Apple OS X Mountain Lion Released, Available For $19.99 On Mac App Store

Apple has finally released the latest version of OS X operating system, OS X 10.8 dubbed as Mountain Lion, after a year of development. Apple OS X Mountain Lion is available for purchase at $19.99 from the Mac App Store.

The 4.05GB update is reasonable priced and comes with many feature improvements like a new Notification Center, Messages app, better social sharing options, Game Center, Dictation, and Power Nap.

What’s New In OS X Mountain Lion?

At first glance, Mountain Lion may not look much different from its predecessor OS X Lion. However, everything changes as you dig deeper. OS X Lion did tried to integrate some features of iOS but it failed and the result was not that good. With Mountain Lion, Apple has worked hard to tie-up the operating system with other Apple products, which are available on iOS devices.

In fact, Mountain Lion focuses heavily on iCloud and its integration with other iOS devices. Now, if you start working on a document on your Mac, it will be automatically available on your iOS device like your iPhone or your iPad.

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Forget about iChat, the new Messages app simply redefines the way you used to chat. Messages will let you start a chat on your Mac and pick up where you were on your iPhone or your iPad.

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Apple has not stopped here, if you look at the next two features, Notes and Reminders, they also sync instantly with your iOS devices. So the next time you add a new Note or add a new Reminder on your Mac, it will automatically show up on your iPhone or iPad.

Another great new feature Apple has made available in Mountain Lion is the Notification Center. If you receive a new Mail, Calendar invitation, or any other alert, the new Notification Center of Mountain Lion displays an alert in the top-right corner of your Mac. If you click on it, it will display an overview of your activity.

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The social sharing feature has been revamped in Mountain Lion. Now, you can quickly share photos, videos, and other files via Mail, Messages, AirDrop, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and Vimeo. At the time of launch, Apple has made Twitter integrated with Mountain Lion, Facebook integration is likely to be added via an update later.

AirPlay Mirroring is another great feature which lets you turn your Apple TV into a gaming console. With AirPlay you can have Apple TV wirelessly deliver high-definition audio and video to your HDTV.

Other notable features include: a new Game Center, Dictation, and Power Nap. Power Nap feature is worth mentioning since it will keep you Mac updated even when it’s in sleep mode.

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Apple has taken some steps to strengthen the security of your Mac, a new feature called Gatekeeper will help you avoid installing malware on your Mac. With Gatekeeper, you can opt to download apps only from the Mac App Store, or from the Mac App Store and Apple identified developers, or apps from anywhere (which basically is the least secure option).

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Apple OS X Mountain Lion System Requirements

General Requirements

  • OS X v10.6.8 or later
  • 2GB of memory
  • 8GB of available space

Supported Models

  • iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
  • MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
  • Xserve (Early 2009)
  • MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
  • Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)

If you are running OS X 10.6.6 or higher, you can can download OS 10.8 for $19.99 and upgrade your Mac to the latest Apple OS. If you have purchased a Mac between June 11, 2012, and July 25, 2012, you can upgrade to Mountain Lion for free. You must avail this offer before August 24, 2012. If you have purchased a qualifying Mac on or after July 26, 2012, that does not include OS X Mountain Lion can upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion for free.

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