Apple’s decision to release OS X Lion exclusively through the Mac App Store was bound to cause a few problems, and indeed it has. According to an internal memo sent to Cupertino’s customer support, those unlucky users who’ve hit a snag can now find a savior in the form of a USB drive.

The official price of a drive is $69, but with the proper wink-and-nod it’s possible to obtain one for free, assuming that the leaked memo contains AppleCare’s final thoughts on the subject. Failure of Lion’s built in recovery tools is the key point.  If those don’t manage to solve the issue, tier 2 customer service will be able to issue a free USB drive at a representative’s discretion. In other words – be nice.

Leaked information indicates that the drive won’t contain a full Lion install, but rather a recovery partition. An Internet connection will be required to at least verify the installation’s authenticity, and perhaps download missing pieces.

No one has reported receiving a drive yet, which isn’t surprising given that the leaked memo is dated August 2nd.  The drives will have to be in the hands of customers before the contents can be verified, but this at least offers hope for those struggling with their Lion installation.

Source: 9to5Mac