Evidence suggests Apple will make Mac OS X Lion Server a paid App Store add-on

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Server could be a paid add-on that users would download from the Mac App Store, according to evidence allegedly discovered in the Lion beta.

Searching "install server" in the help menu in a developer preview of Mac OS X Lion, a reader of French site HardMac reportedly discovered a note that claims Mac OS X Server in 10.7 Lion will be a paid add-on. The alleged note says that users can make their Mac a server by "installing the Server app."

An accompanying screenshot shows that the Server application will be available on the Mac App Store, and once it is purchased it will be available in the Applications folder. Users will then open the Server application to set up the software.

From there, users enter the name and password of an administrator account on the Mac in order to begin installing and setting up Lion Server software. The Server application allegedly downloads the Server Essentials software package and installs it, a process that will turn the Mac into a server.

The current version of Mac OS X Server for 10.6 Snow Leopard has a retail price of $499, granting users an unlimited client license. The help file does not offer any indication as to how much the Mac OS X Server application would cost on the Mac App Store.

With its developer previews of Mac OS X Lion, Apple has issued separate builds for the Server version of the Mac operating system. Preview 3 was released to developers in mid-May.

For more on Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Server, see AppleInsider's previous coverage:

Inside Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Server: Apple replaces Samba for Windows networking services

Inside Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Server: remote lock, disk wipe and administration

VMware vSphere 5 to add cloud virtualization support for Mac OS X Server

Why Apple axed Xserve, and how it can reenter the server market

Follow AppleInsider on Google News

42 Comments

smiles77

said about 12 years ago

This is odd, as it directly contradicts Apple's Lion preview page. From there:

"Lion Server is now part of Mac OS X Lion. It’s easy to set up your Mac as a server and take advantage of the many services Lion Server has to offer."
"Lion Server guides you through configuring your Mac as a server. And it provides local and remote administration — for users and groups, push notifications, file sharing, calendaring, mail, contacts, chat, Time Machine, VPN, web, and wiki services — all in one place."

That doesn't sound at all like a separate app to me. It sounds much more like an option in your System Preferences pane.

paxman

said about 12 years ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smiles77

Perhaps once the app is installed everything works as you say. Maybe the app also acts as a server dashboard separate from System Prefs.

patranus

said about 12 years ago

$499 is still a steal.

Windows 2008 R2 Standard runs $799 plus $35 per computer/user connecter to the server.

solipsism

said about 12 years ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smiles77

I think it was Preview 2 of Lion that changed the way the server components were distributed. There is a separate redeem code for the server add-on in the Mac App Store. It's a small app at about 35MB When you first run I believe it will then download and load all the other server components.

If this might be a good thing. Even if it's free (though I'm thinking it will require a small fee) having it be purposeful action to use on your Mac may keep more novice users from thinking they need this to do daily tasks like organizing mail and user accounts.

malax

said about 12 years ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by solipsism

I think it was Preview 2 of Lion that changed the way the server components were distributed. There is a separate redeem code for the server add-on in the Mac App Store. It's a small app at about 35MB When you first run I believe it will then download and load all the other server components.

If this might be a good thing. Even if it's free (though I'm thinking it will require a small fee) having be purposeful action to use on your Mac may keep more novice users from thinking they need this to do daily tasks like organizing mail and user accounts.

Agreed. It's like the Developer Tools that have been distributed with OS X discs as optional installs. Don't waste disk space or confuse users with stuff they will likely never need, but make their readily available.