As the iOSification of OS X continues, and we get our first peek at Mountain Lion, the upcoming new release of OS X 10.8, we see some great new features coming our way. So we decided to make a list of a few of our favorites!
1. iCloud Integration
According to Apple, “Mountain Lion uses your Apple ID to automatically set up Contacts, Mail, Calendar, Messages, FaceTime® and Find My Mac. The new iCloud Documents pushes any changes to all your devices so documents are always up to date, and a new API helps developers make document-based apps work with iCloud.”
iCloud on the Mac has always been kludgy and a pain in the butt to work with, the new integration should make for smoother sailing for those that like to share documents among all their Apple devices.
2. Twitter Integration!
Provide your Twitter credentials once, and tweet directly from Safari, Quick Look, Photo Booth, Preview and supported third-party apps.
Because we just don’t have enough people already tweeting what they fed their cat for dinner to all 8 of their followers!
3. Notification Center
Apple says, “Notification Center provides easy access to alerts from Mail, Calendar, Messages, Reminders, system updates and third party apps.“
Can this replace the much beloved Growl on my system? Time will tell.
4. Gatekeeper!
“Gatekeeper is a revolutionary new security feature that gives you control over which apps can be downloaded and installed on your Mac. You can choose to install apps from any source, just as you do on a Mac today, or you can use the safer default setting to install apps from the Mac App Store, along with apps from developers that have a unique Developer ID from Apple. For maximum security, you can set Gatekeeper to only allow apps from the Mac App Store to be downloaded and installed.”
Security conscious users should love this feature. Even though the application experience on Mac is already safer than on other platforms you can name, “COUGH!” Windows! “COUGH!” The Gatekeeper feature adds another level of security to the Mac. But will it get it in the way of the average user?
5. AirPlay Mirroring and the New Game Kit API!
Airplay Mirroring will let you mirror your Mac display onto your HDTV through the Apple TV. The new Game Kit API will let programmers create multi-player games that work across Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices.
Imagine, if they develop this right, you can be playing a game on your HDTV via AirPlay Mirroring from your Mac, pause the game, grab your jacket and your iPhone, get on the bus, and pick up the game where you left it. So much gaming goodness…
We, and judging from our download speed, about a billion other users, are downloading the Mountain Lion preview right now. As soon as we can we’ll be giving you our initial impressions of the new animal. Stay tuned.
Ok, so that’s technically six things, but hey, it’s hard to stop with so many great new features in the works!
