When Apple releases Mac OS X Lion this summer, the company will ditch discs in favor of distribution via the Mac App Store.
According to AppleInsider, the Mac App Store will be the default method for seeding Lion to users. The updated operating system will be available for download and purchase through the App Store immediately, taking away the need to buy any kind of physical media. However, an optical disc will allegedly be available for users who lack a broadband connection.
The Mac App Store, which launched in early January, is expected to be an integral component of Lion, according to developer builds of Lion that have popped up online.
AppleInsider notes that this is the beginning of Apple's move to ditch the SuperDrive altogether. It says the MacBook Pro is expected to eschew the disc drive over the next 12 to 18 months to open the doors for thinner laptops with bigger batteries.
Among Lion's new features are a wireless file-sharing utility called AirDrop; a revamped Mail client; Resume, which presents the OS and Apps in the exact state at shutdown; Versions, which gives app developers the ability to save different views of any documents they're working on; and AutoSave, a utility that, as the name suggests, saves documents automatically. It's also been rumored that Lion will include a bookmark syncing tool similar to Instapaper called Reading List.
Apple provided a preview of Lion to developers earlier this spring. The company is expected to unveil the system at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which starts on June 6 and will have a heavy focus on software.