At today's WWDC keynote event, Apple announced a release timeframe and pricing for Mountain Lion, the next version of the Mac operating system which was previewed earlier this year. Executives also gave a preview of some new features including dictation, iCloud Tabs, and Power Nap. Mountain Lion will be released in July through the Mac App Store for $19.99 and all Macs purchased starting today can receive an upgrade for free.
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The new dictation feature will be integrated throughout the operating system to allow dictation anywhere to enter text. Dictation was previously rumored in May when resource files in Safari listed keyboard shortcuts that pointed to dictation functions.
iCloud Tabs, a new feature in Safari on the Mac, was also demonstrated. iCloud Tabs will show all tabs open in Safari on all other iOS devices and Macs logged in to the same iCloud account. Safari also gains a unified search and address bar to streamline its interface.
Power Nap is a new feature that will carry out functions while a Mac is charging and sleeping. New emails will be downloaded, Time Machine will automatically run, app updates will be applied and other actions will be carried out with Power Nap, which will be available on the new ultra-thin MacBook Pro that was announced today and second-generation and later MacBook Airs.
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Apple first previewed Mountain Lion in February, highlighting many features already present in iOS, including Messages, Reminders, Notes, Notification Center, Game Center and more at that time.
Top Rated Comments
OS X Mountain Lion will be $19.99, which is actually £15.46 factoring in tax at today's exchange rate; the Apple website says it'll be £13.99.
:D
There is a very good reason: you don't want your hard drive spinning all the time.
I wonder if there will be a way to enable it for those of us who've installed SSDs in our MBPs.
I'm sure it has more to do with allowing devices that can only sell with flash memory to use the feature
I can see the allure of iCloud for some folks. But for me, the slide towards automatic iCloud integration has more downside than upside. I DO NOT want Twitter, Facebook, or my personal data on someone else's hard drive (i.e. "the cloud") where TBD can access it.
You can bet that the government already has a "back door" into Apple's server farms for "reasons of national security". The slide into a "police state" is just getting all so convenient with all this "bait" to tempt people to give up every aspect of their personal lives.
And please don't tell me you can "opt out". As iCloud becomes more integrated it also means it is easier to move the data from your HD to someone else's. Whether you do it, or it is done behind the scenes without your consent.
But hey, I am just one of those "tin-foil hat paranoid guys" because we all know our government would NEVER force ISPs, phone companies, and tech companies to quietly provide the government alphabet soup agencies with the capabilities to spy on its own citizens.......I mean that only happens in Russia....right?