do I really have to buy Snow Leopard to get Lion? an apple store guy specifically told me not to bother with Snow Leopard and just hold onto my money until Lion.
Asked by gingerforthesoul
Post Updated Below
That Apple Store guy was probably just as informed as the rest of us before Apple actually released Lion—in other words: not very. According to Apple’s press release this morning, your main option to get Lion is via the Mac App Store, which only works on Snow Leopard version 10.6.6 or later. You can also download it at your local Apple Store or, come August, buy Lion on a USB flash drive. But even then, Snow Leopard 10.6.6 or later is still a core requirement to install.
Update: That said, Macworld has a couple of tricks for installing Lion on a Mac running Leopard, assuming, of course, that the hardware still meets Apple’s specs. Thanks to Jeff Haywood for pointing this out.
Put your Mac to sleep with the Apple Remote
You can quickly sleep any Mac sporting an IR receiver (the MacBook Air, for example, does not have one) by holding down the Play/Pause button on an Apple Remote.
When adding multiple email addresses in Mail, you need to separate addresses with a comma and a space. After typing (or pasting) an address and then typing a comma, a space will be automatically added.
iPhone headphone remote works on a MacBook
If you plug an Apple iPhone headphone remote or compatible model into a MacBook you can control iTunes by pressing the button just like on the iPhone.
Editor’s note: This should work on all recent Macs made within the last 2-3 years, including the iMac and I believe the Mac Pro.
Type to search in long drop-down menus
Instead of scrolling through a long drop-down menu to find an entry (for example: picking a country or your birth year), just start typing and it will highlight what you type.
Get a file’s icon as an image
In the Finder, select any file, and choose Edit > Copy (⌘C). Open Preview.app and select File > New from Clipboard (⌘N). The file’s .icns images are imported immediately as high-res graphics, one page for each icon size that is included in the file’s bundle.
Get a sliver of volume
Ever wish there was a notch of volume between zero and one? Simply press the “volume down” key until there are no dots showing, and then hit the “mute” key.
The volume icon will display sound again. Even though the volume measurement bar remains blank, you should be able to hear the faintest of sound (you might need to plug in a pair of headphones).
This works at least in 10.6 Snow Leopard; not sure about Leopard or Tiger.
[Editor’s note: I verified this on my 2010 15-inch MacBook Pro. I’m not sure how useful it’ll be, but it’s there for people who want it.]
Exposé keyboard shortcuts
Exposé - All windows: F3
Exposé - Application windows: ^F3
Exposé - Show desktop: ⌘F3
Exposé - System Preferences: ⌥F3
Print a clean webpage with Safari’s Reader view
Some sites such as The New York Times offer a “Print” layout that removes most of the ads for printing. If the particular site does not offer that, the new Reader view in Safari 5 can serve as a replacement. Just press Command+P while in Reader mode, and the printed version will use that clean layout.
Quickly use Exposé on a single app
When you click and hold on a Dock icon in 10.6 Snow Leopard, other apps hide temporarily and that app goes into Exposé, showing you just its windows. You can also use the Exposé key on your keyboard, then press Tab to cycle through apps like this one-by-one, or click on an app in the Dock while in Exposé.
