Apple Releases First Developer Preview of OS X Mountain Lion, Public Launch in Late Summer

[ovrlrd]

I would rather them really polish Lion than to release some "new" OS.

What? Who says we can't have both. I have a feeling that most (if not all) of the fixes in Mountain Lion will make it into Lion. After all they aren't that much different.

The main reason Apple is doing it this way is because they have the App Store, so they actually can release a bunch of stuff that has been in the oven as a OS update.

I expect it to retail for like $15 too. So far this update is not even as big of a jump as Snow Leopard was to Leopard.

 

[adder7712]

Totally didn't expect this. Guess Apple finally realised that Lion did not impress some.

Well, I'll probably have a new Mac by then and won't upgrade this one (late-2008 MacBook Unibody).

On a side note, when Mountain Lion releases, Apple will drop support for Snow Leopard, correct?

 

[chrono1081]

You change the Gatekeeper settings to allow them.

You can also right click and run the app according to what I read, that way you don't need to disable gatekeeper.

 

[Liquinn]

You change the Gatekeeper settings to allow them.

What do you mean?

 

[BeamWalker]

I want Siri for mac. That'll be awesome.

 

[nfl46]

Wow, that was very unexpected and QUICK.

NICEEEEEEE @ iMessage on the computer! Now, I can text from my computer! Woot!

 

[5aga]

I want Siri for mac. That'll be awesome.

I'm surprised its not in there but it could be baked into the final release

 

[spacedcadet]

fixes

Really hope they fix the abysmal wi-fi implementation and resurrect the "save as" function. Sort Mail out. Improve the UI graphics, the calendar app for a start is FUGLY.


Unfortunately I expect it will get worse.

http://www.macstories.net/stories/the-ios-ification-of-apples-ecosystem/

 

[farleysmaster]

Notable new features:
http://www.apple.com/macosx/mountain-lion/features.html

"All-new features for China"

and there's a child called "Spazbert" on Game Center (slightly politically incorrect?)

 

[basesloaded190]

This is more of what I am looking for! Skipped Lion to wait it out a little while, but now I will for sure wait until summer for 10.8

 

[expertmonk]

Airplay mirroring is huge! Sounds like it will be a fantastic update.

 

[D.T.]

So this Gatekeeper thing is the first step towards a walled garden OS X, where only certified devs will be able to distribute their stuff?

T.

I think it’s great as long as the option to install without any OS level control is in place. I really like the “middle” option, i.e., certified developer but not the full scrutiny required to post in the App Store (so if there’s a conflict with the content for example, it’ll still be signed and better than just apps in the wild).

What happens if you need non-mac app store programs?

[/QUOTE]

?

I’m a little confused by your wording, it sounds like "non-Mac” apps, er, but I’m assuming you mean apps totally outside of the app store: simple, settings 2 or 3, which allow for 2) Only signed apps, or 3) any apps from anyway.

 

[chrono1081]

I'm personally hoping for newer OpenGL implementation

 

[Frosticus]

http://www.apple.com/macosx/mountain-lion/security.html

looks like it allows you to choose... kind of weird honestly. Theyre slowly ushering us into the Mac App Store.

from Daring Fireball:

Users have three choices which type of apps can run on Mountain Lion:

Only those from the App Store
Only those from the App Store or which are signed by a developer ID
Any app, whether signed or unsigned

The default for this setting is, I say, exactly right: the one in the middle, disallowing only unsigned apps. This default setting benefits users by increasing practical security, and also benefits developers, preserving the freedom to ship whatever software they want for the Mac, with no approval process.

 

[KnightWRX]

- iCloud : Don't give a crap
- Message : nice addition, being able to message my GF and friends from iOS to Mac, back and forth is a pretty cool feature, something that should have been released along with iOS 5 and iMessage's original release actually.
- Reminders : Don't need it.
- Notes : Uh... we already have notes...
- Notification Center : Goodbye Growl, which is a good thing since they went "paid for or build the source yourself". And let's face it, Growl was lacking quite a bit of features. Let's hope developer take up of Notification Center is good.
- Share Sheets : Ugh... See below.
- Twitter : ugh... Can't they make a "Social Media integration" framework and let us pick and choose what clients to install on our systems ? I don't want any integration to social media stuff, I shouldn't have to have it thrown in my face.
- Game Center : Sharing accounts for game stats is a nice touch, Steam on iOS would be even better though (instead of OpenFeint and Game Center... but can't force developers to really choose).
- AirPlay mirroring : wireless TV output is not something I would use, but it's a cool feature for those that want it. Greatly simplifies connections.
- Gatekeeper : Ugh... If it's set by default to only allow Mac App Store, I will hate it. If by default it's set to allow from any source and stays that way, letting users opt-in (rather than requiring opt-out), then I guess it's a great hardening feature for those that want it.

---------------

Overall, for such a short wait, it'll be a "decent" update, if not for Gatekeeper which is quite scary. I'll be following that one closely.

 

[zarusoba]

Ah. Well I shall skip Lion entirely, and go directly from the Snow to the Mountains...

Or... Windows 8?

 

[acidfast7]

Sigh. More iOS nonsense in OS X.

I agree. I don't want an iPhone/iPad/iPod as a workstation. How about keeping a version of OSX at least semi-professional.

 

[powers74]

http://daringfireball.net/2012/02/mountain_lion

according to Gruber:

"And then the reveal: Mac OS X — sorry, OS X — is going on an iOS-esque one-major-update-per-year development schedule. This year’s update is scheduled for release in the summer, and is ready now for a developer preview release. Its name is Mountain Lion."

interesting....

Wow. Schiller. Like a BOSS.

Negs? That's hilarious. I'll go ahead and give myself one too just for the hell of it! lol

 

[Lennholm]

Something called Gatekeeper, and promoting it as a security feature. And all this time I've been told countless times that it's impossible for Macs to get viruses.
This is nothing more than a sneaky way to push the App Store. They know the average user wont even find the setting to disable this and then in iOS X 10.9 Cougar, you can't disable it.

This isn't suggesting OS X is going to get a yearly overhaul, this looks more like a "service pack" just like Windows 7 was a service pack for Vista

 

[Frosticus]

As mentioned in my post above, default setting for Gatekeeper is:

Allow applications downloaded from Mac App Store and identified developers. (i.e. those in the Developer ID program)
http://www.apple.com/macosx/mountain-lion/security.html

 

[basesloaded190]

I do hope that they allow us Snow Leopard users to jump right to 10.8 without having to have Lion installed.

 

[ScottishDuck]

Wow. Lion isn't even stable yet.

Let's guess, if I want to solve the problem of Lion not working I need to buy this.

 

[MattG]

Native AirPlay!

FINALLY. This should have been a no-brainer from the start.

 

[MagnumOP]

I think many of you are missing the point about Gatekeeper. It does not prevent you from installing apps. It prompts you the first time a downloaded app is opened. Changing those settings only changes the apps that cause the notification to appear. You will still be able to install any app you want, you will only need to provide verification for apps that fall outside your set preferences.

 

[KnightWRX]

i agree.

Less customization, less features,

Uh ? I don't quite see where the preview indicates they are removing customization and features. In fact, I see more customization to do and features to benefit from.