Apple releases OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: What you need to know
Cue the fanfare. Apple released OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion at long last, after more than a year in development. First announced in February, third-party application developers have spent months preparing for the release.
Despite the release dubbed as a minor upgrade to the older 10.7 "Lion," Apple has included a number of new features to revitalize Mac sales ahead of Microsoft's Windows 8 launch later this year.
With greater iCloud integration, Messages, and social sharing, along with a brand new Notification Center, Apple continues the "iOS-ification" of its desktop operating system to bring it closer in line with its mobile cousins.
Mountain Lion is now available in the Mac App Store for $19.99 in the U.S., £13.99 in the U.K., €15.99 in Europe and AU$20.99 in Australia. Most modern Macs, MacBooks, and Mac minis will be able to download the operating system, and those who bought new Apple hardware in the past month will receive a free upgrade.
Here's a roundup of what you need to know, from ZDNet and sister-site CNET:
Apple's Mountain Lion: Another step toward iOS, Mac feature unification
Larry Dignan: It's not immediately clear what Apple's Mac OS speedy cadence and feature unification with iOS will mean for business users.
Also see: ZDNet: Apple's Q3 disappoints; iPhone shipments light | Apple's Q3 earnings: The numbers to know | Apple's enterprise mojo: Education shines | Apple should worry about Mac sales, not the iPhone or iPad | CNET: A miss: Apple sells 26 million iPhones in third quarter | Apple sells record 17 million iPads in latest quarter
Why I won't be upgrading to Apple's Mountain Lion OS X
Rachel King: As a MacBook Pro owner who upgraded to "Lion" last July, I'm not interested in Mountain Lion. Here's why.
OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: Hands-on walkthrough (photos)
ZDNet: A look-through at what you can expect to see in Apple's next-generation operating system, featuring 35 slides of screenshots, features, and changes to the Mac-based software.
Reporters' Roundtable: Mountain Lion and the evolution of operating systems
CNET: Apple has embarked on an ambitious plan to release a major OS X upgrade every year. What's it mean, and why? And what's missing from Mountain Lion, the upcoming update to the Mac OS?
Apple's WWDC 2012: iOS6, Mountain Lion, and more (photos)
CNET: At WWDC this year, Apple announced updates to its operating systems, iOS6 and Mountain Lion, as well as its new lineup of hardware.
With Mountain Lion, Apple brings iOS and OS X a big step closer
CNET: In addition to bringing many iOS features to the Mac, the latest version of OS X -- Mountain Lion -- further unifies the user experience while adding new security protection.
Mountain Lion release date, Apple OS X updates
CBS News: Rejoice Macheads! Apple's new operating system Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion is almost here.
How to prepare your Mac for Mountain Lion
CNET: Apple's next OS is due out in July, but when it comes time to upgrade will you be prepared?
OS X Mountain Lion unifies software update into Mac App Store
Zack Whittaker: Apple has ditched the traditional 'Software Update' utility in favour of bringing fixes, changes, and updates to the Mac App Store instead.
Mountain Lion gets daily automatic updates
CNET: Apple's enhanced software updating routine has its benefits and drawbacks.
Silent security updates coming to Apple's OS X Mountain Lion
Dancho Danchev: The latest update to the Mountain Lion Developer Preview, includes the OS X Security Update Test 1.0 feature which silently downloads and installs the latest security updates.
Apple's OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion features Twitter, no Facebook
Emil Protalinski: Apple is once again choosing to integrate Twitter into one of its operating systems. Facebook does not get a mention in OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. Does this mean it won't make it into iOS either?
OS X Mountain Lion upgrade to sell in July for $19.99
CNET: OS X users of Lion and Snow Leopard can update to Mountain Lion for $19.99 when the new OS ships in July.
Six reasons why OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion should be a free upgrade
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Ecosystem is only part of the equation.
A Mountain Lion ate my MacBook Air
Jason D. O'Grady: Mountain Lion (developer preview 1) is actually a pretty compelling release, but it's still a developer preview -- meaning it has some nasty bugs -- as I learned this weekend.
Mountain Lion features you might have missed
CNET: Apple had a plan for what it wanted to show off in Mountain Lion when it came out last week, but what about smaller changes and tweaks to the operating system?
Mountain Lion Gatekeeper: A disappointment, rather than a serious security tool
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Gatekeeper is really little more than a tool that restricts what the user can run, rather than a security tool that sorts the wheat from the toxic chaff.
iBooks: One iOS app that's sorely missing from Mountain Lion
Jason D. O'Grady: Anything's possible, of course, but there's cause for concern for anyone waiting for a version of iBooks for OS X.
Apple sold more iOS devices in 2011 than it sold Macs in 28 years
Zack Whittaker: A startling reminder that the world is not on the desk anymore, or on our laps. It's in the palm of our hands, or resting in our pockets ready to be beckoned at our every whim.
Apple's WWDC keynote: A quick recap in pictures (photos)
CNET: Don't have the patience to watch nearly two hours of Apple's keynote from WWDC 2012? CNET's got you covered with the highlights.