because the installer deletes itself automatically when it finishes installing Lion.
2. Get a USB flash drive that is at least 8 GBs. Prep this flash drive as follows:
Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
3. Locate the saved Lion installer in your Downloads folder. CTRL- or RIGHT-click on the installer and select Show Package Contents from the contextual menu. Double-click on the Contents folder to open it. Double-click on the SharedSupport folder. In this folder you will see a disc image named InstallESD.dmg.
4. Plug in your freshly prepared USB flash drive. You are going to clone the InstallESD.dmg disc image to the flash drive as follows:
Open Disk Utility.
Select the USB flash drive from the left side list.
Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
Check the box labeled Erase destination.
Select the USB flash drive volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
Drag the InstallESD.dmg disc image file into the Source entry field.
Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
When the clone is completed you have a fully bootable Lion installer that you can use without having to re-download Lion.

A few questions about Snow Leopard before purchase

it was first a french post that I translate:
salut, quelques questions avant mon achat éventuel de Snow:
Hi, a few questions before I purchase Snow Leopard:
1) le update est-il multilingue. c.à.d a-t-on aussi le choix de la langue comme pour pour la version complète?
Is the upgrade also multilanguages as for the complete version?
2) suffit-il de lancer l'installation de la mise à jour si on a déjà Leopard installé?
Need I only to install the upgrade version when Leopard is already installed?
3) les programmes tels que Pages, Photoshop cs3, etc... fonctionnent-ils sans problème sous Snow? Do old programs from Leopard run normally, are they all compatible such Photoshop cs3, etc...?
4) est-ce plus fiable de désinstaller Leopard et d'installer Snow Leopard complètement?
Is it more reliable to desinstall first old version of Leopard and then install Snow Leopard?
Who knows?

There are mixed reports saying some things work fine in CS3, while others do not.
Pages '09 certainly works, since it is available as part of the Mac Box Set with Snow Leopard. Earlier versions of Pages remains to be seen.
You shouldn't have to uninstall Leopard. The specs call for the lowest priced version of Snow Leopard to simply install on top of Leopard.
However, you should make sure to follow the tips on this FAQ*:
http://www.macmaps.com/upgradefaq.html
- * Links to my pages may give me compensation.

Update to Snow Leopard before Mountain Lion?

I have a MacBook Pro with Leopard and would like to update to Snow Leopard so I can eventually get to Mountain Lion. However, Snow Leopard is no longer available.
What do I need to do to get it?

Phone the Apple Store and order it.
(68303)

HT2261 do i need to update snow leopard before updating to lion?

i was wondering if i need to update snow leopard first before updating to lion?

You need Snow Leopard 10.6.6 or later in order to access the App Store where you purchase and download Lion. Snow Leopard is $29.00 at any Apple retailer or the Online Store.

My imac is running software version OS X 10.6.8. Do I need to ugrade to Snow Leopard before I a can upgrade to Lion?

My imac is running software version OS X 10.6.8. Do I need to ugrade to Snow Leopard before I a can upgrade to Lion?

Mac OS X 10.6.8 is Snow Leopard. If you can't or don't want to upgrade your Mac to Mountain Lion and it has a Core 2 Duo(not Core Duo) or better CPU, phone the Apple Store and order a download code for Lion.
(69929)

Do I have to purchase Snow Leopard before I can purchase OS Lion?

Do I have to purchase OS Snow Leopard before I can purchase OS Lion?

You can order a Snow Leopard 10.6 install disk for $29 as long as you have at least 1gb of RAM and 5gb of free space on your hard drive. http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A?mco=MTY3ODQ5OTY
Or you can wait until August when Apple will release Lion on a USB Flash Drive for $69
Since you're still running 10.5 unless you've got the model 5,1 Aluminum Unibody your MacBook probably doen't have the buttonless Multi-Touch trackpad. Which means you can't use the gestures feature in Lion.

I currently have os x 10.5.6 do i need to buy snow leopard before snow lion?

I currently have OS 10.5.6 for my mac. Do I have to purchase snow leopard before upgrading to snow lion?

Snow Leopard Purchase
Check that your computer is compatible with Mountain Lion/Mavericks.
To check the model number hold down the option/alt key, go to the Apple menu and select System Information.
iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) model number 7,1 or higher
MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) model number 5,1 or higher
MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) model number 3,1 or higher
MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) model number 2,1 or higher
Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) model number 3,1 or higher
Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) model number 3,1 or higher
Xserve (Early 2009) model number 3,1 or higher
If your computer isn’t compatible, you might be able to upgrade to Lion.
Computer Compatibility - Lion                       Lion
Check to make sure your applications are compatible. PowerPC applications are no longer supported after 10.6.
Application Compatibility
Applications Compatibility (2)

Do I need to update my Leopard to Snow Leopard before I can update to LION?

Do I need to update my Leopard to Snow Leopard before I can update to LION?

Yes you do. You can get Snow Leopard at an Apple Store, or online: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A
Snow Leopard retail disk will load Version 10.6.3, and you'll need to update it to 10.6.8 (this is just one update, you don't need to go to 10.6.4, 10.6.5, etc.). Go to  > Software Update to update.
Then you should have the Mac App Store, which is where you go to download the Lion installer.

If I have OS X 10.5.8 installed, how do I upgrade to Mountain Lion? Do I need Snow Leopard first?

I have a MacBook Pro from 2008, and I would like to install Mountain Lion, but I currently have 10.5.8 (which I think is Tiger?). Do I need Snow Leopard first in order to get Mountain Lion? Where can I buy Mountain Lion (since I can't get Mac App Store with my current OS...
Thanks!
Jo

You'll need to purchase Snow Leopard (10.6) from the Apple Store before you can use the App Store application.

Do i have to purchase leopard before purchasing os x lion?

Do I have to purchase os leopard before purchasing os x lion to upgrade my 18 month old Macbook Pro?

Let me reiterate: You need Snow Leopard NOT Leopard. Your profile says you already have Snow Leopard 10.6.8. If this is correct then open App Store, sign in with your Apple ID, purchase and download Lion. Before you install it see:
Make Your Own Lion Installer
1. After downloading Lion you must first save the Install Mac OS X Lion application. After Lion downloads DO NOT click on the Install button. Go to your Applications folder and make a copy of the Lion installer. Move the copy into your Downloads folder. Now you can click on the Install button. You must do this because the installer deletes itself automatically when it finishes installing Lion.
2. Get a USB flash drive that is at least 8 GBs. Prep this flash drive as follows:
Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
3. Locate the saved Lion installer in your Downloads folder. CTRL- or RIGHT-click on the installer and select Show Package Contents from the contextual menu. Double-click on the Contents folder to open it. Double-click on the SharedSupport folder. In this folder you will see a disc image named InstallESD.dmg.
4. Plug in your freshly prepared USB flash drive. You are going to clone the InstallESD.dmg disc image to the flash drive as follows:
Open Disk Utility.
Select the USB flash drive from the left side list.
Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
Check the box labeled Erase destination.
Select the USB flash drive volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
Drag the InstallESD.dmg disc image file into the Source entry field.
Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
When the clone is completed you have a fully bootable Lion installer that you can use without having to re-download Lion.

Before upgrading my system from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion I had taken a backup of iPhoto in my external drive. But now when I try to open that package, I'm directed to app store to buy new iPhoto. How can I retrieve my photos without buying iPhoto?

Before upgrading my system from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion I had taken a backup of iPhoto library in my external drive. But now when I try to open that package, I'm directed to app store to buy new iPhoto. Why would apple install iPhoto by default with Snow Leapord and make us import all our photos in it at the first place, and now ask for money if we want to retrieve our photos back on mountain lion? What if they make contacts a paid app with the next OS upgrade, and then bully us to pay money if we want our contacts? This is something very dissappointing on Apple's part. I need answers here.

I fail to remember if the installer gave me an option to keep my applications.
The Mountain Lion installer will not delete applications. It will only mark applications, that are not compatible with your current system with a "forbidden" sign in the icon. And you cannot launch them.
Does your iPhoto icon in the Applications folder look like this?
Then your iPhoto version is incompatible and cannot run with Mt. Lion. If it is iPhoto '11, with a versionnumber starting with 9.x.x., you can upgrade it by downloading a newer version from the Apple downloads site http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1650.
But if you have 8.x.x, you need to buy an upgrade.
Regards
Léonie

HT1338 I have a macbook on OS X 10.5.8 how do i update to get the latest itunes 7 do i need snow leopard and then mountain lion

I have a macbook on OS X 10.5.8 how can i update to get the lates itunes 7 si i can sync my iphone 5

Upgrading to Snow Leopard, Lion, and Mountain Lion
You can upgrade to Mountain Lion from Lion or directly from Snow Leopard. Mountain Lion can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $19.99. To access the App Store you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.6 or later installed.
You can purchase Snow Leopard contact Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service. The price is $29.00 plus tax. You will receive physical media - DVD - by mail.
Third-party sources for Snow Leopard are:
Snow Leopard from Amazon.com
Snow Leopard from eBay
After you install Snow Leopard you will have to download and install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 to update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 and give you access to the App Store.
You can purchase Lion contact Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service. The cost is $19.99 (as it was before) plus tax. It's a download.
Be sure your computer meets the minimum requirements:
Apple - OS X Mountain Lion - Read the technical specifications.
Macs that can be upgraded to OS X Mountain Lion
1. iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
7. Xserve (Early 2009)
Are my applications compatible?
See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps - App compatibility and feature support for OS X & iOS.
Am I eligible for the free upgrade?
See Apple - Free OS X Mountain Lion upgrade Program.
For a complete How-To introduction from Apple see Apple - Upgrade your Mac to OS X Mountain Lion.
Model Eligibility for Snow Leopard and Lion.
Snow Leopard General requirements
1. Mac computer with an Intel processor
2. 1GB of memory
3. 5GB of available disk space
4. DVD drive for installation
5. Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.
6. Some features require Apple’s MobileMe service; fees and terms apply.
Lion System Requirements
1. Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon processor
2. 2GB of memory
3. OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
4. 7GB of available space
5. Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.

Do I need to update Bootcamp 3.3 after upgrading from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion?

Do I need to update Bootcamp 3.3 after upgrading directly from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion? If so, what is the recommended version for my machine?
Other pros and cons we should consider? Not sure what is considered best practice.
We have a mid-2011 iMac (12,1) running Win7 64bit. Concerned about firmware updates not being compatible with Bootcamp 3.3. Firmware updates forThunderbolt port were part of post-Mountain Lion updater install. Not sure what other firmware/boot changes might have been applied to support the new recovery partition, for example. Will the 3.3 windows control panel still work safely?
Win7 still boots OK, at least for now. Backup is current.
I'd like to get the entire machine current again. Bootcamp 5.0 didn't want to download (appeared to hang writing to my external drive, which is otherwise fine). Bootcamp 4.1 refused to install on Win7 (claimed it wasn't for my machine, so I aborted. Downloaded from apple support page directly).
I've searched the forums for this specific question - I see plenty of info for upgrading Bootcamp 4 to 5, but nothing for 3 to 5.
Thanks much in advance,
-b

Appreciate the quick response.
There are basically 2 schools of thought here:
- If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
- Don't fall off the upgrade cycle (apply patches whether you have an issue or not in order to ward off trouble before it happens).
I don't have a specific issue that I'm chasing on the Win7 side right now. I'm attempting to address having fallen off the upgrade cycle by staying on Snow Leopard too long.
I appreciate that the Win7 side under bootcamp is its own thing (upgrades to Mac OS don't cross over or effect the bootcamp partition) - except where firmware upgrades coming out of Mountain Lion change the hardware interface to Win7. Hence my questions.
-b

Do I need Snow Leopard before purchasing Lion

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for