Apple has made the somewhat surprising decision to launch a new version of OS X just a year after its last distribution, Mac OS X Lion, was made available. This time around, Apple is calling the software "Mountain Lion" and believes that it could be the best version of the software yet.
Of course, such excitement has been heard out of Apple’s camp before. With each new launch, it contends that the latest update is the very best it has offered. Next year, when something new comes along, the company will unveil something that it says is even better. When it will stop is anyone s guess.
Still, this time, Apple might just be right. OS X "Mountain Lion," at least on paper, looks to be awfully impressive, boasting more than 200 new features and some additions that should make both consumers and enterprise users quite happy.
As a result, when it launches in July, OS X "Mountain Lion" should top the lists of both consumers and enterprise users running Macs.
Read on to find out why:
1. It s the name of the OS X game
In the Apple world, there really is no choice but to upgrade to the latest software. Not only does it come with improvements, but as time goes on, Apple stops supporting legacy versions of the software. If that s not enough to get some enterprise users to switch, what is?
2. Improved security
Apple has acknowledged that OS X is no longer the airtight operating system it once was. Quite the contrary, the operating system has been subject to some security threats that have given the company a black eye. In "Mountain Lion," it hopes to address that with Gatekeeper. The feature, according to Apple, will dramatically improve OS security by protecting users from downloading and installing malicious applications.
3. Full iCloud integration
Apple’s iCloud has proven extremely popular among iOS users that want the platform s synchronizing content across all their products. In OS X "Mountain Lion," Apple has promised the same iCloud integration, allowing users to do everything from synchronizing content across devices to ensuring that a document s latest version is up-to-date across all products.
4. iMessaging
Apple’s iMessage has been a boon for iOS users that are sick and tired of paying exorbitant fees for text messaging. Now, it s coming to OS X "Mountain Lion." With that platform, users will be able to send instant messages to those running iOS, as well as to folks using Macs.
5. The bridge to iOS
Apple has said that it wants to make OS X and iOS a bit more similar than it has in the past. With "Mountain Lion," the company appears to have done that. From its improved multi-touch support to the addition of a host of previously iOS-only apps (like iMessage), OS X is slowly but surely becoming more iOS-like.
To read the original eWeek article, click here: OS X Mountain Lion: 10 Reasons Why It Makes Sense to Upgrade Soon
