If you're a Mac user, you're likely aware of the imminent release of Lion, the next version of the Mac OS X operating system. In fact, you may be looking forward to upgrading as soon as it rears its head on the Mac App Store. If you're an AutoCAD 2011 for Mac user, Autodesk has one recommendation:
Don't. Not yet.
Autodesk engineers have been hard at work testing AutoCAD 2011 for Mac running on Mac OS X Lion; identifying and fixing issues that the new operating system has introduced. That said, AutoCAD for Mac will NOT officially support Lion when it is released–which is anticipated to be very soon. The issues they have identified with Lion has prompted a very strong recommendation that you wait to upgrade to Lion any system also running AutoCAD 2011 for Mac.
2011: Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) support for AutoCAD for Mac
As explained in the solution above, there will be a beta program announced in the near future for a service pack that will add support for Mac OS X Lion. I'll also make an announcement here when that beta program starts.
As a rule, I approach OS upgrades with trepidation anyway. As interesting and exciting as new operating systems can be, it can also be a huge disruption to my workflow if I suddenly find the applications I rely on every day are not yet supported. I've been burned before so I approach my OS upgrades cautiously. I research which of my critical apps are (and are not) supported and, when the time is right, I always, always, always, create a full system backup to which I can revert if things go wrong.
When released, Mac OS X Lion will be available for download from the Mac App Store for $29. That convenience, immediacy, and price is going to make it really tempting to just… do it. Make sure all your critical apps are compatible before you do. An OS upgrade can be a hard thing to reverse.
Tread carefully. Lions have been known to eat their own.
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yep... I fell for it... Don't do it Mac OS X lion is cool. but nothing works with it.. (YET). Please do yourself a favor and wait untill you hear you can run AutoCAD for mac...
Posted by: Will | July 21, 2011 at 10:57 AM
Totally killed CAD. Won't even open.
Posted by: Jake | July 24, 2011 at 07:28 PM
Lion GM runs AutoCAD 2011 for Mac but.... openGL performance is really bad compared to Snow Leopard. :(
Posted by: MacProUser | July 27, 2011 at 04:26 AM
autocad for mac sp3 beta is available
Posted by: Stefan | July 28, 2011 at 12:13 PM
To be honest... I am not using the potential of my mac.. I was so afraid leaving windows, that my operation system is windows for mac.. but maybe it's time to upgrade my life, computing wise.. :)
Posted by: sap upgrade challenges | August 02, 2011 at 06:58 AM