Mac Online Treasures
Mac Online Treasures
2012
On February 16, Apple announced the release of a developer preview of the newest version of its operating system, OS X Mountain Lion. The final version for Mac users is expected in late summer 2012. The official announcement to the press is available on Apple’s Web site.
In addition to the press release, Apple also has a sneak peek available on its site. There is a preview video demonstrating the most visible new features, notably the ones that bring OS X and iOS closer together, and a more detailed text version with illustrations. The Messages app from iOS will arrive on the Mac in Mountain Lion, but for those users who would like to try it now, there is a link to a beta version of the application that allows unlimited iMessages to be sent among iPhones, iPads, iPod Touches, and now, Macs. There is also a link to the Developer Preview for developers who have not downloaded it yet.
http://www.apple.com/macosx/mountain-lion
John Gruber, author of the Daring Fireball blog, was invited to a private product briefing on Mountain Lion conducted by Apple before the official announcement. He described his experience and offered his take on Mountain Lion from an Apple-supplied MacBook Air that was loaned to him by Apple. In his post, I encountered a term that I have never heard before--cruft. For those who, like me, are unfamiliar with the word, he offers an explanation as it applies to the evolution of OS X.
http://daringfireball.net/2012/02/mountain_lion
I enjoy the speculation about upcoming products on the Mac-related rumor sites so I regularly follow the postings on Apple Insider and MacRumors, both of which cover rumors and Mac-related news. These sites are also quick to provide features on new products and have been exploring the developer preview of Mountain Lion. Apple Insider has features on the enhanced printing and scanning features of the new OS as well as a First Look at the Messages beta for Mac. Other postings discuss new file handling and iCloud features, Gatekeeper, and Game Center.
MacRumors also has a number of postings about Mountain Lion including a video walkthrough of AirPlay from InsanelyGreat Mac and another video demonstrating 30 features of the new OS from CultofMac. MacRumors also has a posting entitled, Roundup of OS X 10.8 Features and Notes which has the Preview video from Apple and links to other coverage of Mountain Lion on MacRumors. Additionally, a forum for discussion has been opened.
Mac users that either listen to or watch the TWiT broadcast of MacBreak Weekly should know that Episode 287, entitled It’s Tunic Time, discusses the assembled group’s first impressions of Mountain Lion. The discussion is sure to continue in future broadcasts.
http://twit.tv/show/macbreak-weekly/287
As expected, Macworld is providing continuing coverage of Mountain Lion with postings in the Operating Systems section of the site. There are introductory pieces as well as numerous “hands on” reviews of the various new features.
http://www.macworld.com/article/165417/2012/02/apple_readies_mac_os_x_mountain_lion_update.html
There are also opinion pieces including, Is Mountain Lion: A big cat for business? that was excerpted from Computerworld.
http://www.macworld.com/article/165471/2012/02/os_x_mountain_lion_a_big_cat_for_business.html
Another opinion piece is Lex Friedman’s Siri: the Missing Lion feature In which the author argues for the inclusion of Siri on the Mac and describes how it might work.
http://www.macworld.com/article/165449/2012/02/siri_the_missing_mountain_lion_feature.html
The weekly Macworld podcast that was broadcast on February 16 was devoted to the announcement of Mountain Lion. Entitled Mountain Lion is on the way, the podcast featured a discussion of the upcoming OS release by host Christopher Breen and Macworld’s Jason Snell who had been give the opportunity for some hands on experience with the developer preview.
http://www.macworld.com/article/165404/2012/02/os_x_mountain_lion_is_on_the_way.html
It is always interesting to read coverage of Mac-related products on sites that are not solely devoted to covering Apple. PCMag.com has posted several articles on Mountain Lion. The article entitled 10 Things You Need to Know About Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, provides a brief description of the most visible changes to the OS.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2400366,00.asp
A more in-depth discussion of the OS can be found in the article entitled Apple OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion Preview.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2400311,00.asp
The author’s conclusion is expressed in a statement labeled as the Bottom Line in which he states, “OS X Lion is already the best consumer OS by far. When Mountain Lion ships, it will only increase Apple’s lead. Anyone who uses a computer for both pleasure and work won’t want to use anything else.” That is quite an endorsement from a PC-related publication.
Certainly this is not all the coverage of Mountain Lion and there will definitely be more to come in the lead-up to the release of the new OS X. There will probably be a lively debate over the wisdom of bringing the Mac OS closer to iOS but I’m already looking forward to the release of Mountain Lion.
The Mountain Lion Approaches, by Janet Balas
March 1, 2012