Apple really wants your Mac to function like your iPhone.
The company’s upcoming computer operating system, OS X Mountain Lion, doesn’t break new ground. Instead, it incorporates many options already available on Apple’s iPhone and iPad operating system, iOS 5.
The features I found most useful were Messages and the notification center.
The former allows you to send and receive text messages to and from any device running iOS 5 as well as instant messages from services such as Google Talk. I found this extremely helpful when I needed to immediately transfer photos from my iPhone to my iMac.
I could do the same by syncing photos on my iPhone through iCloud, but I don’t necessarily want all the photos I capture on the phone to show up on my computer. Additionally, sending the photo through Messages doesn’t eat up any text or data plan. Apple limits free iCloud storage to 5 gigabytes across all devices.
The notification center, very similar to the pull-down menu on iPhones, is home to alerts such as new messages and software updates. Instead of swiping down like you do on the iPhone to see the list of alerts, you click on a small circle located in the upper right corner of the computer screen. It’s a clean and simple feature and eliminates those annoying software-update pop-ups.
Other iOS features included in Mountain Lion include Game Center, Notes and Reminders.
I tested the developer version of the operating system, which may not include all features found in the actual consumer release this summer. You can download a beta version of Messages right now at bit.ly/wpRCR6.
Are the relatively minor updates worth the upgrade from predecessor Lion if the cost will be $30 (based on previous OS X releases)? I don’t think so, unless Apple adds features not already disclosed.
The company should offer the update as a free download for those who already have Lion installed and only charge those who are still on older OS X versions.
Andy Vuong : 303-954-1209 or facebook.com/byandyvuong
