We knew Mac OS X Mountain Lion was coming to Mac screens soon, and Apple has confirmed quite a few new features coming to Mac’s new operating system in today’s WWDC in San Francisco. These include iPad-inspired apps like Messages, Notes, Reminders and Game Center, not to mention other new software enhancements like Notification Center and AirPlay Mirroring [read more on these features here].
In Apple’s WWDC 2012, the company released some more details about Mountain Lion, as well as a vague release date. Among the new released details is iCloud integration, the automatic cloud sync program that makes sure all of your Apple devices mirror each other. Create a new account, or log in using an existing one and you’ll be able to share information like Notes, Calendar appointments, Messages, Game Center achievements and Reminders automatically between all your devices. Another neat feature is that you can also store documents in the cloud. This means when you edit a Pages, Numbers or Keynote document on your Mac, the changes update in real time across all your devices, so you’ll never be left with an out-of-date copy. The developer SDK has been released to allow developers to integrate these features into their programs.
When I say dictation for Mac, don’t get too excited. This is no Siri, but instead it turns words into text using the built in microphone. It supposedly learns as it goes along, getting used to your individual vocal characteristics. It not only works for native Apple software like Messages and Safari, but also in third-party apps like Microsoft Word.
Power Nap, which is only available in the new Macbook Pros and Air, means that even when your computer is asleep, it still updates and accesses the cloud automatically whilst preserving power. Your system does remains quiet with no lights or fans.
As well as social network integration, coming with the release of Mountain Lion is a new Safari. The top entry field is now used for both search terms and web addresses (like Chrome). This search also works with your Top Hits and bookmarks to provide you with the most relevant query. The new Safari also ‘has the fastest Javascript code of any browser on the planet’, trumping runners up Internet Explorer and Chrome. Safari now supports Cloud Tabs, which allows you to copy across your tabs from other Apple devices which means ‘you can start off right where you left off’. But that’s not all with Safari tabs. Laptop users can now navigate between tabs using intuitive multitouch gestures. Unlike previous releases of Safari, it looks like this new Safari will only be available through buying the new operating system rather than downloading it as a separate free upgrade.
As well as all these goodies, Apple is set out to protect your Mac from virus and malware attacks through Gatekeeper and their Developer ID program. We went in-depth about what these systems hope to achieve and whether it’s really beneficial to the consumer and developer alike.
But thankfully the asking price of Mountain Lion is only $19.99, which is $10 cheaper than Lion, and will be available to purchase through the Mac App Store sometime in July. Want to learn more about how to upgrade when the update hits? Go to Apple’s own upgrade page here.
