OS X Lion

Exploring OS X Lion

Viewing apps in Launchpad

Perhaps you're thinking about upgrading to Lion from a previous version of OS X (pronounced O-S Ten). Or maybe you're a Windows user who is considering switching to a Mac. No matter what your situation is, we're going to show you the basics of using OS X Lion, including features like multi-touch gestures and Launchpad.

What is OS X Lion?

OS X Lion (version 10.7) is an operating system designed by Apple and released in 2011. It is generally used with Apple Macintosh computers (Macs). Like any operating system, it allows you to run programs, organize your files, browse the web, and more. Lion also introduces some new features that are designed to give you a better computing experience.

There have been many different versions of OS X through the years. Previous versions include Snow Leopard (version 10.6), Leopard (10.5), Tiger (10.4), and Panther (10.3). If you've used any of these versions of OS X, you'll probably find that Lion is easy to learn, as the basic functionality is similar.

Mac OS X Lion

An operating system manages all of the hardware and software on a computer. Without it, the computer would be useless. To learn more about how operating systems work, check out Understanding Operating Systems and Getting to Know the OS in our Computer Basics tutorial.