Apple OSX Mountain Lion:
Apple recently announced that it’s newest OSX, Mountain Lion, will be released this summer. There will be many new additions to its predecessor, OSX Lion, which include:
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- iCloud Improvements
- Messages Feature
- Reminders
- Notes
- Notification Center
- Share Sheets
- Game Center
- Gatekeeper Security
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Many of the new features come directly from the iPad.
Apple has actually publicly stated that Mountain Lion is based on the iPad, just as OSX Lion was. This time Apple has merged more of the features of the iPad over to the new OSX, bringing the merging between iOS and OSX closer than ever.
When reviewing all of the new features available in Mountain Lion, I have come to the question of, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”.
I’m not entirely sure whether Mountain Lion is based upon iOS or OSX, as the OS appears almost more like iOS than OSX itself.
Deeper convergence of features between mobile and desktop O/S:
The messages feature allows you to send a message to any Apple mobile device, something that has never been done on a computer operating system before. Reminders and the Notification Center give you constant updates throughout your day and closely resemble a mobile device, and the Game Center allows Mac users to game with other Apple mobile devices.
Apple is slowly merging iOS and OSX together, and Mountain Lion is a big step towards that apparent goal. I am very intrigued by this push for a merge.
This has never been done fully in the technology world. Mobile operating systems have always been separate and inferior to their computer counterparts, but now it is almost as if the tables have been turned.
Mobile operating systems are creeping their way into the computer world, this can also be seen in Microsoft’s Windows 8 which I have had the privilege of testing.
Windows 8 looks exactly like a Windows Phone with additional features. Just as Mountain Lion appears to be modeled after the iPad, Windows 8 appears to be modeled after the Windows Phone.
Will this mobile to computer merge ever be complete?
Feel free leave your own thoughts below.
Tyler Mikulec