NEWS ANALYSIS: OS X Mountain Lion, the latest edition of Apple's Macintosh operating system, is now available in Apple's App Store. Here are some things you should know about Mountain Lion if you are thinking about acquiring this upgrade.
Apple's
OS X Mountain Lion is finally available after months of anticipation. Now,
those who have been chomping at the bit to get their hands on the software will
finally be able to do so. And for those who aren't sure, they might be able to
take the software for a spin to find out if it's something they really need.
Judging by reviews of the operating system, however, it appears to be a
platform consumers and enterprise users can get behind.
Determining why it might be a good idea to use Mountain Lion, however, isn't
so easy at first glance. After all, the software has much the same look and
feel as its predecessor, Lion. By all measures, Mountain Lion is an iterative
update, not a major upgrade.
But that's just fine. Mountain Lion is a respectable operating system with a
lot going for it. And it's important that consumers and enterprise users know
the finer points about the operating system before shelling out even the modest
$19.99 fee to buy the upgrade.
Read on to find out what everyone should know about OS X Mountain Lion
before they download it:
1. It's available exclusively in the Mac App Store
Apple has once again followed an all-digital strategy with Mountain Lion,
making it available exclusively through its Mac App Store. In other words, say
goodbye to the physical media. One note: If you buy a new Mac from here on out,
Mountain Lion will, of course, come bundled in the computer.
2. June 11 is the start date for free upgrades
One
of the nice things about Apple's Mountain Lion launch is that customers who
bought Lion or Macs loaded with the earlier Lion operating system on or after
June 11 will be eligible to receive Mountain Lion for free. Everyone before
that, however, will need to pay the $19.99 fee required to download it.
3. Better security
Arguably the best addition to Mountain Lion is an improved security feature
called Gatekeeper. The offering will control what programs can be downloaded
onto the operating system, which, according to Apple, will go a long way in
protecting against malware.
4. Say hello to Notification Center
Apple has made it clear that it wants to integrate iOS-like features into OS
X wherever possible. In doing so, the company has brought Notification Center
to the operating system. Notification Center will alert users to emails,
instant messages and much more. It should come in quite handy.
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