Several sources are stating that Apple should likely be releasing the OS X Mountain Lion upgrade on July 25, after the company's earnings report call on July 24 for the 2Q of 2012.
The statements follow Apple's move from a year ago when the Cupertino company released Mountain Lion's predecessor, Lion, the day after the 2Q 2012 earnings report.
With Mountain Lion just weeks away from being available, a vast Mac followers are starting to feel the excitement.
The operating system was announced back in February and has since been one of the more anticipated Apple products, second only to the iPhone 5. But what is the big deal? What does OS X Mountain Lion offer that has Apple fans so excited? Here is a look at some of the major features of Mountain Lion.
Dictation
For the first time, Apple will offer dictation with its operating system; technology that may perhaps revolutionize computing forever. The feature enables a user to double-tap a button and then start to talk while the computer fills in the words. It essentially enables users some rest from countless hours of typing. According to Gizmodo, the feature will even adapt to the user's voice over time, making it more accurate.
The feature could essentially help people get rid of the keyboard; something that Apple has been quietly doing with its iPhone and iPad devices. In fact in its list of new Mountain Lion features, Apple states that "Talking is the new typing."
Airplay Monitoring
At E3 this year, Microsoft brought up its Smart Glass feature for its game console in which the Xbox 360 could connect with other devices such as tablets and phones to enhance their gaming experience. Apple will employ the same concept with AirPlay Monitoring in which users can stream anything from their Mac's screen to an Apple TV-connected television. This essentially gets rid of the necessity for mini-DVI to DVI cables or VGA, or HDMI cables. It is the next step toward ridding the living room of cables.
Gatekeeper
Gatekeeper will offer more control over which sources apps can be installed from and hence provide greater protection from malware. The move has been labeled as controversial and seen by many as Apple attempting to monopolize and control application developers, but the update will have an option to enable users to continue downloading apps from any source, regardless of whether they have a special certificate given to registered OS X developers.
Safari 6.0
Mountain Lion users will get a new version of Safari that that includes a new "share" button that enables users to tweet, email, or message web pages. The new search engine also allows users to view saved passwords, a new "do not track" privacy option, and the option to rename bookmark bar items. iCloud integration will enable users to browse where they left off when switching from a Mac to an iOS device such as the iPad.
iCloud
Finally, iCloud will have substantial changes in the latest OS. The most notable is the iCloud Document Library, a new means of accessing documents across both Mac and iOS devices. As is the case with dictation and keyboards and AirPlay Monitor and cables, this new option will continue Apple's move to get rid of physical hard drives. Comparisons to Drop Box and Google Drive are not out of context.
According to Techland, Apple has stated that the new OS will have over 200 features. Sources indicate that Mountain Lion could be available either July 24 or 25 and will be about $20 at the Apple App Store.
Any user who purchased a Mac on June 11 or after will be able to obtain Mountain Lion for Free.
Here are the upgrade steps from Apple's website:
Step 1:
Your Mac must be one of the following models:
- iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
- MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or 2009 or newer)
- MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
- MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
- Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
- Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
- Xserve (Early 2009)
If you are running Lion, you can find out if your current Mac qualifies by clicking the Apple icon at the top left of your screen, choosing About This Mac, then clicking More Info.
Step 2:
While you have the About This Mac window open, check what version of OS X your Mac is running.
If you are running Lion (10.7.x), you're ready to update to Mountain Lion. Go to Step 3. If you are running Snow Leopard (10.6.x), update to the latest version of OS X Snow Leopard before you purchase OS X Mountain Lion from the Mac App Store. Click the Apple icon and choose Software Update to install Snow Leopard v10.6.8, the latest version.
Step 3:
Open the Mac App Store from your Dock to buy and download Mountain Lion. Then follow the onscreen instructions to install it. If you don't have broadband access, you can visit any Apple Retail Store to get help with downloading.
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