Roundup of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion Features and Notes

[MacAddict1978]

Airplay Mirroring got useless the moment i found out that its blocking video content to be streamed, all u get is a black screen ... there goes my hope for hulu etc. but i should have known that

iMessage doesnt work, it wont recognize any of my contacts as iMessage users and my Messages end up on the iPad instead as well. however its beta sooo

The joy of the mac over IOS is that it's so much easier for a third party hack to come down the pike to fix that issue. Not that there aren't some for IOS, but you don't have to Jailbreak the mac to do it.

I just want to view HBO Go on my television! Comcast blocks the roku box I discovered, and I doubt Apple will release HBO Go on the Apple TV any time in this life.

 

[bushido]

Well, I've been selected for the Customer Seed (2nd time now!). Airplay mirroring video (with sound) is something that I want bigtime. Since this is the first build, I am sure that if it doesn't fully work now, it will. I don't see the need for Apple to "block" streaming video. With that said, it may require a firmware update on the Apple TV side to fully take advantage of this.

We shall see...

i dont think it will be supported tbh, they just dont have the rights or im sure there will be a way for certain sites like hulu to figure something out if u try to stream their content to a tv and block it on their end

 

[ChrisTX]

Not a huge fan of the complete iOS feel of OSX now, but overall I don't mind Lion. However I don't really use the gestures much, the other updates seem ok but nothing blow away. However if the update is only $30 like Lion, count me in!

 

[Peace]

At the end they showed a computer from the iMac line, the MackBook line and the Air line, yet, no Mac Pro.

And BTW, no Mac Pro in the video either..... are they telling us something???

Bests,

Adrian

Mac Pro's dont have screens.

Don't over think it.

 

[corywoolf]

Goodbye Growl...

 

[tjxism]

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Before making OS X more and more alike iOS, I think apple should fix some serious bugs in Lion. For example, the lack of full screen with dual/multiple monitors, the unnatural horizontal scroll in 'natural scroll' mode, etc.

Seriously I NEVER used dashboard even I switched to Mac after had used an iPhone. I just find it bothering and uncomfortable on a laptop or desktop computer. Believe me coating OS X like iOS is not that appealing to new users.

Intergrating IM and share function seems attractive, but it does not look like a major OS update, especially if I have to pay for it.

 

[bdodds1985]

google images has the default mountain lion background at 3200x1200. and there are multiple ones at the same size.

 

[David085]

Can't wait to upgrade to Mountain Lion I love the new features they doing adding iPad and iPhone features to ML <3

 

[DisturbedLen]

i dont think it will be supported tbh, they just dont have the rights or im sure there will be a way for certain sites like hulu to figure something out if u try to stream their content to a tv and block it on their end

Perhaps. Well, I just accepted the Software Seed, so I am waiting for my email so I can download Mountain Lion and find out! It does say in the video that it supports video. I would also be very happy if I could send my DVDs from my Mac to my Apple TV.

 

[Diodorus]

I don't really understand this comment.

I consider myself a professional as well, and OSX Lion does a fine job for me. Will I use Game Center? Probably not, but that doesn't mean there isn't a reason for it to be there. Just because it's not "professional"? Not a valid complaint. People have been using Macs as home computers and for games for the last 28 years. Why shouldn't it continue?

Did Apple say they were taking away your "keys and screen"? I didn't hear that? In fact, I heard stuff that will help me daily. I won't have to reach for my iPhone when an iMessage or FaceTime comes in. I can tear off Notes and stick them to the screen (like Stickies, I presume). I can manage my iPhone's To Do list from my Mac (moreso than iCal permits presently...). Easily pass (and keep sync'd) Keynote documents from my Mac to my iPad via iCloud without having to use DropBox, email or iTunes? Yes, please!

I use Macs, an iPad 2 and an iPhone DAILY (see my specs in the sig below). I see this as nothing but positive. And it doesn't appear to diminish my "professional" usage at all.

Do I use Launchpad on my Mac? No. Am I forced to? No. But it doesn't bother me that it's there. My wife likes it very much.

I see nothing wrong with bringing good iOS features to the Mac.

...and when it comes to Thunderbolt, this is hardly Apple's fault. Third party vendors have been slow to adopt. Meanwhile, Apple's Thunderbolt display has some great features (gigabit Ethernet, FireWire) for the MacBook Air. And Apple supports target-disk mode from Mac to Mac over Thunderbolt. I was able to resurrect a corrupted boot partition on a new Mac mini via Thunderbolt from my MacBook Air. 5 stars in my book. I would like more (much more) third-party support, but I'm not sure I can blame Apple for it.

Well, what sort of a professional are you? I admit this Mountain Lion looks great for secretaries, real-estate agents, AmWay poolers, etc.

I can never remember (before the advent of Lion - Cub would have been more appropriate...) Apple touting 'new features' for its 'new' operating system, that targeted teenagers and the fashion-conscious ("look what my computer can do...). I have been with Apple (with a few PCs on the side on-and-off) since 1988, because I used it professionally. When PCers were dangling their endless lists of pirated software and games in front of me, did I give a tOS?

I don't know how happy people are with the new Final Cut Pro and Lion, but I am a musician and Apple has terrified me recently by un-boxing Logic 9 (yes, I'd rather have the DVDs and the 2000 pages manuals in book-form, instead of having to download endless GBs and then having to back them up as well) AND making it impossible to use the previous version with the new OS. And generally, I don't see any effort in accommodating the loyal professionals (as they do those who discovered Apple only 5 years ago through iPod or iPhone), unless they work in a cubicle somewhere (great and powerful computers those people need...). Forget it Apple. Microsoft will always be king there, and not everyone uses their computers for Internet surfing, music downloading, and Facebook, exclusively. But I suppose you think that's where the big bucks are waiting for you? Maybe for the time being. You were always expensive, but until now worth the price. The clientele you are targeting now will soon find much cheaper imitators.

 

[DudeDad]

P.S. Why am I a newbie even though i joined in 2003?

It's based on number of posts, I believe, not length of membership....

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I wonder if they will take the special effects from iChat and add them to FaceTime...it would be a shame to lose them....

 

[elliethebug]

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Does AirPlay Mac content to appleTV mean that we'll be able to
mirror Hulu and PBS? That would be SOOOOO sweet!

 

[Lesser Evets]

It all looks good and convenient. For total productivity it seems almost fatuous. For fun-n-games it looks awesome. I love the AirPlayMirroring function, but what's the resolution? Can ATV do 1080 with mirroring? They probably need to up the wifi signal speed in the device... hope they do a revision of atv before 10.8 hits.

It's a nice OS. But will it be stable in the first few months of release? Doubt it.

 

[oklaonion]

Game Center and airplay mirroring...two features I've desired for a long time. Looking forward to it.

 

[marconiusrex]

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Damn! I was hoping for Sabre Toothed Tiger.....maybe OS X 10.9! ;-0

 

[jingjianasdfq63]

They haven't mentioned a single feature related to pro users. Nothing. It's all about being a consumer, consuming video and sharing your unemployment stories with your friends.

 

[marconiusrex]

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Damn! I was hoping for Sabre Toothed Tiger.....maybe OS X 10.9! ;-0

 

[Zeov]

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And we need game center on our Macs why?

are you stupid or just mentally challenged?

 

[Stella]

Well, iOS apps are for ARM processors, not Intel. I tried for a long time to get them to run on the iPhone Simulator that comes with XCode. You can only run the "testing" versions that are meant to run on the Mac.

Correct.. but they can be run in a simulator that is transparent to the user, and can access the host's data ( i.e., address book ) as appropriate.

 

[muguam]

what about iBookstore?

When is iBookstore going to be available to use on a Mac, so that we can view books?

So far, I think it is only available in iOS devices. unless I am mistaken.

 

[jarroyo1031]

I think/believe the "unusual media event" was partially considering the public awareness and comments about Steve's post life birthday, hence the announce date 3-7-12 of the iPad 3, as well as the need to "control speculation" about Mountain Lion OS X 10.8. The most recent Lion release had quite a bit of speculation and uninformed chat that impacted its otherwise unspectacular consumer approval. Yes it was widely adopted.

Apple is virtually guaranteed this release will be widely adopted. They need that adoption to be successful and well received. I think the approach to appeal to the connected media first, is comparable to the media support President Barak Obama receives on his policies, whether or not you agree with them.

Rocketman


I am firmly in the Obama is a train wreck camp. Dollar weakness from deficit spending AND excessive monetary creation, has doubled ALL prices including food and fuel. What we need for better buying power is -2% inflation not + 2% inflation. Tell Obama and Bernanke via your congresscritters. IrvineEconomics.com. That's for government agencies to act on. http://mises.org/Services/MediaEmbed.aspx?MediaId=6436

Your argument about Obama economic policy is incredibly oversimplified and as a result, inaccurate. That being said, I'm looking forward to airplay mirroring. The other features are nice, but I won't be using them much.

 

[faroZ06]

They haven't mentioned a single feature related to pro users. Nothing. It's all about being a consumer, consuming video and sharing your unemployment stories with your friends.

Calm down, they never announce the features related to pro users. Who wants to hear about a better Activity Monitor in the newest OS?

The updates pro users look for are in Final Cut and Aperture, not Mac OS.

 

[jackrv]

They haven't mentioned a single feature related to pro users. Nothing. It's all about being a consumer, consuming video and sharing your unemployment stories with your friends.

Do they need to add "Pro" features? It's UNIX. All it needs to be able to do is run Applications that pro users need and run them well. The core system hasn't changed much from 10.0, except for adding a 64-bit kernel. The same core system people have been using for 10 years.

Recent "upgrades" of Apple's Pro Apps, on the other hand, I can see where a lot of fear comes in to play, but that has nothing to do with Mountain Lion.

 

[faroZ06]

When is iBookstore going to be available to use on a Mac, so that we can view books?

So far, I think it is only available in iOS devices. unless I am mistaken.

Actually, you can't read iBooks on iPhones or iPod touches unless I am mistaken. I downloaded the Objective C manual iBook, and I can't find anywhere an "open" option.

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Do they need to add "Pro" features? It's UNIX. All it needs to be able to do is run Applications that pro users need and run them well. The core system hasn't changed much from 10.0, except for adding a 64-bit kernel. The same core system people have been using for 10 years.

Recent "upgrades" of Apple's Pro Apps, on the other hand, I can see where a lot of fear comes in to play, but that has nothing to do with Mountain Lion.

Agreed. The Intel transition was another big change, though (but not exactly an upgrade). The point of the front-end things like these is to make it easier to deal with.

For a pro, meaning someone who uses a Mac for work, the iCloud integration is a big upgrade in ease of use.

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Does AirPlay Mac content to appleTV mean that we'll be able to
mirror Hulu and PBS? That would be SOOOOO sweet!

We shouldn't have to mirror TV stations, the Apple TV should just have a coax input and a recording capability. It's a TV box that can't download or record TV shows!

 

[Gregintosh]

When is iBookstore going to be available to use on a Mac, so that we can view books?

So far, I think it is only available in iOS devices. unless I am mistaken.

That's what I'd like to know! In the mean time Amazon is getting my eBook dollars. That way if I ever decide to go e-Ink, I can get a kindle and have my collection. Plus, I can still read on the iPad. Options are good.

eBooks really have to go DRM free at some point.