http://www.macnn.com/articles/11/08/16/shipping.delay.at.1.to.3.days/
Lion USB drive reaches Apple online store
updated 09:15 am EDT, Tue August 16, 2011
Shipping delay at 1 to 3 days
Following up on retail availability, Apple has made the USB release of OS X Lion available on its online store. The stick costs $69, as opposed to the normal Mac App Store price of $30, but provides a physical backup and allows a person to install or reinstall Lion without having an Internet connection handy. Shipping times are currently sitting at 1 to 3 business days.
The drive has two key requirements. Aside from an existing Snow Leopard install, an upgrading Mac must have 7GB of disk space free. Apple also warns that if a person wants to reinstall the USB version of Lion, the stick becomes mandatory; the software can't be reinstalled through Lion Recovery, which redownloads the OS if a person bought it through the Mac App Store.
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Joined: Aug 2001
Wait!
People were saying the $70 price tag was for not just Lion ($30), but because you didn't need Snow Leopard ($30). So the $10 was for the USB key, packagaing, etc.
Turns out you need SL, so apparently Apple is charging $40 for packaging.
Yeah, I guess that's one way to convince people that your concept of "everything over the internet" is the better choice.