Apple's Mac OS X 10.7 Available on Flash Drive for $69

You can now purchase Apple's Mac OS X 10.7, aka Lion, on a flash drive for $69 – and, yes, it's the exact same operating system that's available at the online Mac Store for $29.99.

The USB thumb drive is available through Apple's online store, where Apple explains that the $69 lets you install the company's new OS without a broadband connection. That's a $40 convenience free.

Apple doesn't note the size of the flash drive upon which Lion resides, but the Mac App Store download weighs in at 3.49GB, so we're betting that their slim, oh-so-sexy, Apple-branded thumb drive is a 4GB model.

Do note that you can pick up a 4GB Kingston DataTraveler 101 Gen 2 for $7.99 at Amazon (£4.26 in the UK).

If you don't feel like shelling out seventy bucks for the privilege of owning your own Lion-installation flash drive, Lifehacker has a handy tutorial on how to make your own – or an installation DVD, for that matter. We haven't needed to give their method a try, and we don't vouch for its legality, but you're mature enough to make your own decisions, right?