In a matter of just one day, over one million users have bought and downloaded Mac OS X Lion, the eighth major release of the world’s most advanced operating system.

Made available through the Mac App Store for $29.99 (US) starting July 21, users are buying Lion faster than any other OS release in the Cupertino company’s history.

“Lion is off to a great start, user reviews and industry reaction have been fantastic,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.

“Lion is a huge step forward, it’s not only packed with innovative features but it’s incredibly easy for users to update their Macs to the best OS we’ve ever made.”

Lion introduces more than 250 new features to the Mac, including Multi-Touch gestures; system-wide support for full screen apps; Mission Control, an innovative view of everything running on your Mac; the Mac App Store, the best place to find and explore great software; Launchpad, a new home for all your apps; and a completely redesigned Mail app.