I've read somewhere that Apple changed it's mind about not offering Mountain Lion on a thumb drive and it will be available for purchase sometime after it's released. Is this still true? The IT guys here are not ready to accept a download only OS install and want something physical, just like we had with the Lion thumb drive. Thanks!!!
Per the Ars Technica monster review, no USB stick planned, though maybe there's some non-App-store offering for Enterprise users - but your IT guys should know about that if so.
You can create your own USB, instructions are here;
I've covered some details on how to do this here: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-57477002-263/how-to-prepare-your-mac-for-os -x-10.8-mountain-lion/
Oh I know I can do that, the thing is my company doesn't have an App Store account and won't let me setup one. I use my personnal account at work to use the apps I bought and that I know they would'nt buy anyway. But when it comes to OS X, I'm screwed if I can't have them buy a thumb drive. And although I will buy Mountain Lion for my personnal Mac, I don't want my company to get Mountain Lion for free coming from my account. It's stupid, I know, but only IT here is authorised to buy software. If they can't buy a physical copy of ML, I'm pretty much screwed...
Unfortunately you are in a spot that some people are finding themselves in, or found themselves in with OS X Lion until the thumb drive came. Are they solely a MAC based company? I am surprised that not one person in the organization does not have an Mac App Store account, even if they do not promote it.
And if they are a MAC based company, having a rep go down to the Apple store and interacting with some Genuis or the Joint Venture rep might not be a bad idea to discuss options. I am not guaranteeing they can do anything, but it wouldnt hurt to try to see if they have a solution for them, or one that is coming down the line.
The bottom line is that Apple is moving towards Mac App Store solution, and IT departments are going to have to accept it and have at least one account to download and create the bootable USB/ dual later DVD solution to install. Fighting it will keep them from getting the latest software.
Yeah, I'm the only Mac user in the company with 400+ WinPCs. No need to say they don't give a **** about me or my problems. It's a very controled environment and IT are paranoid about everything. So imagine giving me an official App Store ID to download my own stuff. I'm used to being on my own and fixing my problems by myself because they don't know/care about Apple products. But that thumb drive issue is really like hitting a brick wall...
Guess I'll have to be generous and install ML from my account! [sigh]
yea, I have been in your situation before. I would pull the trigger on my personal computer, and then just maybe install it on my work computer, if I really need ML on it.
So here I am, on a Greek island struggling with 0.50MB download. How on earth am I supposed to upgrade to Mountain Lion? There isn't an AppleStore in my country, never mind my town. Am I really supposed to get on a plane to go and download from an Applestore?
I wasn't able to upgrade to Lion for ages, I had to wait until I was on a trip to the UK. I had read that the bit on the website where it says
"If you don’t have broadband access, you can visit any Apple Retail Store to get help with downloading."
However, Covent Garden Store and Regent Street Store both told me there were no special arrangements to help - they just suggested I try to go at a quiet time as the download was large. (ha ha!) In the end I had to buy a thumb drive for Lion. If there is no thumb drive for Mountain Lion, what am I supposed to do?
After 20+ years upgrading my Apple System Software on a regular basis, it seems this is the end for me.
skalarocks,
Do you have any contacts that do have access to a broadband connection that you trust to make the purchase on your behalf to download to USB and send to you?
Unfortunately, almost all updates will be done this way, regardless of platform, so its something IT staffs/professional are going to have to figure out a way to work with the model that all companies are implementing / going to implement.
whitewater2
"Do you have any contacts that do have access to a broadband connection that you trust to make the purchase on your behalf to download to USB and send to you?"
No I don't.
And let's be honest I shouldn't need to rely on someone else to be able to update my software.
Am I the only one on the planet with this problem?
I dont think you are the only person, but I do think people have just went without upgrading until they have found their solution, either from a friend burning a dual layer disc or putting on a thumb drive.
Okay- consider me pretty much compouter illiterate and just plain ignorant- so here is what I want/need to do-- when Lion first came out, I strated the downlod from the Apps store and poked around on the Intetnet- waiting-- then panicked when I saw that my software (with over 20 years of records drawings etc.) would immeditely become inaccessible if it installed. I put in a thumb drive and moved everything to it. Now (I never knew ML existted because if I go to it- I still will lose all my fiues etc--but now I have a non-apple workaround planned, but I have no idea what I am doing, just following directions!). I am going to try to put ML on n External Hard Drive and get my iMac to boot from it when i don;t need Snow Leopard-- So here is my question-
1)first-can I take the never used Lion and wipe it and use the same thumb drive (which has been patioently sitting in the zippered case for over a year now- untouched)? It is an 8 GB thumb- so even if they could be there together, I suspext the size us too small? Should I just go ahead and have two thumb drives one with ML and one with Lion-- then go ahead and install on the ext Hard drive (that I have not yet purchased and Apple would not suggest any brands)?
2) I was told to, just in case I really foul things up (remember my inept status) back up the current (SL) hard drive-- I am running Time Machine---is that sufficient and if it is--AND I need it (becuase I goofed) how tdo I restore the current hard drive----or to be safe do I just go ahead and buy yet another Ext HD D and copy the whole contents onto it for safekeeping until I know...??
I am hoping this will allow me to both have ML available and access SL with those files as I need them (in case anyone is curious- they are ll in FreeHand and that is now totally dead- I kept hoping someone would do an 11th hour recovery-but not going to happen-so I need to try to move on).
Obviously I cannot take the "risk" of ML actually installing on my iMac--so that is what I want to avoid-- just checking!!
thanks--
Mountain Lion USB thumb drive?
