I would be interested to know how many copies of Lion they've sold so far, compared with when Snow Leopard was released. I wonder if the App Store has had lower (or higher?!) sales then disc.
Hard to quantify properly, but anecdotal evidence from people like the Omni Group and a few other app devs seem to indicate that adoption rates are significantly higher than for any previous release of Mac OS X, inc. Snow Leopard:
Since you can make your own USB installation drives if you get it from the Mac App Store, it stands to reason that the majority of people who will buy Lion on USB are people who don't have broadband internet connections.
And if they don't have a broadband connection, anyway, then how would they use Lion Recovery??
I still fail to see how you install from a HD crash or system corruption if you dont have a physical media. If I cant boot up how can you access the internet to re-install lion?
Depends what system you own and why you can't boot. If you have a post Lion Mac, it's all in firmware, CMD R on boot gets your into the recovery assistant even if you have no hard drive. This contains wireless drivers and such for you to connect and pull it down. If you have a pre Lion Mac, you can create a recovery disk that boots from CD or USB or whatever, or you can burn off your OS X installer when you first download from the MAS store, or you can (assuming you have corrupted your OS and not killed your drive) use the recovery partition that they sneak onto your hard disk in the absence of it being available in firmware. OK, some of these requires you to be proactive in either burning a disk ro creating a recovery USB thing in advance, but then if you don't do that anyway, why not? It's akin to not backing up.
What's with all you people looking for problems that don't exist?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave K.
This is short sighted of Apple.
So offering another option at a low price is shortsighted?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sunbow
So for organisations that have computers isolated from the internet and who prohibit USB thumb drives for security reasons still don't have a way to upgrade.
Of course Apple needs to engage more with such organisations to get more Macs into them in the first place.
If you manage an organization's IT that actually needs to disconnect from the internet and disable USB ports then I surely hope you can figure out how to burn a DVD.
Got to admit it is a creative, if somewhat expensive, solution.
It's a lot cheaper than what they charged for a DVD most releases. Let's not even get into what Windows cost.
Quote:
Originally Posted by j2-core
If you have slow or no internet connect we are going to offer you this plastic thumb drive!!! And it's only $69.00!!! Yes that is 233% of the original price...A Steal. A four gigabyte thumb drive cost us about $.90 so unfortunately we have to pass that cost onto the customer.
We know we are raping you but it's okay, we are Apple.
Sticking it in and breaking it off,
Steve Jobs
90¢ for a flash drive? Really? If that's how you want to play it then lets consider how much Windows cost and how much that DVD plastic in comes on cost. Oh look! There's even more of a price discrepancy. It's almost as if Apple is trying not to get people to use the crutch of physical media for the future of their business instead of charging them whole prices for parts without consideration of content or utility.
Quote:
Originally Posted by maisey
Does this mean that I can do a direct upgrade from leopard to lion? Otherwise I'm going to have to buy SnowLeopard JUST to buy lion...
Yes. The reason for Snow Leopard being required was because Leopard doesn't have access to the App Store.
Quote:
Originally Posted by herbapou
I still fail to see how you install from a HD crash or system corruption if you dont have a physical media. If I cant boot up how can you access the internet to re-install lion?
It's been documented so many times now. If your system gets corrupted you simply reboot into the Recovery HD to A) fix the partition/ system with Disk Utility or reinstall Lion to that previous Lion partition or a new one from the App Store.
If you replace your HDD or SSD in a new Mac mini or MBA you hold down Option-R to boot into a recovery mode that will download and install the 650MB Recovery HD. From their you download and install Lion the way I mentioned previously.
If you replace your HDD or SSD in a Mac that doesn't yet have the on-system recovery optIon and you choose not create a backup of Lion or the Recovery HD to USB, DVD, et al. then you'll have to pay $69 for the USB stick, take your Mac to an Apple Store Genius, or call Apple and beg them to send you an installer because you failed to make your own despite all the options they laid upon you.
It struck me as a clever move to prevent someone from buying one USB stick and then using it to install on dozens of systems. Prevents people from buying one copy and then installing it for everyone they know. well actually it does not prevent that installation just makes it really dicey in the event that any of those folks have issues and need to reinstall - which is actually very much like a single DVD purchased at the store.
A later post I think also mentioned that the recovery option is tied to your Apple ID - I suppose they could sell the USB key through the App store rather than the web store - that way a given key would be linked to your account - but they they would have to tag each key which slows down mass production.
there may be no single answer that works for everyone everywhere (including not only the buyer but also the seller) -though it is good to see more than one option.
There is an application from apple that allows you to make your own USB after buying Lion from the app store.
Couldn't be easier. Well, actually, it could, but it's not hard... You really should create the 'disk' before you install Lion but if you already have installed Lion follow the comments at the end of the article as there is a chance the installation still sits on you hard drive somewhere
The app is called Lion Recovery Disk Assistant, but it is better to create a bootable Lion Install drive - you need an 8 gb usb drive (or if you prefer... a DVD)
So for organisations that have computers isolated from the internet and who prohibit USB thumb drives for security reasons still don't have a way to upgrade.
Of course Apple needs to engage more with such organisations to get more Macs into them in the first place.
If the organization has those policies in place then it is for a reason - to stop people from installing things without administrative approval.
Not sure if that USB stick can be copied to or mounted as a network resource - but there must be a way for software to be installed in such a setting - perhaps just not a way for individual users to do it themselves without approval.
So for organisations that have computers isolated from the internet and who prohibit USB thumb drives for security reasons still don't have a way to upgrade.
Of course Apple needs to engage more with such organisations to get more Macs into them in the first place.
Is that not why you get business licenses? Or, you could burn your own DVD from the download. Are you just trying to be a troll and think up negatives for your posts?
Here is the location of the recovery disk assistant for Lion for those that need it:
I did. I bought it off the Mac app store on release day to upgrade my Macbook Pro. It was a free upgrade because I had bought the machine within the last month.
I ordered the USB drive this morning because I love physical media lol. I like to see where my money has gone and digital download feels like I haven't bought anything tangible.
So does that mean I would be able to use Lion recovery even if I did an install with the Lion USB drive? Since I would just enter my Apple ID and they could see I had purchased it?
I did. I bought it off the Mac app store on release day to upgrade my Macbook Pro. It was a free upgrade because I had bought the machine within the last month.
I ordered the USB drive this morning because I love physical media lol. I like to see where my money has gone and digital download feels like I haven't bought anything tangible.
So does that mean I would be able to use Lion recovery even if I did an install with the Lion USB drive? Since I would just enter my Apple ID and they could see I had purchased it?
So why did you feel the need to pay $69 for a flash drive when you already have access to the files? Why not just buy a cheap USB drive, SD card, use a small partition on your Time Machine drive, or use a SL-DVD if you have some physical media? This sounds like you wanted the slick looking piece of plastic Apple sells over other cheap looking options.
I did. I bought it off the Mac app store on release day to upgrade my Macbook Pro. It was a free upgrade because I had bought the machine within the last month.
I ordered the USB drive this morning because I love physical media lol. I like to see where my money has gone and digital download feels like I haven't bought anything tangible.
So does that mean I would be able to use Lion recovery even if I did an install with the Lion USB drive? Since I would just enter my Apple ID and they could see I had purchased it?
Yes, you can do that.
And, as an aside and using you as an example, you in effect pay $99 for your upgrade, which at first sight seems like Apple have done you over, but to be honest, at $30 less than any other major release of Mac OS X and effectively a site license for home use, you've still got a bargain and ultimate peace of mind knowing that no matter what you can recover any of your machines, whether it's at speed from home with your USB, or from Starbucks when on holiday or working away etc. I can't see people's issues. There are so many ways to get Lion on your machines at minimal cost (and by minimal I am referring to the competition) it's almost ludicrously easy, no requirements for media, license keys, proof of purchase, no making this disk only work on that computer, and this only work as an upgrade to that.
So for organisations that have computers isolated from the internet and who prohibit USB thumb drives for security reasons still don't have a way to upgrade.
Of course Apple needs to engage more with such organisations to get more Macs into them in the first place.
Is that not why you get business licenses? Or, you could burn your own DVD from the download. Are you just trying to be a troll and think up negatives for your posts?
Here is the location of the recovery disk assistant for Lion for those that need it:
So for organisations that have computers isolated from the internet and who prohibit USB thumb drives for security reasons still don't have a way to upgrade.
Of course Apple needs to engage more with such organisations to get more Macs into them in the first place.
The fact that an organization doesn't allow users to bring in USB sticks doesn't mean that the IT department can't use them.
And, even if they are that restrictive, there are other options. That's what this is about - adding one more option. I don't understand why people are objecting to more choices.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave K.
This is short sighted of Apple.
Let's see. They're offering one more option than they did before at a price far lower than any version of Windows. How is it short sighted?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ascii
I have tried reinstalling from Lion Recovery. It asks for your Apple ID and checks with the App Store that you've purchased Lion before proceeding. So that's why it won't work, the App Store will have no record of you having bought it.
The USB stick is a full install - which doesn't require broadband internet access. If you need to reinstall, you do it from the USB stick, not the Apple Store. Consider the USB stick as a DVD. If you buy any software on DVD and need to reinstall it, you use the same DVD. If you lose or break the DVD, you're out of luck. Same with the USB stick.
Quote:
Originally Posted by j2-core
If you have slow or no internet connect we are going to offer you this plastic thumb drive!!! And it's only $69.00!!! Yes that is 233% of the original price...A Steal. A four gigabyte thumb drive cost us about $.90 so unfortunately we have to pass that cost onto the customer.
We know we are raping you but it's okay, we are Apple.
Sticking it in and breaking it off,
Steve Jobs
Some people choose this option. Who are you to object? If you don't like it, buy your own USB stick for $0.90 (yeah, right) and install it yourself.
Oh, and btw, how much is Windows Ultimate? Do you know how much it costs to press a DVD? It's considerably less than the cost of a USB stick. So Apple is charging $69 for a USB stick and Microsoft is charging $300 or so for a DVD. Seems that your whining is misplaced.
It struck me as a clever move to prevent someone from buying one USB stick and then using it to install on dozens of systems. Prevents people from buying one copy and then installing it for everyone they know. well actually it does not prevent that installation just makes it really dicey in the event that any of those folks have issues and need to reinstall - which is actually very much like a single DVD purchased at the store.
A later post I think also mentioned that the recovery option is tied to your Apple ID - I suppose they could sell the USB key through the App store rather than the web store - that way a given key would be linked to your account - but they they would have to tag each key which slows down mass production.
there may be no single answer that works for everyone everywhere (including not only the buyer but also the seller) -though it is good to see more than one option.
That is why I'll buy the $69.00 USB drive. We have 3 Mac computers in our home (2 iMacs, 1 MacBook Pro). If I download for all 3, the cost is $29.99 x 3 = $89.97. If I buy the USB, I can install on all 3 computers for $69.99.
If one of the computers needs a reinstall, I'll have the thumb drive and won't need to go to Apple's website to re download the operating system.
That is why I'll buy the $69.00 USB drive. We have 3 Mac computers in our home (2 iMacs, 1 MacBook Pro). If I download for all 3, the cost is $29.99 x 3 = $89.97. If I buy the USB, I can install on all 3 computers for $69.99.
If one of the computers needs a reinstall, I'll have the thumb drive and won't need to go to Apple's website to re download the operating system.
I should correct you, you are entitled to purchase once from the Mac App store, and install on all machines in your home at no extra cost, just like you can install Angry Birds on your iPad, iPhone and iPod touch...
So why did you feel the need to pay $69 for a flash drive when you already have access to the files? Why not just buy a cheap USB drive, SD card, use a small partition on your Time Machine drive, or use a SL-DVD if you have some physical media? This sounds like you wanted the slick looking piece of plastic Apple sells over other cheap looking options.
To be fair, it's different.
If you buy the thumb drive, you get the entire OS on the drive. No need to access the Internet in order to install.
If you use the recovery partition, the OS is downloaded from the Internet - which can take a long time if you have a slow connection.
If you use the utility to create your own installation drive (on USB stick, SD card, external partition, etc), you also get a recovery partition which requires internet access.
For some people, the ability to have everything on the local disk and not requiring internet access is a big plus.
ok, I have a question. We have two macbooks, and one imac.
one of the macbooks was in for some service at apple and they upgraded it to snow leopard for free.
the other macbook and the imac, still have leopard (they were never upgraded)
so the ? is, if i download Lion on the Snow Leopard machine, and make a boot DVD as mentioned, can I use that to install Lion on the other two macs as well?
If you buy the thumb drive, you get the entire OS on the drive. No need to access the Internet in order to install.
If you use the recovery partition, the OS is downloaded from the Internet - which can take a long time if you have a slow connection.
If you use the utility to create your own installation drive (on USB stick, SD card, external partition, etc), you also get a recovery partition which requires internet access.
For some people, the ability to have everything on the local disk and not requiring internet access is a big plus.
The options you mentioned do require internet access but, as I previously mentioned in this thread, you can create a full bootable and installable version of Lion from the App Store download just using Disk Utility and any mountable media that has a 4GB partition.
So for organisations that have computers isolated from the internet and who prohibit USB thumb drives for security reasons still don't have a way to upgrade.
Of course Apple needs to engage more with such organisations to get more Macs into them in the first place.
The USB drives are read-only. They're as safe as a CD-ROM would be, just faster and less easy to break. Extremely high security US agencies are allowing their use although they can not be transported into a SCIF without special screening. Similarly, a CD-ROM could be a CD-RW and nobody would know the difference unless such media were specially screened.
Comments
I would be interested to know how many copies of Lion they've sold so far, compared with when Snow Leopard was released. I wonder if the App Store has had lower (or higher?!) sales then disc.
Hard to quantify properly, but anecdotal evidence from people like the Omni Group and a few other app devs seem to indicate that adoption rates are significantly higher than for any previous release of Mac OS X, inc. Snow Leopard:
http://www.omnigroup.com/blog/entry/lion_adoption/
This is short sighted of Apple.
Since you can make your own USB installation drives if you get it from the Mac App Store, it stands to reason that the majority of people who will buy Lion on USB are people who don't have broadband internet connections.
And if they don't have a broadband connection, anyway, then how would they use Lion Recovery??
I still fail to see how you install from a HD crash or system corruption if you dont have a physical media. If I cant boot up how can you access the internet to re-install lion?
Depends what system you own and why you can't boot. If you have a post Lion Mac, it's all in firmware, CMD R on boot gets your into the recovery assistant even if you have no hard drive. This contains wireless drivers and such for you to connect and pull it down. If you have a pre Lion Mac, you can create a recovery disk that boots from CD or USB or whatever, or you can burn off your OS X installer when you first download from the MAS store, or you can (assuming you have corrupted your OS and not killed your drive) use the recovery partition that they sneak onto your hard disk in the absence of it being available in firmware. OK, some of these requires you to be proactive in either burning a disk ro creating a recovery USB thing in advance, but then if you don't do that anyway, why not? It's akin to not backing up.
Apple can even make a thumb drive look good
This is short sighted of Apple.
So offering another option at a low price is shortsighted?
So for organisations that have computers isolated from the internet and who prohibit USB thumb drives for security reasons still don't have a way to upgrade.
Of course Apple needs to engage more with such organisations to get more Macs into them in the first place.
If you manage an organization's IT that actually needs to disconnect from the internet and disable USB ports then I surely hope you can figure out how to burn a DVD.
Got to admit it is a creative, if somewhat expensive, solution.
It's a lot cheaper than what they charged for a DVD most releases. Let's not even get into what Windows cost.
If you have slow or no internet connect we are going to offer you this plastic thumb drive!!! And it's only $69.00!!! Yes that is 233% of the original price...A Steal. A four gigabyte thumb drive cost us about $.90 so unfortunately we have to pass that cost onto the customer.
We know we are raping you but it's okay, we are Apple.
Sticking it in and breaking it off,
Steve Jobs
90¢ for a flash drive? Really? If that's how you want to play it then lets consider how much Windows cost and how much that DVD plastic in comes on cost. Oh look! There's even more of a price discrepancy. It's almost as if Apple is trying not to get people to use the crutch of physical media for the future of their business instead of charging them whole prices for parts without consideration of content or utility.
Does this mean that I can do a direct upgrade from leopard to lion? Otherwise I'm going to have to buy SnowLeopard JUST to buy lion...
Yes. The reason for Snow Leopard being required was because Leopard doesn't have access to the App Store.
I still fail to see how you install from a HD crash or system corruption if you dont have a physical media. If I cant boot up how can you access the internet to re-install lion?
It's been documented so many times now. If your system gets corrupted you simply reboot into the Recovery HD to A) fix the partition/ system with Disk Utility or
If you replace your HDD or SSD in a new Mac mini or MBA you hold down Option-R to boot into a recovery mode that will download and install the 650MB Recovery HD. From their you download and install Lion the way I mentioned previously.
If you replace your HDD or SSD in a Mac that doesn't yet have the on-system recovery optIon and you choose not create a backup of Lion or the Recovery HD to USB, DVD, et al. then you'll have to pay $69 for the USB stick, take your Mac to an Apple Store Genius, or call Apple and beg them to send you an installer because you failed to make your own despite all the options they laid upon you.
This is short sighted of Apple.
It struck me as a clever move to prevent someone from buying one USB stick and then using it to install on dozens of systems. Prevents people from buying one copy and then installing it for everyone they know. well actually it does not prevent that installation just makes it really dicey in the event that any of those folks have issues and need to reinstall - which is actually very much like a single DVD purchased at the store.
A later post I think also mentioned that the recovery option is tied to your Apple ID - I suppose they could sell the USB key through the App store rather than the web store - that way a given key would be linked to your account - but they they would have to tag each key which slows down mass production.
there may be no single answer that works for everyone everywhere (including not only the buyer but also the seller) -though it is good to see more than one option.
There is an application from apple that allows you to make your own USB after buying Lion from the app store.
Couldn't be easier. Well, actually, it could, but it's not hard... You really should create the 'disk' before you install Lion but if you already have installed Lion follow the comments at the end of the article as there is a chance the installation still sits on you hard drive somewhere
The app is called Lion Recovery Disk Assistant, but it is better to create a bootable Lion Install drive - you need an 8 gb usb drive (or if you prefer... a DVD)
Instructions from our friends over at Macworld
So for organisations that have computers isolated from the internet and who prohibit USB thumb drives for security reasons still don't have a way to upgrade.
Of course Apple needs to engage more with such organisations to get more Macs into them in the first place.
If the organization has those policies in place then it is for a reason - to stop people from installing things without administrative approval.
Not sure if that USB stick can be copied to or mounted as a network resource - but there must be a way for software to be installed in such a setting - perhaps just not a way for individual users to do it themselves without approval.
So for organisations that have computers isolated from the internet and who prohibit USB thumb drives for security reasons still don't have a way to upgrade.
Of course Apple needs to engage more with such organisations to get more Macs into them in the first place.
Is that not why you get business licenses? Or, you could burn your own DVD from the download. Are you just trying to be a troll and think up negatives for your posts?
Here is the location of the recovery disk assistant for Lion for those that need it:
http://support.apple.com/kb/dl1433
Who the hell would do that?
I did. I bought it off the Mac app store on release day to upgrade my Macbook Pro. It was a free upgrade because I had bought the machine within the last month.
I ordered the USB drive this morning because I love physical media lol. I like to see where my money has gone and digital download feels like I haven't bought anything tangible.
So does that mean I would be able to use Lion recovery even if I did an install with the Lion USB drive? Since I would just enter my Apple ID and they could see I had purchased it?
I did. I bought it off the Mac app store on release day to upgrade my Macbook Pro. It was a free upgrade because I had bought the machine within the last month.
I ordered the USB drive this morning because I love physical media lol. I like to see where my money has gone and digital download feels like I haven't bought anything tangible.
So does that mean I would be able to use Lion recovery even if I did an install with the Lion USB drive? Since I would just enter my Apple ID and they could see I had purchased it?
So why did you feel the need to pay $69 for a flash drive when you already have access to the files? Why not just buy a cheap USB drive, SD card, use a small partition on your Time Machine drive, or use a SL-DVD if you have some physical media? This sounds like you wanted the slick looking piece of plastic Apple sells over other cheap looking options.
I did. I bought it off the Mac app store on release day to upgrade my Macbook Pro. It was a free upgrade because I had bought the machine within the last month.
I ordered the USB drive this morning because I love physical media lol. I like to see where my money has gone and digital download feels like I haven't bought anything tangible.
So does that mean I would be able to use Lion recovery even if I did an install with the Lion USB drive? Since I would just enter my Apple ID and they could see I had purchased it?
Yes, you can do that.
And, as an aside and using you as an example, you in effect pay $99 for your upgrade, which at first sight seems like Apple have done you over, but to be honest, at $30 less than any other major release of Mac OS X and effectively a site license for home use, you've still got a bargain and ultimate peace of mind knowing that no matter what you can recover any of your machines, whether it's at speed from home with your USB, or from Starbucks when on holiday or working away etc. I can't see people's issues. There are so many ways to get Lion on your machines at minimal cost (and by minimal I am referring to the competition) it's almost ludicrously easy, no requirements for media, license keys, proof of purchase, no making this disk only work on that computer, and this only work as an upgrade to that.
So for organisations that have computers isolated from the internet and who prohibit USB thumb drives for security reasons still don't have a way to upgrade.
Of course Apple needs to engage more with such organisations to get more Macs into them in the first place.
Is that not why you get business licenses? Or, you could burn your own DVD from the download. Are you just trying to be a troll and think up negatives for your posts?
Here is the location of the recovery disk assistant for Lion for those that need it:
http://support.apple.com/kb/dl1433
So for organisations that have computers isolated from the internet and who prohibit USB thumb drives for security reasons still don't have a way to upgrade.
Of course Apple needs to engage more with such organisations to get more Macs into them in the first place.
The fact that an organization doesn't allow users to bring in USB sticks doesn't mean that the IT department can't use them.
And, even if they are that restrictive, there are other options. That's what this is about - adding one more option. I don't understand why people are objecting to more choices.
This is short sighted of Apple.
Let's see. They're offering one more option than they did before at a price far lower than any version of Windows. How is it short sighted?
I have tried reinstalling from Lion Recovery. It asks for your Apple ID and checks with the App Store that you've purchased Lion before proceeding. So that's why it won't work, the App Store will have no record of you having bought it.
The USB stick is a full install - which doesn't require broadband internet access. If you need to reinstall, you do it from the USB stick, not the Apple Store. Consider the USB stick as a DVD. If you buy any software on DVD and need to reinstall it, you use the same DVD. If you lose or break the DVD, you're out of luck. Same with the USB stick.
If you have slow or no internet connect we are going to offer you this plastic thumb drive!!! And it's only $69.00!!! Yes that is 233% of the original price...A Steal. A four gigabyte thumb drive cost us about $.90 so unfortunately we have to pass that cost onto the customer.
We know we are raping you but it's okay, we are Apple.
Sticking it in and breaking it off,
Steve Jobs
Some people choose this option. Who are you to object? If you don't like it, buy your own USB stick for $0.90 (yeah, right) and install it yourself.
Oh, and btw, how much is Windows Ultimate? Do you know how much it costs to press a DVD? It's considerably less than the cost of a USB stick. So Apple is charging $69 for a USB stick and Microsoft is charging $300 or so for a DVD. Seems that your whining is misplaced.
It struck me as a clever move to prevent someone from buying one USB stick and then using it to install on dozens of systems. Prevents people from buying one copy and then installing it for everyone they know. well actually it does not prevent that installation just makes it really dicey in the event that any of those folks have issues and need to reinstall - which is actually very much like a single DVD purchased at the store.
A later post I think also mentioned that the recovery option is tied to your Apple ID - I suppose they could sell the USB key through the App store rather than the web store - that way a given key would be linked to your account - but they they would have to tag each key which slows down mass production.
there may be no single answer that works for everyone everywhere (including not only the buyer but also the seller) -though it is good to see more than one option.
That is why I'll buy the $69.00 USB drive. We have 3 Mac computers in our home (2 iMacs, 1 MacBook Pro). If I download for all 3, the cost is $29.99 x 3 = $89.97. If I buy the USB, I can install on all 3 computers for $69.99.
If one of the computers needs a reinstall, I'll have the thumb drive and won't need to go to Apple's website to re download the operating system.
That is why I'll buy the $69.00 USB drive. We have 3 Mac computers in our home (2 iMacs, 1 MacBook Pro). If I download for all 3, the cost is $29.99 x 3 = $89.97. If I buy the USB, I can install on all 3 computers for $69.99.
If one of the computers needs a reinstall, I'll have the thumb drive and won't need to go to Apple's website to re download the operating system.
I should correct you, you are entitled to purchase once from the Mac App store, and install on all machines in your home at no extra cost, just like you can install Angry Birds on your iPad, iPhone and iPod touch...
So why did you feel the need to pay $69 for a flash drive when you already have access to the files? Why not just buy a cheap USB drive, SD card, use a small partition on your Time Machine drive, or use a SL-DVD if you have some physical media? This sounds like you wanted the slick looking piece of plastic Apple sells over other cheap looking options.
To be fair, it's different.
If you buy the thumb drive, you get the entire OS on the drive. No need to access the Internet in order to install.
If you use the recovery partition, the OS is downloaded from the Internet - which can take a long time if you have a slow connection.
If you use the utility to create your own installation drive (on USB stick, SD card, external partition, etc), you also get a recovery partition which requires internet access.
For some people, the ability to have everything on the local disk and not requiring internet access is a big plus.
one of the macbooks was in for some service at apple and they upgraded it to snow leopard for free.
the other macbook and the imac, still have leopard (they were never upgraded)
so the ? is, if i download Lion on the Snow Leopard machine, and make a boot DVD as mentioned, can I use that to install Lion on the other two macs as well?
To be fair, it's different.
If you buy the thumb drive, you get the entire OS on the drive. No need to access the Internet in order to install.
If you use the recovery partition, the OS is downloaded from the Internet - which can take a long time if you have a slow connection.
If you use the utility to create your own installation drive (on USB stick, SD card, external partition, etc), you also get a recovery partition which requires internet access.
For some people, the ability to have everything on the local disk and not requiring internet access is a big plus.
The options you mentioned do require internet access but, as I previously mentioned in this thread, you can create a full bootable and installable version of Lion from the App Store download just using Disk Utility and any mountable media that has a 4GB partition.
So for organisations that have computers isolated from the internet and who prohibit USB thumb drives for security reasons still don't have a way to upgrade.
Of course Apple needs to engage more with such organisations to get more Macs into them in the first place.
The USB drives are read-only. They're as safe as a CD-ROM would be, just faster and less easy to break. Extremely high security US agencies are allowing their use although they can not be transported into a SCIF without special screening. Similarly, a CD-ROM could be a CD-RW and nobody would know the difference unless such media were specially screened.