Apple Seeds OS X Lion GM to Developers

Apple rolled out the gold master version of OS X Lion to developers on Friday. Offering up the GM version of the operating system is a good sign that Apple is wrapping up pre-release development ahead of the official release, scheduled for some time in July.

Lion will mark a significant update for the Mac operating system with touch-based interface elements inspired by iOS and the iPad, full-screen app support, file versioning and auto-save, AirDrop on-the-fly file sharing, and more.

Lion GM in developer's handsOS X Lion gets closer to public release

The release of OS X Lion also marks the first time Apple’s Mac operating system will be distributed without physical media. Instead, the update will be available only as a download through the Mac App Store.

OS X Lion should be available before the end of July. It will be priced at US$29.99 and requires Mac OS X 10.6.8.