OS X Mountain Lion Bringing Automatic App Downloads to Mac

As noted by Zach Kahn (via 9to5Mac), the latest developer build of OS X Mountain Lion released last week sets the stage for bringing iOS-like automatic app downloads to Mac App Store purchases.

mountain lion automatic download

Like on the iPhone and iPad, when you buy and install an app on one of your Macs, all of your other Macs logged into the same App Store account will automatically install the app too.

Unfortunately, the feature does not seem to be working completely. While the App Store will still offer to enable automatic downloads (as seen above), it does not actually install anything when you purchase apps from another computer.

Apple has been issuing regular updates of OS X Mountain Lion to its Mac developer community, and the company is expected to offer many more details on the next-generation operating system at next month's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. OS X Mountain Lion is currently scheduled to see a public launch in "late summer" of this year and will bring a number of enhancements including several features drawn from iOS such as Notification Center, Game Center, Messages, and Reminders.

Top Rated Comments

caligomez Avatar
156 months ago
I so want automatic updates. However, automatic App downloads though are a great feature. Can't wait for Mtn Lion!!!

I definitely don't want automatic updates.. sometimes they screw up apps that were previously working perfectly. Now, every time an update is released for an app that is important to me, I give it some time and research if there are any issues with that update.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrisbru Avatar
156 months ago
the main thing is why he is using dropbox AND google drive?? :confused:

Why not...? I have both. You can't argue with free cloud storage.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kemo Avatar
156 months ago
Speak for yourself, you fool! Lion > SL

I wouldn't call him a fool! Anyway maybe it's your personal preference that Lion > SL, but for a solid amount of people it's vice versa!

----------

Hopefully the new Macbook Pro will come out before the new OS. Who would want to have Mountain Lion pre-installed anyway?

If the new MBS would not be able to run Snow Leopard than unfortunately I wont be buying one. :( Or maybe if the ML will be really improved overally over Lion than I may consider getting one, but most preferably I will get the latest model of MB's or Air that can handle Snow Leopard because for me it's the best OS Apple made so far period.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jynto Avatar
156 months ago
Tim Cook has not adequately managed the lion debacle.

If Stve had been alive (sorry but I have to go in one of those if Steve sentences..) a lot of heads would have rolled off. Hell Steve fired the guy the d spent a few millions of dollars in litigation to hire him from IBM (mark pappermaster), their star addition to the team featuring on promo photos, just because of the anntenagate, a design Steve himself had insisted upon.

There's no chance in a million he d have done nothing for an os x release that has been this buggy and unpolished. Autoshutdown (aka system induced app crashing), autosaves (even when the user doesn't want to save), windows restores (even after you shut down every window as in safari and logged out), cumbersome duplicates and locked files for no reason, versioning in every single app that might not need versioning... Etc. etc. there simply hasn't been almost any over the hood addition to lion that wasn't both poorly thought out in terms of its requirements and even more poorly implemented.

And these were supposed to be the main selling features of the os, because in terms of under the hood development, memory management, file system advances there was little to no work down, and a lot of regression at points as witnessed by the increased kernel task resources used and the memory leaks in safari.

I simply can't see how Steve would have left all that slide. Lion has been an embarrassment to apple, made only tolerable by the insanely good quality of the hardware current macs, and computers in general use.

Good luck with trying to fix os x with ml with the same team that brought you lion...

Btw, Anyone going for ml .0 release (and those unlucky ones with a new mac purchase...) will really be soldiers in the front line taking a hit for the rest of who plan to go in on at .1 , .2 or .3 even.
Okay, I'm not the biggest fan of Lion myself, but this is just ill-informed. Let's get the facts straight. Mac OS X Lion was announced on 6 June 2011 during the WWDC keynote that Steve himself spoke at. Jobs passed away four months later on 5 October. He worked for Apple until the day before he died (http://gizmodo.com/5851475/steve-jobs-worked-the-day-before-he-died). Not only did he back Lion, but he was heavily involved in Mountain Lion and beyond.

So please don't assume that Saint Steve could do no wrong, because in your opinion he did. I don't think the company will fall apart without him. People have been complaining about Apple for years while Steve was around, just as they will continue to complain in his absence.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nuckinfutz Avatar
156 months ago
I so want automatic updates. However, automatic App downloads though are a great feature. Can't wait for Mtn Lion!!!
Automatic updates please with rollback if something screws up.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nuckinfutz Avatar
156 months ago
I would love to be able to turn off Auto Save. I save at known points in my work where everything is in an order I want. I like control over the state of my files. If I try some edits that I don't like, it is very easy to go back to the point I want because I have marked that point with a save. Plus I find the Date Modified field very useful, that is lost if I open the file to check something (which I do a lot).

Oh. Thanks, for some reason I was thinking your were strictly talking about iCloud features (most of which can be turned off individually)

Auto Save needs a bit of polish as well as Resume IMO.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18 Apple Music Messages and Notes Feature 1

iOS 18 Rumored to Add New Features to These 15 Apps on Your iPhone

Tuesday April 30, 2024 10:44 am PDT by
Apple is expected to announce iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, and new features have already been rumored for many apps, including Apple Music, Apple Maps, Calculator, Messages, Notes, Safari, and others. Below, we recap iOS 18 rumors on a per-app basis, based on reports from MacRumors, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, and others: Apple Maps: At least two new Apple Maps features are...
maxresdefault

Apple Event Rumors: iPad Pro With M4 Chip and New Apple Pencil With Haptic Feedback

Sunday April 28, 2024 6:19 am PDT by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman outlined some of the new products he expects Apple to announce at its "Let Loose" event on May 7. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. First, Gurman now believes there is a "strong possibility" that the upcoming iPad Pro models will be equipped with Apple's next-generation M4 chip, rather than the M3 chip that...
iPad Pro OLED Feature 2

Apple to Use 'Best OLED Panels on the Market' for Upcoming iPad Pro

Monday April 29, 2024 10:04 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPad Pro models will feature "by far the best OLED tablet panels on the market," according to Display Supply Chain Consultants. Set to be announced on May 7, the OLED iPad Pro models will feature LTPO (a more power efficient form of OLED), a 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate, and a tandem stack and glass thinning that will bring "ultra-thin and light displays" that support high...
iOS 18 General Notes Feature 2

iOS 18 Rumored to 'Overhaul' Notes, Mail, Photos, and Fitness Apps

Sunday April 28, 2024 6:44 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said that iOS 18 will "overhaul" many of Apple's built-in apps, including Notes, Mail, Photos, and Fitness. Gurman did not reveal any specific new features planned for these apps. It was previously rumored that the Notes app will gain support for displaying more math equations, and a built-in option to record voice memos, but this is the first time we have...
iPad Air 5 Colors

Apple's M1 iPad Air Drops to New Low Price of $399.99 at Best Buy

Monday April 29, 2024 7:12 am PDT by
Best Buy today has discounted Apple's M1 iPad Air (64GB Wi-Fi) to a new all-time low price of $399.99 in the Starlight color option, down from $599.99. Best Buy says this deal will last through the end of the day, and it's only available in one color at this record low price. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
ios 17 5 repair state

iOS 17.5 Includes 'Repair State' Option That Doesn't Require Turning Off Find My for Service

Tuesday April 30, 2024 1:24 pm PDT by
With iOS 17.5, Apple is adding a "Repair State" feature that is designed to allow an iPhone to be sent in for service without deactivating Find My and Activation Lock. The fourth iOS 17.5 beta that came out today adds a "Remove This Device" option for all devices in Find My, and using it with an iPhone puts that iPhone into the new Repair State. Right now, sending an iPhone to Apple to be...