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Topic: Operating Systems

Apple's 'Mountain Lion': Another step toward iOS, Mac feature unification

Summary: It's not immediately clear what Apple's Mac OS speedy cadence and feature unification with iOS will mean for business users

Larry Dignan

By for Between the Lines |

Apple detailed its 'Mountain Lion' next-gen release for the Mac OS and its another step toward incorporating iOS features found on the iPad and iPhone. The march toward unification seems inevitable.

CNET's Josh Lowenshon has the details as do a few others. Word that Apple prebriefed a bunch of people started circulating in developer circles on Wednesday. Apple insiders were in lockdown.

Screenshot credit: CNET

Among the key details via Lowenshon and Apple's statement:

  • Mountain Lion is the next step in an evolution to pairing the iPad and MacBook.
  • There are 10 features that are being highlighted wth iMessage, Reminders and Notes being key. iChat is booted for Messages.
  • Built in Twitter integration and hooks to Apple TV are included.
  • There are 100 new features total.
  • What's missing is Siri from Mountain Lion and that seems like an odd omission given talk about voice recognition on Apple televisions in the future. Why not include Siri on the Mac?

Overall, it sounds like there's a lot to like in Mountain Lion. Apple appears to be on a once-a-year cadence for its Mac OS releases and that means iOS unification is coming to Apple laptops in a scheduled way. Give it 24 months and Apple will have its two OSes hooked up conceptually. As John Gruber noted, features between the iPad and Mac may hook up, but the code is likely to remain different.

It's not immediately clear what Apple's Mac OS cadence will mean for business users. Enterprises already have difficulty adjusting to Micrsosoft's roughly three-year OS cadence. However, unifying the Mac and iOS will make it easier to secure Apple products in businesses.

ZDNet:

 

CNET:

 

Topics: Operating Systems, Apple, Hardware, Mobile OS, Software

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72 comments
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  • RE: Apple's 'Mountain Lion': Another step toward iOS, Mac feature unification

    I'm looking forward to the articles of Mountain Lion being DOA and who the top 5 enemies are for it.
    Loverock Davidson-
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Apple's 'Mountain Lion': Another step toward iOS, Mac feature unification

      @Loverock Davidson- <br><br>Actually, we'll have to read about why it will fail, why it won't fail, and why it will or won't fail. Then more articles about the "why it will fail" crowd is wrong, then about the "why it won't fail" crowd is wrong, and then a recap.<br><br>Windows 8 will do just fine, as will Mountain Lion. I just wish Microsoft would use win8 to dump the legacy support. Let win7 be the last legacy OS, and move forward.
      msalzberg
      Reply 1 Vote

      • The enterprise is dependent the keyboard/mouse paradigm ...

        @msalzberg ... for content creation and software development. This won't change as long as there is a need for the printed word. The Windows NT 6.x kernel did break away from legacy programs in a big way (which is why Vista broke so many Windows XP applications). Windows 8 is merely marrying the legacy desktop UI with the tablet UI which is becoming so popular with consumers.

        If done right, this effort will result in new applications which will accept either UI and therefore serve both consumers and enterprise customers equally well.

        Apple's attempt to tie Mac OS X with iOS is intended to accomplish the same thing - but at a more lucrative price-point.
        M Wagner
        Reply Vote

      • true, and ...

        @msalzberg
        the mountain lion vs. windows 8 posts are inevitable and most of the zdnet writers will get the fundamentals wrong.

        as this one here:
        "The march toward unification seems inevitable." no, of course not.

        as gruber explains in his mountain lion post:
        "Mountain Lion is evolving in the direction of the iPad. But, just as with Lion last year, it???s about sharing ideas and concepts with iOS, not sharing the exact same interaction design or code. The words ???Windows??? and ???Microsoft??? are never mentioned, but the insinuation is clear: Apple sees a fundamental difference between software for the keyboard-and-mouse-pointer Mac and that for the touchscreen iPad. Mountain Lion is not a step towards a single OS that powers both the Mac and iPad, but rather another in a series of steps toward defining a set of shared concepts, styles, and principles between two fundamentally distinct OSes."
        bannedfromzdnetagainandagain
        Reply Vote

    • If Mountain Lion replaced the OS X desktop

      With launchpad by default you would have a point to make. But since they didn't, you're just being clueless.
      baggins_z
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Apple's 'Mountain Lion': Another step toward iOS, Mac feature unification

        @baggins_z Does your magic crystal ball tell you what Microsoft is going to do as a default screen on desktops? Because to my knowledge, they haven't even addressed that yet.

        Could I borrow your magical device, because I think the PowerBall is hitting big numbers.
        thoiness
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Apple's 'Mountain Lion': Another step toward iOS, Mac feature unification

        @baggins_z
        Yep! You are right. But, watch the spin (ripe with hipocracy) trying to convince us that this is different. This is the same as Win 8, with Apple tagging alone for the ride!!!
        eargasm
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Apple's 'Mountain Lion': Another step toward iOS, Mac feature unification

      @Loverock Davidson-

      It's doesn't have to be DOA...it's already DAD (DEAD AT DESIGN)! Apple in the business is a joke! Now let's talk about a true effort to unite eco-systems....THE MICROSOFT EFFORT!
      Rob.sharp
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Apple's 'Mountain Lion': Another step toward iOS, Mac feature unification

        @rob.sharp@...
        Yuck! Gag!
        rpollard@...
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Apple's 'Mountain Lion': Another step toward iOS, Mac feature unification

        @rob.sharp@... "eco-systems"? From what I can see, MS only has one: Windows Desktop/Server. Windows for the phone/tablet is practically non-existent -- one can hardly consider that an "eco-system". (Heck, MS reportedly makes more money off Android phones than its own! Now, THAT's an eco-system -- money for nothing!)
        jscott69
        Reply Vote

  • RE: Apple's 'Mountain Lion': Another step toward iOS, Mac feature unification

    Isn't that what Microsoft *is* doing? Win8 needs to support regular apps for Intel (making a dependency on rewriting all apps would be market suicide). But MS seems to be moving much faster than Apple, mainly because they're playing catch up in the mobile space.
    joeyw72
    Reply Vote

    • It is more likely that Microsoft is putting Intel "on notice" that ...

      @joeyw72 ... MS need no longer be dependent upon the x86/x64 architecture. If Windows 8 on ARM proves to be as feature-rich as it is on Intel (still a big IF in my mind), This could change the personal computing landscape in a big way.
      M Wagner
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Apple's 'Mountain Lion': Another step toward iOS, Mac feature unification

        @mwagner@...

        Why would that be, exactly?
        .DeusExMachina.
        Reply Vote

    • As noted above

      @joeyw72 It may be that Apple is not doing it at all. Taking good ideas from iOS and putting them in OS X is not the same thing as making the bet that the future desktop computer form factor is sort of a giant touch flatscreen. (which more or less is Sinofsky's bet with Windows 8.)
      Mac_PC_FenceSitter
      Reply 1 Vote

      • RE: Apple's 'Mountain Lion': Another step toward iOS, Mac feature unification

        @rbethell Well said.
        4justincase
        Reply Vote

  • Doh.. Steve's only been gone a short while and they already screw up..

    A Mountain Lion and a Puma are the same thing.. and they already used that cat already...
    theFunkDoctorSpoc
    Reply 1 Vote

    • RE: Apple's 'Mountain Lion': Another step toward iOS, Mac feature unification

      @theFunkDoctorSpoc

      Technically, yes. But they are different names. Grin.
      kenosha77a
      Reply Vote

    • Yes, well...

      @theFunkDoctorSpoc

      " and they already used that cat already..." ...you "already" used "already" already...what's your point?
      ReadWryt (error)
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Apple's 'Mountain Lion': Another step toward iOS, Mac feature unification

        @ReadWryt (error)
        Means that, as there is no sense/logic/rule in using "already" twice in the above mentioned sentence, the use of a synonym of that "cat" also does not carry any logic.... But it is just the way it is... Businesses make their own decision. Although there have been convention of naming a product (here OS) on the basis of some arbitrarily derived rules/logic, as long as marketing department can make it a household name, it is fine....
        ashwinipn
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Apple's 'Mountain Lion': Another step toward iOS, Mac feature unification

        @ReadWryt (error)
        His point is they have now started copying themselves, now!!!
        eargasm
        Reply Vote
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