OS X Mountain Lion[3] (version 10.8) is the ninth and next major release of OS X, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers. OS X Mountain Lion was announced on February 16, 2012 and is scheduled for release in late summer 2012.[3] It will gain additional features from iOS, some of which were previously introduced to the Mac in OS X Lion.
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| File:10 8 composite.jpeg Screenshot of OS X v10.8 "Mountain Lion" | |
| Developer | Apple Inc. |
|---|---|
| OS family | OS X |
| Source model | Closed source (with open source components) |
| Latest preview | Developer Preview 3 Update 2 10.8 Build 12A206J / May 16, 2012[2] |
| Update method | Mac App Store |
| Platforms | x86-64 |
| Kernel type | Hybrid |
| License | APSL and Apple EULA |
| Preceded by | Mac OS X v10.7 "Lion" |
| Official website | Official website |
| Support status | |
| In development | |
| Articles in the series | |
In contrast to prior versions, Apple consistently refers to OS X Mountain Lion as "OS X" rather than "Mac OS X".[1][3]
History
OS X Mountain Lion was officially announced by Apple Inc. on their website on 16 February 2012 as a successor to Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion". It is still in development and it is available for download as a developer preview version exclusively to Apple Developers with a paid membership.
System requirements
As of Developer Preview 1, Mountain Lion supports most of the same hardware as Lion:
- x86-64 CPU (Macs with an Intel Core 2 Duo, i3, i5, i7, or Xeon processor)[4]
- An EFI64-based system, such as:
- iMac (Late 2007 or newer)
- Mac Mini (Early 2009 or newer)
- Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
- MacBook (Late 2008 or newer)
- Xserve (Early 2009 or newer)
- MacBook Pro (Mid 2007 or newer)
- MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
- At least 8 GB of free hard drive space[5]
- OS X Mountain Lion no longer supports ATI's Mobility Radeon X1600 or Radeon X1900, Intel's GMA 950 or GMA X3100, or NVIDIA's GeForce 7300 graphics processors.[6]
- OS X Mountain Lion now supports AMD's Radeon HD 6000 series of graphics adapters.[citation needed]
New and changed features
- Deeper integration of iCloud, which includes new Open and Save dialog boxes across built-in applications, iWork and third-party applications via an API. Applications that make use of this API support a new user interface to view and manage documents in the cloud that are specific to the application being used.[7]
- Safari has a new omnibar, which is a combination of the address bar and the search field. In addition, the omnibar contains a "Reader" button, which shows the user just the text of the article without advertisements and distraction. When the user is on a website with no article, the button is disabled. [8]
- Automatic synchronization of documents in iWork with iCloud
- Messages – a multi-protocol instant messaging and texting client (replacing iChat); supports the iMessage service. Also available on Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion" as a beta version.[9]
- Reminders – a to-do list application, also on iOS, separated from Calendar[10]
- Notes – previously in iOS and separated from Mail into its own application, with support for desktop notes added[11], replacing Stickies[12]
- Share Sheets – a "Share" button and dialog box in Safari and other applications[13]
- Game Center – borrowed from iOS[14]
- AirPlay Mirroring – remote broadcast of OS X desktop to Apple TV via AirPlay[15]
- Gatekeeper[16] – an anti-malware feature based on digital signatures and the Mac App Store
- Twitter integration[17]
- Notification Center – A desktop version similar to the one introduced in iOS 5. Application pop-ups are now concentrated on the corner of the screen, and the Center itself is pulled from the right side of the screen.[18]
- More Chinese features – has additional features for users in China, including support for Baidu as an option for Safari search engine, QQ, 163.com and 126.com services for Mail, Contacts and Calendar, Youku, Tudou and Sina Weibo are integrated into share sheets.[19]
- Time Machine is able to do rotating backups on more than one storage medium.[20]
Renamed applications
- iCal is renamed "Calendar"[7]
- Address Book is renamed "Contacts"[7]
- iChat has been enhanced and renamed "Messages"[9] (see above)
- Stickies is now Notes. (see above)
Dropped features
- RSS support in Mail and Safari has been removed[21]
- Software Update – has been unified into the Mac App Store[22]
- X11.app – users are directed to the open source XQuartz project instead[23]
References
- ^ a b Patel, Nilay (February 16, 2012). "Apple officially renames Mac OS X to OS X, drops the 'Mac'". The Verge. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
- ^ http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/12/05/16/apple_issues_developers_new_update_to_os_x_108_mountain_lion.html
- ^ a b c "Apple Releases OS X Mountain Lion Developer Preview with Over 100 New Features" (Press release). Apple Inc. February 16, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
- ^ "Mac OS X Lion Roundup: Recovery Partitions, TRIM Support, Core 2 Duo Minimum, Focus on Security". Mac Rumors. February 25, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "OS X Lion – Technical specifications". Apple. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
- ^ OS X Mountain Lion Drops Support for Many 2006-2008 Macs with Integrated Graphics - MacRumors.com
- ^ a b c Gruber, John. "Mountain Lion". Daring Fireball. Retrieved February 16, 2012. Cite error: The named reference "DF-16-02" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Inside OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: Safari 5.2 gets a simplified user interface with new sharing features". AppleInsider. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ a b "OS X Mountain Lion - Inspired by iPad. Made for the Mac". Apple.com. Apple Inc. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ Caldwell, Serenity; Frakes, Dan (February 16, 2012). "Mountain Lion: Hands on with Contacts and Calendar". Macworld. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
- ^ "OS X Mountain Lion - Inspired by iPad. Made for the Mac". Apple.com. Apple Inc. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ Titlow, John Paul. "Apple's Convergence of Desktop and Mobile Continues With Mountain Lion". ReadWriteWeb. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
- ^ "OS X Mountain Lion - Inspired by iPad. Made for the Mac". Apple.com. Apple Inc. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ "OS X Mountain Lion - Inspired by iPad. Made for the Mac". Apple.com. Apple Inc. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ "OS X Mountain Lion - Inspired by iPad. Made for the Mac". Apple.com. Apple Inc. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ Sieger, MG (February 16, 2012). "Surprise! OS X Mountain Lion Roars Into Existence (For Developers Today, Everyone This Summer)". TechCrunch. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
- ^ "OS X Mountain Lion - Inspired by iPad. Made for the Mac". Apple.com. Apple Inc. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
- ^ "OS X Mountain Lion - Inspired by iPad. Made for the Mac". Apple.com. Apple Inc. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ Panzarino, Matthew (February 16, 2012). "Apple courts China with Sina Weibo, Baidu, Youku and more integrated in Mountain Lion". The Next Web. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
- ^ Caldwell, Serenity (February 21, 2012). "Ten exciting system changes in Mountain Lion". Macworld. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
- ^ Frakes, Dan (February 19, 2012). "Mountain Lion: Hands on with Mail". Macworld. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
- ^ Slivka, Eric (February 16, 2012). "Software Update to Move Inside Mac App Store in OS X Mountain Lion". MacRumors. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
- ^ Slivka, Eric (February 17, 2012). "Apple Removes X11 in OS X Mountain Lion, Shifts Support to Open Source XQuartz". MacRumors. Retrieved February 23, 2012.