Mac OS X 10.7 Lion brings a lot of great new utilities to the table. First off…let’s talk just a little about multi-touch and launch pad. I think most folks know what multi-touch is, but for those of you who don’t, here’s a quick overview:

Multi-touch allows you to use finger gestures to perform specific functions. The most basic example is using a three-finger swipe to go back and forth between webpages in your browser. Now, you may initially think, “That’s one of those features I’ll never use. Why is multi-touch important?” The easiest answer is efficiency. If you’ve ever used an iPad or an iPhone, you know that swiping the screen to get from menu to menu is much easier than using buttons to select menu items or applications. This same approach can save you tons of time when using your Mac. Sure, multi-touch might only save you a few seconds here and there…but it adds up. And, if you’re like me, you get impatient when you have to click through multiple file browser windows in order to open that one application that isn’t in your dock.

There’s also the added benefit of knowing where on the screen an app is. For instance, on the iPhone I often navigate to the maps or ipod app based on where they’re located on the screen–i.e center left, or upper right corner. Again, this may only save you seconds, but it contributes to the overall experience of speed and efficiency.

The next big additions with Mac Lion are auto-save and Versions. Again, nothing mind blowing here, but the efficiency theme remains constant. And, if you work in an office environment or you’re a student, you will LOVE these additions. Autosave is pretty self explanatory. No matter the app, if it has a saving function and it Is open, Lion will periodically autosave for you. Versions, however, is a nice breakthrough in this environment. Versions will save multiple copies of your document, thus allowing you to go back hour-by-hour to see what revisions you’ve made to your documents. For instance, if you’re working in MS Word and you want to retrieve that image your boss said to delete (but now they want it back…) you can go back and retrieve that version. If you’re working on a thesis paper and you can’t quite remember your original thesis statement, you can go back and look at that version. It works a lot like Time Machine, so it’s easy to use and graphically inclined.

These features just scratch the surface of the new Mac OS X 10.7 Lion operating system, but they outline the overall theme: increasing your efficiency in the same user-friendly way as many of the Mac products we know and love.

LimeTech is a creative tech company with a focus on innovation and adaptive change. We use technical know-how, design skills, and deep experience in entrepreneurship to help companies advance their business goals. Do you need IT planning, mobile app development, web design, or remote work solutions that will take your business to the next level? Get in touch today and find out what we can do for you.