Apple’s public beta of Messages for Mac, an upcoming app included in OS X Mountain Lion, has now been yanked from Apple’s website in advance of Mountain Lion’s launch next month. As CultofMac notes, the previous download page for the beta now redirects to Apple’s OS X Mountain Lion overview, and the beta is nowhere to be found.
While Apple’s exact reasoning for pulling the update is unclear, it likely has to do with the fact that Messages will be a Mountain Lion exclusive feature. Apple likely wants to remove the beta from current Macs, and dangle their Messages carrot it in front of users’ faces to encourage people to update to Mountain Lion.
Interestingly, there is still a download link for the beta at the bottom of Apple’s download page (still there as of this writing), but the link is now inactive, directing users to the OS X information page. If you currently have the Messages beta on your machine, don’t remove it – you won’t be able to reinstall it.
Apple will likely take further moves to disable the beta once Mountain Lion officially launches.
