
Here you will see all applications installed on this machine, their version numbers, and their type PowerPC, Universal, and Intel. Once open, scroll down the left hand column and select Applications. System Information can be found in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder, or you can click the Apple icon in the Menu Bar, select About This Mac, and click More Info. The best way to find out if the software you are running is capable of working under Lion is to open System Information (formally System Profiler). There may be some PowerPC applications installed however, if the user doesn’t require them, then it shouldn’t be a hurdle when upgrading. One thing you might want to re-evaluate is what software is a priority for your users. In essence, any installed software that isn’t an Intel or Universal binary will no longer work. As of Lion, Apple will no longer be supporting PowerPC architecture, and has removed the Rosetta emulation layer from the OS.

We want to make sure that all of the software running on the current setup is going to be compatible with Lion. Now that we know the machine meets suggested system requirements, the next step is an important one. If your machine is running Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, you will be required to upgrade to 10.6.6 Snow Leopard in order to proceed. Here you will see your processor type, system allocated memory, and the installed version of Mac OS X. To determine if you have the suggested system requirements, open up the About This Mac pane by clicking on the Apple Icon in the Menu Bar. This excludes a couple of early Intel based Macs, such as the first generation iMac and Mac Mini however, if you purchased a Mac on or after 2006 your machine should support Lion.


This step-by-step installation guide includes tips and recommendations for the download-only upgrade to Mac OS X Lion. Not everyone who supports Macs in the enterprise is a Mac expert. Upgrading from Mac OS X Snow Leopard to Lion: Installation guide
