Mac OS X 10.7 Lion System Requirements

Jun 7, 2011 - 131 Comments

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion System Requirements

Update: Mac OS X Lion has been released!. You can download OS X Lion from the Mac App Store Now for $29.99 right now.

We’re all excited for Mac OS X Lion. We know it’s only $30 but a single purchase will cover installing on all of your Macs. We know it will be released in July through the Mac App Store. But up until now, we didn’t know the hardware requirements. Now we do.

Mac OS X Lion System Requirements

In order to install Mac OS X 10.7 you will need:

  • Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon processor
  • 2GB of RAM
  • Mac OS X 10.6.6 or later with the Mac App Store installed
  • At least 4GB of additional disk space to accommodate the download, but more is obviously recommended

That’s it. The hardware requirements are surprisingly basic, but that’s good news. Apple’s own Lion web site even touts a simple three step process to install the update once it becomes available: check Mac compatibility, update to the latest Snow Leopard, and download Lion from the App Store.

What about upgrading from OS X 10.5 Leopard directly to Mac OS X 10.7 Lion?
If you meet the hardware aspects of the Lion system requirements, then you’ll most likely need to upgrade first to 10.6 prior to 10.7, simply because 10.6.6 is the release that the Mac App Store was included with. Lion requires the App Store to install from, and thus the 10.6.6 requirement to install. If you’re in this situation, Snow Leopard is $29 with free shipping from Amazon.

Core 2 Duo is NOT the same as Core Duo
This is important to point out: the Core 2 Duo chip is newer and fully supported by Mac OS X Lion. In fact, any Mac bought within the last 5 years should have the Core 2 Duo CPU and will be fully supported. The names are similar, but the chipset is fundamentally different, with the Core Duo being an old Pentium-M based 32 bit processor and the Core 2 Duo being a completely different 64 bit architecture. Blame the confusing naming on Intel.

What about Core Duo & Core Solo Macs?
You’ll notice Core Duo & Core Solo CPU’s are not officially supported. The Core Duo & Solo chipset made a brief appearance on a series of Macs released between 2006 and early 2007, so any Mac newer than 2007 should be good to go. The other news about the older CPU’s is that users have hacked Lion Developer Builds to work on those chips, so you can bet someone will do the same for the final Lion release too. That said, there’s probably a good reason Apple has chosen not to support the Core Duo and Core Solo CPU.

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Posted by: Matt Chan in Mac OS

131 Comments

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  1. Waris Khan says:

    Hello Guys
    I have Core 2 Duo Pc E8400
    4GB Ram
    320Hard Disk
    I run macos High sierra 10.13
    In Virtual Box 100% working

  2. peter says:

    Linux works on the early intel mac mini. I put ubuntu 12.04 lts on one, the 1.83 ghz model, and it works great and will be supported to 2017, and its free. And then I can upgrade to the next and next, indefinitely.

  3. Jun says:

    i i have a macbook 3.1(10.5.8)
    running core 2 duo 2ghz
    2gb ram
    can i upgrade to lion?

  4. Shivam Agnihotri says:

    I have compaq laptop , my processer Pentium(R) Dual-Core CPU T4400 @ 2.20GHz 3 GB RAM My laptop support 64 bit windows 7 . May i use os x lion

  5. Raju says:

    I’ve mac os x lion dvd. But I dunno how to install it on my desktop. Plz guide me the installation process.

  6. sumit says:

    i have
    Pentium(R) dual core T4200 @2.00 Ghz
    with 2GB Ram
    32bit operating system.

    Which Mac version i will be able to run on my 32bit system?

  7. dotcom says:

    hey
    intel core2duo
    dg41rq
    2gb ddriii memmory
    250gb hdd

    this configurations support mac OS?

  8. Ann says:

    I have a ’09 MacBook with 8 gigs of RAM and a core 2 duo processor – Lion was impossible to use. It ate all my cpu which caused it to run burning hot (180F), lock up – sometimes indefinitely, slowed Safari to a crawl. I had to back down to Snow Leopard, now everything runs fine. So yes you can run Lion on a core 2 duo but I promise you, you don’t want to. The features are nice but not so nice that I want to wait all day to do simple tasks.

  9. Sandip says:

    Hii..i already Downloaded Mac OS X 10.7 Lion bootable DVD for Intel PCs.So can anyone tell it will work on my Pc..

    CPU= Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 @ 2.93GHz
    Wolfdale 45nm Technology
    2.5GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 333MHz (5-5-5-15)
    Motherboard=Intel Corporation DG31PR (J3E1)
    Graphics=Generic Non-PnP Monitor @ 1280×768
    Intel(R) G33/G31 Express Chipset Family…
    …plzz rpl m confuse and also it’s not working in vmware workstation…thanxxx

  10. DS says:

    I have an older mac pro (pre intel) and I cannot seem to put the newest itunes on it. I need the newest version in order to set up my ipad, iphone, etc. How would I go about doing that.

  11. Col says:

    ahhh sorry… i meant august 7, 2009 was our date of purchase… my mistake…. pls help anyone thanks :)

  12. Col says:

    Pls. help! My husband bought MBP version 10.5.8 august 7, 2011… and only now did we realize, after thinking of switching to lion, that we we’re running only the leopard version and not the snow leopard… we thought all along that we had the snow leopard since it was released so close the date of our purchase. Anyway, does anybody here knows if we can still avail free upgrade of our mac os from leopard to snow leopard? I do hope we can still avail. Pls advise. Thanks a lot!

  13. Richard says:

    Okay… i have a Intel Core 2 Duo, I have hit the update software button to get to the necessary Snow Lepard v10.6.8 – all software is up to date, yet my beloved iMac indicates I am still on version 10.5.8….
    So I can not update and get the App Store icon next to Finder… what am I not getting…Help!

  14. […] Store and download Mac OS X Lion. That is why Mac OS X 10.6.6 Snow Leopard is listed in the OS X Lion System Requirements, this does not mean you can only upgrade Snow Leopard. (Source) Reply With […]

  15. Stephanie says:

    What should I do with my Mac OS X 10.4.11 (Intel Core 2 Duo) that need to be upgraded? If I get iphone 4GS it only can work with OS X Lion not Snow Leopard system? Please help and explain clearly what I should do. Thanks!!

  16. Pratik says:

    hello sire,

    i have mac os x lion new version.
    this mac version can be instal on amd athloan processor?
    amd athlon 250+ x2

    sir plz give me rply
    thnk u sir

  17. Soman says:

    I can’t install lion on my hackintosh pc with core i5 processor. When i try to install Lion, the installer asks for core 2 duo, core i3, core i5 or core i7 processors and quit.
    Why? help me please.

  18. Ricardo Ganc says:

    Hello,
    I have a Leopard in my macs.
    I bought the usb lion. Well, I was supposed to erase my HD and then start from 0. Nonetheless, I simply can’t erase it from disc utility!!!
    Now what?

    Thanks

  19. hameed says:

    my computer system :
    Ram:2GB
    core:i1
    computer model : dell 620
    graphic:256
    hard disk: 80 GB

  20. travis hourigan says:

    Its also easier too get a laptop and put Linux on it… glossy application look like mac with the price tag of pc :)

  21. James Grigato says:

    Yeah but doesn’t the OS X Lion updated Software only work on MacBook Air? Because I have a MacBook Pro and not the MacBook Air.

  22. James Grigato says:

    I purchased my MacBook Pro July 4, 2011 and was wondering if my MacBook Pro is compatible with Lion OS X. Here are my specs:

    Model Name: MacBook Pro
    Model Identifier: MacBookPro8,1
    Processor Name: Intel Core i5
    Processor Speed:2.3 GHz
    Number of Processors: 1
    Total Number of Cores:2
    L2 Cache (per Core):256 KB
    L3 Cache:3 MB
    Memory:4 GB
    Boot ROM Version:MBP81.0047.B0E
    SMC Version (system):1.68f96

    • M says:

      Yes, you have a brand new Mac, it is definitely compatible with OS X Lion and may qualify for a free upgrade. You should contact Apple and find out!

  23. Juan carlos says:

    Model Name: MacBook Pro
    Model Identifier: MacBookPro8,2
    Processor Name: Intel Core i7
    Processor Speed: 2.2 GHz
    Number of Processors: 1
    Total Number of Cores: 4
    L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
    L3 Cache: 6 MB
    Memory: 4 GB
    Boot ROM Version: MBP81.0047.B0E
    SMC Version (system): 1.69f1
    Serial Number (system): C02FT2KADF91
    Hardware UUID: E2D6AD9A-BFEB-53E4-901F-3C9932889F06
    Sudden Motion Sensor:
    State: Enabled

    yes?

  24. beby78 says:

    Can anyone answer me is it possible to put iox to my pc:
    ASUS P8Z68-V mb, 8 gb ddr 3 1600, cpu i5 2500k, 1,5tb hdd, nvidia gtx 460 1gb video.?

  25. 101010 says:

    man vs computer are never equal.

    Complaints will always happen.

  26. DER says:

    Hello

    I’ve read the min requirements. Can anyone just tell me what does/doesnt work after install? THX

    Model Name: MacBook ( mid 2007) Black
    Model Identifier: MacBook2,1
    Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
    Processor Speed: 2.16 GHz

    L2 Cache: 4 MB
    Memory: 4 GB

    • John says:

      Note you have a mid2007 MacBook.

      Though you can put 4GB of RAM in to the laptop, the machine only has access to 3GB of the RAM.

      So… with a 2GB minimum, that gives you another GB to utilize easily for programs. Word/Email/iTunes/Browser could likely easily fit in that memory space. Some of the bigger beasts, like Aperture will struggle.

      It’ll work though.

  27. […] this is finished, your bootable Mac OS X Lion installer drive is complete! You can now boot any Lion compatible Mac with the USB drive, just plug the USB key in, hold down Option during initial boot, and select the […]

  28. […] are a Mac that is a Core 2 Duo or better with 2GB of RAM or more, but you can review the full Lion system requirements if you want. If you haven’t backed up already, do that too. Enjoy! […]

  29. […] anything else, verify that your Mac meets the OS X Lion system requirements, which in brief are a Core 2 Duo or higher processor and at least 2GB of […]

  30. galanti says:

    I’m annoyed that Lion won’t be available on 400K floppies so I can install it on my 512 Fat Mac. OK, so the computer is 26 years old, but that’s no excuse for Apple leaving me out there twisting slowly in the breeze.

  31. Rick says:

    Right On Doug… All this griping and complaining!!! Whaaa! Good Lord, man-up and pay for something!!! These babies would complain if it was free! They probably buy Goober Grape for their sandwiches too… ain’t gonna open TWO jars! And think of all the silverware they’d be using. Years ago, I paid the big bucks for stupid Windows upgrades. So, THANK YOU APPLE! The world’s greatest operating system on the world’s greatest computer…It doesn’t get any better than this!!! Pay up, ya pajama wearing, Wal-Mart goon!

  32. Tutu Kumar says:

    PROCESSOR 065-0154 2.7GHz Dual-core Intel Core i7
    •MEMORY 065-0156 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM – 2x4GB

    It says dual core and not dual 2 core but has core i7. does that mean I can upgrade to Lion???

  33. Tutu Kumar says:

    what is lion?

  34. […] don’t use the Intel Core 2 Duo processor or higher, or that have less than 2 GB of RAM installed) won’t be able to come to the party, and even those that aren’t so old (two years or more) might not be able to handle the demands […]

  35. […] your disk is done burning, you’ll be able to boot from it with any Lion compatible Mac by holding down C during boot […]

  36. Scott says:

    Typical… In TOTAL Apple fashion, they stop supporting very capable computers to drive the masses to go out and buy a new one! I’m threw with Apple! Bring it on Win 8 and Ubuntu…

  37. tyson carvalho says:

    Can any please help me ?
    i have ASUS G53SW 15.6″ G Series
    will i be able to install Mac OS X 10.7 Lion officially on this laptop ?
    and does it works the same way as it does on apple ?

  38. meandmyhouse says:

    Well, I’ve purposely NOT upgraded to Snow Leopard because I’ve been waiting for Lion. (Didn’t want to have to do it twice.) Now I find I HAVE to upgrade to Snow Leopard before I can get Lion. Question. My daughter has Snow Leopard on her Macbook, can I upgrade my MacBook (to Snow Leopard) from hers (no DVD’s/CD’s came with it)? How do I know if any of my apps are PPC versions? Anything else that I may have not going to work with Lion?

    • Keo says:

      Can I ask where you purchased you daughters Macbook as I purchased a Macbook Pro late 2009 which came with Snow Leopard boot dvd + utilities dvd. Seems strange your daughters didn’t!

      Anyway, after checking with a guy at my local Apple store if I could use my copy of Snow Leopard to upgrade my iMac which has Leopard installed, I was told that the copy of the OS on both the machine & the discs are usually tied in with the serial number of the machine. However he did say that if you search on the internet, there may be a work around or hack to enable you to use it on another machine!

      Perhaps if you tried creating a bootable disc from you daughters Macbook & burning it to dvd, you could get it to work!

      Give it a try!

  39. Ank says:

    hey…i got my vaio……it’s running windows 7 professional 64 bit….my hardware is – intel core i5,memory 4 GB,L2cache-3 MB,4 processors,320 GB hdd,HD accelerometer chip set,……….can i install mac os x lion???????????????plz help me…….

    • Jpclyons says:

      You may have seen mentions of “Hackintosh” – this means installing OS X on non-Apple hardware. I have not done it myself, but others I know have done so. If you like tweaking OS X to run on hardware that may not be the best fit, go for it. I’d prefer to just get a Mac and leave the hacking to others.

  40. aimee says:

    Model Name: MacBook
    Model Identifier: MacBook5,1
    Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
    Processor Speed: 2 GHz
    Number Of Processors: 1
    Total Number Of Cores: 2
    L2 Cache: 3 MB
    Memory: 2 GB
    Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
    Boot ROM Version: MB51.007D.B03
    SMC Version (system): 1.32f8
    Serial Number (system): WQ8444KS1AQ
    Hardware UUID: 0ABED1FC-2876-5ABA-85E8-780BFC7724A3
    Sudden Motion Sensor:
    State: Enabled

    YES? NO?

  41. […] Make sure your Mac meets the OS X Lion System Requirements – Check to make sure your Mac handles Lion. The requirements are fairly lightweight and any Mac bought after 2007 should be compatible, but the first-gen of 32-bit Core Duo processors isn’t making the cut. […]

  42. Vashthestampede79 says:

    Model Name: MacBook Pro
    Model Identifier: MacBookPro3,1
    Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
    Processor Speed: 2,2 GHz
    Number Of Processors: 1
    Total Number Of Cores: 2
    L2 Cache: 4 MB
    Memory: 2 GB
    Bus Speed: 800 MHz
    memory:
    2GB
    Type: DDR2 SDRAM
    Speed: 667 MHz
    Graphic:
    Chipset Model: GeForce 8600M GT
    Type: GPU
    Bus: PCIe
    PCIe Lane Width: x16
    VRAM (Total): 128 MB
    Its an old 2007 macbook pro. Will lion 10.7 run on my machine? anyone? I think the problem could be with graphic card.
    thank you for the quick reply.

  43. Assaf says:

    So given that Snow’s been around for a while now, then you’re suggesting that there’s no need to be worried about compatibility issues and things stopping working. Or at least if they do then it should just be a case of upgrading them too. Is that fair go say?

    Thanks again

    • OSXDaily says:

      Any apps that are Rosetta based (PPC architecture) won’t work, but other apps should work. To take advantage of some Lion features like full-screen mode and Versions, developers will need to update their apps.

      • Assaf says:

        OK, great.

        So maybe I could ask a couple more questions. But if this is not really the right forum, then feel free to point me to a ‘How To’ page or the right Forum. Thanks a lot.

        In fact, I’m likely to have many questions during this process, so could someone point me to an appropriate forum please?

        So…

        Can I download the files I need for installation or need I go to a shop or Amazon to buy the installation discs?

        I’m having trouble identifying what I need to buy, as some sites seem to suggest (though it’s not clear) that I can do both a clean install or a Tiger to Snow leap using the $29 Snow Leopard installation disks. Is that correct?

        Would you folks recommend a clean install? It sounds good, and I’m pretty sure I can identify and back up all my data so I’m not too worried about wiping the disc if the clean install is indeed possible, recommended and trouble free-ish.

        I can’t find Apple’s page on the Snow Leopard system requirements etc; it’s all Lion now… of course. Can someone perhaps direct me?

        Do you recommend I increase the RAM from 1G?

        And what about my measly 80G hard drive which is about 70G full, (mostly with itunes stuff which I believe can’t be spread across multiple locations, right?)? Is there a utility that will help me slim the drive down?

        I have to be honest, the thought of upgrading my OS give me the heebie geebies. It’s so common for things to go kaput. A quick search shows people experiencing lots of trouble in the past when upgrading from Tiger to Leopard. But, I’ll give it a go.

        enough said.
        Thanks for your responses,

        • Dennis says:

          As far as itunes goes, i have a mybook 1TB network edition and have my itunes library set to run off the network. This task is pretty easy to move your library from your internal drive to the network drive, and point itunes to use the new location. Not sure if it would help but its definitely an option. Also on that note be sure to check from time to time that the location of your itunes library doesn’t default back to the internal location as it has a tendency to do so from time to time.

  44. Assaf says:

    Hi folks
    Any advice please?

    I have a MacBook, bought in June 2007, 2GHz Core 2 Duo, 1G RAM, Currently running 10.4.11.
    I believe the MacBook can be upgraded to 2G RAM, right?

    I’ve never wanted to upgrade the OS because of the ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ policy. I fear discovering all sorts of compatibility and stability issues and that the computer ‘is just never what it was since I upgraded’.

    But I just got an iPhone4 and it complained it can’t sync with iTunes 9. So I guess this means I do finally need to upgrade. Well ok, let’s go for it – i’m looking forward to all the features I’ve been missing out on.

    But my question is: To which version do you suggest I upgrade, given that I’m not so technically savvy and really don’t want to risk getting the troublesome issues I mentioned.

    Shall I, can I take it to Snow Leopard? Or maybe just a modest Leopard and no further? Or if I can upgrade the RAM, then should I go for Lion, or leave Lion for now till it matures?

    Many thanks
    Assaf

    • Matt says:

      I would go with Snow Leopard if you are concerned about application compatibility, you may still be using older Rosetta apps which wouldn’t work in Lion. You’ll definitely want to upgrade to 2GB of RAM as well. Once you’re on Snow Leopard it will be easy to upgrade to Lion, if you decide to do that too.

  45. Jim Bob says:

    my thought on the whole thing is Apple will release a DVD version. Releasing on the App Store first will boost sales for the quarter. No company is above cooking the books to some extent. I find it very hard to believe Apple wont ever release a full version DVD of Lion

    Also keep in mind upgrades are optional the frameworks still stays the same and 64 bit only applications are still awhile away simply because software developers don’t want to pigeonhole themselves either

  46. Alan Day says:

    I work and live in South Africa. Download bandwidth here is not like that of the USA. Typically a small business like mine has 2 to 3 Gigs available for the WHOLE
    MONTH! So there is no way EVER that we will be making a 4 gig download. Apple (probably run by greedy accountants) are obviously cutting more corners again – first Less manuals – smaller manuals – NO manuals – now no install disk!! Also my 8 core so called “64 bit workstation” as it says on the box – is Version 2.1 – 32 bit firmware. No Lion. It doesn’t matter how cheap it is if it’s WORTHLESS does it?

    • Keo says:

      I don’t know how you can say Apple is probably run by “greedy accountants” considering they are reducing the cost of a new OS to $29.99? I remember when Apple released OS X Leopard & it cost $129.99. If anything Apple are making the cost of a new OS more affordable by making it download only, cutting the cost of packaging ect! But hey, if you seriously want to pay $129.99 for new OS, when Apple are offering a fully fledged new one for just $29.99 good luck!

      The fact that you have a poxy Internet connection is not Apples problem, I mean what are they supposed to do… go round to every Mac users house & upgrade their Internet connection for free?

      • casper says:

        No! Just make a DVD available to those who need it for one reason or another! Not everyone who wants to do business with Apple has a fast, uncapped, reliable Internet connection. This shouldn’t be a system requirement for a computer, or an operating system.

  47. schuen says:

    if i buy a new mac with lion pre-installed. will it be a dvd included? Or i have to download lion within lion to create a backup DVD? :-(

  48. […] Some VERY important news for fellow Apple users preparing to upgrade to OS X Lion once it’s released. […]

  49. […] of this and the lack of 32-bit Core Duo/Solo, the Lion system requirements are surprisingly lightweight and […]

  50. macnoob says:

    So the process is:
    Install from SnowLeopard
    Downlaod and install 8 million updates
    Download Lion from the App store
    Install Lion.

    Instead of
    Download lion from the App store and burn ISO onto DVD
    Install Lion

    • macnoob says:

      Seems counterproductive if you just want a clean install, by the time Lion is there the installation is about as clean as a saturday night hooker.

      Hopefully the app store download will allow an ISO/disk image/whatever Apple calls ISOs to be created?

    • doodoo says:

      and install over 20 times due to kernel panics

  51. […] owners of the oldest 32-bit Intel Macs were discouraged when they found that Mac OS X Lion’s system requirements demanded a 64-bit Core 2 Duo processor or newer. These users were discouraged, but not deterred, […]

  52. Sandy says:

    Why is the track pad more difficult to use in Lion than Snow Leopard? Double tapping, high lighting and copy and pasting was simply in Snow Leopard. Now you have to click a corner with one hand and swipe with the other. This in not easier or better. I’ve looked in systems preferences and in the track pad section and I can’t find a place to change it back. Any suggestions? Thanks!

  53. pbpinftworth says:

    So, I’m curious here because some articles say that Intel Xeons are also on the list, but I’m running a August 2006 machine (Xeon Woodcrest) which is listed as MacPro 1,1 Dual-Core Xeon 2.66 Ghz and I can’t tell whether mine will be supported or not. If anyone knows, tweet me at pbpinftworth.

  54. […] use the Intel Core 2 Duo processor or higher, or that have less than 2 GB of RAM installed) won’t be able to come to the party, and even those that aren’t so old (two years or more) might not be able to handle the […]

  55. […] często pojawiaja sie obawy co do 1. Wymagań: Mac OS X 10.7 Lion System Requirements 2. Wypalenia płytki How to Create & Burn a Bootable Mac OS X Lion Install DVD […]

  56. a guy says:

    Will this work on my PC? details are as follows:
    Windows 7 Ultimate V6.1.7601
    32 Bit Processor
    Pentium Dual Core CPU E6300 @ 2.80 GHz 2.79GHz
    2 GB Ram

    • Angga says:

      duh, you can’t run official OSX on your PC. wait until someone release a hackintosh version of it.

      • a guy says:

        Is a hackintosh version illegal???

        • another guy says:

          maybe…

        • doodoo says:

          no, just need a legit copy

          • Brian says:

            Hackintosh IS illegal in that it violates the EULA that Apple/Mac attaches to its OS. It clearly states that the OS is for use on Mac hardware ONLY. A Mac clone builder, hackintosh retailer, what ever you want to call them, Psystar, just recently lost all of its court cases against Apple/Mac pertaining to exactly this issue and have been forced to cease all Mac compatible related retailing.

    • huh says:

      Why does everyone ask the same question? Doesn’t anyone read specs anymore? :/

      • Brian says:

        Because most Mac users eyes glaze over and they get lost reading the hardware requirements… they can’t tell the difference between Core and Core 2, its all gibberish to them. Most Mac users want to be babied by Apple and have everything to stupid simple that they have no clue what’s actually inside the machine. They want a car but don’t have any idea that the engine has air filters, spark plugs, sometimes even gas! (OMG my Mac shut down! — well plug it in stupid!)

  57. Darryl Sommer says:

    Darn, I will have to buy a new computer.
    Oh well, least my HP printer will work with Snow Leopard while people with Loin will have to wait for printer software to catch up. Cheers.

  58. Darryl Sommer says:

    Hi,
    My iMac has this:
    Model Name: iMac
    Model Identifier: iMac4,1
    Processor Name: Intel Core Duo
    Processor Speed: 1.83 GHz
    Number Of Processors: 1
    Total Number Of Cores: 2
    L2 Cache: 2 MB
    Memory: 1 GB
    Bus Speed: 667 MHz
    Boot ROM Version: IM41.0055.B08
    SMC Version (system): 1.1f5
    Serial Number (system): W86091M3U2N

    Can I have 10.7 Loin?

    • gkappledev says:

      Sorry Darryl,
      No you wont. You need a Core 2 Duo (you have a Core Duo) and you need at least 2 GB (you only have 1 GB).

  59. fisher says:

    What about upgraded mac’s? I have a mac mini upgraded from core duo to core 2 duo.

  60. ER Joker says:

    What happens if I try to install it on my 2007 iMac running the newest version of Snow Leopard and an Intel Core 2 Duo, but only 1GB of RAM.

    • Matt says:

      It would probably install but not run that great. You really should upgrade your RAM, upgrades to 4GB and 8GB are very cheap and make for a significant performance boost.

      • ER Joker says:

        All right, thanks. Any suggestions? I’m not really familiar with getting memory upgrades and I don’t want to get something not compatible.

  61. NoJoke says:

    If there is a way to install on a core duo, I will do so. It’s rediciolous: I can install windows 7 on my MacBook, but not run 10.7 Lion? I will not do a favour to Apple and buy a new MacBook just because his Steveness thinks, to use a Apple product for 5 years is long enough. And what comes next? OS X 10.09 LYNX runs on ARM-Chips only? Let us look in the future: The last core2duo Macs where sold in 2010/11. So the end for Intel based Chips comes 2016. The AppStore thing makes it more difficult to get a hacked LION for average hardware. Maybe I’m going to become a switcher again: from windows XP to 10.3 and over 10.6 und back to windows 7. It is so sad.

    • hackintosh says:

      someone will modify it to work on 32 bit architecture, don’t worry. The hackintosh crowd does this stuff all the time.

      :)

    • Carl says:

      Buying a new Macbook is not a favour to Apple they are a business; when you buy a new Macbook that’s great for them, and you, actually – but favour? That’s the problem here, people who are complaining about spending a few dollars on a brand new OS are thinking that Apple are their friends and should look after them because they bought a Mac once. They’re a business, and a much more user friendly business than Microsoft at that. If you can’t afford 29 dollars on some new software, you really can’t afford life, and certainly can’t afford computers, or electricity or coffee! As for buying a new machine, listen, if your Mac can’t run the latest OS then don’t upgrade to it! If they were to only release software that ran on EVERYTHING then we wouldn’t progress. The people who do have the more modern hardware wouldn’t experience its capabilities because there are those who want to hang onto their Powerbook G4 or whatever it is. Stop ruining it for everybody; as for switching from Mac to PC – yeah, good luck with that.

      • Amen says:

        Well Said

      • CDN says:

        Macs are essentially PCs now anyways. They both use the same processor, same chipset, etc. Why is it though, I can’t install OS X (legally) on my PC? Because Apple would be put out of business. Why buy a Mac with it’s overinflated price when you could buy a much cheaper PC with the exact same specs? I can run Windows on my Mac, so I should be able to run Mac OS on my PC.

        As for saying that “If you can’t afford 29 dollars on some new software, you really can’t afford life, and certainly can’t afford computers, or electricity or coffee!”, not spending the $29 on an OS is HOW he can afford these other things. Stop being so high and mighty and realize that not everyone is as well off as you.

      • Jason says:

        Yeah I also agree with Carl. You can’t take your windows based pc from 8 years ago and stick Windows 7 on it, so that’s the issue here. A new OS will need bigger badder hardware if you can’t afford it live with what you have and be happy with it.

        • Brian says:

          Where does an 8 year old machine come into this? Core Duo MacBook Pro and iMac was released in January 2006 which means the OLDEST a Core Duo computer could possibly be is 6 years old.

          And my 8 year old PC is running Windows 7 just fine, thank you.

      • dmartin says:

        I think you are missing the point. People are not complaining about spending the $29 on a new OS. People are complaining about having to buy a whole new computer, when their current computer works just fine. If you have a core duo processor, like I do, I will no longer be able to sync everything from my mac to my iphone. This has become a must with my work. The cloud will not work, mobile me is a thing of the past. If you have a 5 year old computer that works perfectly fine, you will not be able to use the new Icloud, because you can not download Lion. This stinks! The fear is that every 5 years they are going to force us to buy new computers, not by building crappy computers (because they won’t do that), but by changing the operating systems to the point that we have to upgrade.

    • The Ghost of Jobs. says:

      Do NOT insult the Steveness!

  62. qka says:

    @Peter

    The only problem there is Apple makes such good hardware, it runs forever.

    • irecinius says:

      You mean INTEL right? Apple made powerpcs…. now we using same technology as PCS… intel.. core2duo, i7’s etc.. since they are vastly superior

  63. Sam says:

    I’m still curious if there is a way to do a clean install with Lion. Its kind of a deal breaker for me if I have to clean install Snow Leopard and then upgrade to Lion.

    • PsychoX says:

      It’a deal breaker for me to have to purchase Snow Leopard before I can even hope to upgrade to Lion.

      • Dan says:

        Why? You can’t install Windows 7 from Windows 95, what’s the difference here?

        Look at it another way, the combined price of Snow Leopard and Lion is still $100 cheaper than a Windows 7 basic upgrade. Plus you get an unlimited personal license with Apple now. How can you beat this? Really, I think it is quite generous, but I am a tad frustrated on the lack of DVD sales.

        • PsychoX says:

          Not planning to use Windows 7 anyway, so the point is moot. For those of on a budget (which is why I am not running Snow Leopard just yet it) it’s more of an expense that cannot be afforded to buy both.

          • Doug Petrosky says:

            Then stay where you are. Apple could have shipped Lion on DVD for $129 single user or $179 for 5 user license and you would have been worse off. If you have a lion capable mac and have been waiting over 2 years to figure out how to scrape up $29, what on earth makes you think any of us believe that you would have upgraded to Lion? And if this is about the money, go find any friend with a copy of Snow Leopard and use his upgrade copy.

            Seriously! Apple priced these upgrades to encourage EVERYONE to take advantage of them. Are you really trying to tell me that all of the advantages Apple has included in the OS from Leopard to Lion are not worth $60? And remember this is $60 for all of your systems, not just one.

            Besides, It is likely that you will be able to boot from the Lion disk image so as long as you can get it downloaded from ANY computer using your Apple ID. You will be able to boot from it and clean install on a bare drive let alone leopard.

          • hmdwigg says:

            Budgets I totally get… but the Snow Leopard upgrade is $30 and the combined SL to Lion upgrade will be $60, still about $70 less than what a single user Leopard upgrade and all previous OS’s cost. And, as Dan notes, it’s available for all your Mac’s no more “Family Pack” at $179 (though that was a good deal at the time too.)

          • PsychoX says:

            @Doug Petrovsky:You know when one only makes 200 dollars to 800 dollars and has many other things they need to pay for and living on a month to month basis, 60 dollars is really hard to come by. As for the friend thing, I don’t have any friends that are running Macs. The only other people I know that have computers are my family, and they are all running Windows based PCs. As for your suggestion that I am attempting to tell you that the upgrade is not worth it, nowhere in any of my previous posts was I attempting to imply such, so please don’t try to make inferences about what it is I am trying to convey. All I was simply saying is that, as a low income individual on a strict budget, it’s really difficult to be able to afford such.

        • Roger says:

          I have to agree with Dan on this one, no matter how you slice it, Lion is a good financial value whether you already have Snow Leopard or not, and Apple’s decision to give Snow Leopard owners a discount on Lion (by making SL required thus jacking up the price of the Lion experience) was even smarter.

          In this day and age of Windows OS costing anywhere from $100 to several hundred dollars, none of us have room to complain about an extra $29 for Snow Leopard.

          In closing…as a registered developer beta testing Lion, I’ve found it to be very snappy and responsive with more features and improvements than I expected. So far I’ve been more than pleased with the OS, including its upcoming price tag. :)

          • JCrebbin says:

            You can install Lion onto a non-Leopard installation – it requires you to erase the HDD first. While Apple would prefer you to upgrade from SL, and pay the associated costs, it also has to provide Lion as an installer that can be used when a HDD fails and a blank HDD is used.

            The installer deletes itself after executing.

            After completely downloading, but not yet ‘ok’ing’ installing, copy the Installer application (in applications) off to another location.

            There are instructions on the web about creating a bootable installer from this application (you need to Restore to a USB drive a DMG within the installer).

        • Brian says:

          “Why? You can’t install Windows 7 from Windows 95, what’s the difference here?”

          10.5 to 10.7 is more like upgrading Windows XP 32bit to Windows 7 64 bit. Except that with Windows its possible. Throwing Windows 95 into this conversation is like talking about upgrading OS 8 to Lion… Stupid comparison.

          “Blame the confusing naming on Intel.”

          Really? Core Duo and Core 2 Duo is confusing? I guess if you can’t tell the difference between Core and Core 2 then maybe you should have to pay a $30 tax for being less than smart.

  64. Simon Williams says:

    Surely, after lion install, you get a chance to burn off an install DVD. If my Hard Drive fails, I dont want to have to install a new one, install Snow Leopard, and then install Lion from the App Store.
    If there is a rescue partition that Lion creates, thats all well and good, but leave the door open for viruses and malware to install on the partition, and then reinstall themselves after a clean install, meaning the only way to get rid of them would be to completely wipe everything and start over…not sold on this app store only thing at all.

  65. Peter says:

    The reason Lion doesn’t support Core Duo and Core Solo is because Lion OS is 64-bit and Apple wants all their devs to build 64-bit ONLY applications. The processors are capable in terms of load, but 32-bit architecture is really quite old. An OS demanding a 5 year or newer machine is not too extreme.

    • Thomas jensen says:

      I run Lion on a 2007 Mac mini with these specs
      Modellnavn: Mac mini
      Modellidentifikator: Macmini2,1
      Prosessornavn: Intel Core 2 Duo
      Prosessorhastighet: 2 GHz
      Antall prosessorer: 1
      Totalt antall kjerner: 2
      Nivå 2-buffer: 4 MB
      Hukommelse: 2 GB

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