Get news 
- May 23, 2012 14:00 PM Join us for a conversation between Carla Wolfe, one of the main characters in this story, and Chris ...
- May 23, 2012 14:00 PM Jon Arnold’s presentation will review the trends and drivers that have brought us to the present s ...
- May 23, 2012 14:00 PM Join Bank Systems & Technology, Netop, and Forrester Research for a free one-hour webcast that explo ...
Loading Carousel Data, Please wait ..
BYTE Technologists
BYTE Categories
BYTE Newsletter
Keep up with all the BYTE News and Reviews
Apple Previews Mac OS X 'Mountain Lion'
Category: Tablets, Smartphones, Operating systems, Desktop PCs
Apple Thursday previewed Mountain Lion--or Mac OS X 10.8 for those of you who don't like cats. The latest version of Apple's desktop operating system borrows liberally from iOS. Apple's sneak peak reads, "Inspired by iPad. Re-imagined for Mac."
More Insights
Webcasts
- Thriving in a Multi-Platform World: Integrating Mobile Device Management into Your Overall Security Strategy
- CTO to CTO: Scott Davies, VMware, and Jim Davies, Mitel, Give Voice to the Virtual Desktop
White Papers
- Gartner Research Picking the Right Server Type to Solve Your Data Center Space, Power and Heat Problems
- ComputerWorld Tech Dossier HP ProLiant Gen8 Servers: Intelligent Mgmt and Greater Efficiency Throughout the LifeCycle
Reports
More >>Apple released a set of screenshots and a video detailing Mountain Lion's features. Let's hit the highlights.
iCloud. iCloud is Apple's cloud service that unifies iOS and Mac OS by synchronizing users' mail, calendars, contacts, and other documents so they don't have to manually sync and jump back and forth between their computer and iOS devices. iCloud was introduced with iOS 5 in October 2011. It became available for Mac with an OS X update released around the same time. Based on the screenshot below, it looks as if Mountain Lion, like iOS 5, has users sign into iCloud and manage their settings when they first launch the system.
Messages. Another feature introduced with iOS 5 was Messages, Apple's answer to BlackBerry Messenger. Users can send text messages and images back and forth without incurring cellular messaging fees. Messages will let Mountain Lion users message each other, as well as iPad and iPhone users on iOS 5, and vice versa. Users can exchange photos, videos, documents and contacts. It also lets you message groups of friends. Messages replaces the aging iChat application in previous versions of OS X.
Reminders. Reminders on Mac OS should be interesting for folks who are constantly on their computer. It lets users create lists of things to do, and set up due dates for each item. Users can then check off items that have been completed. Thanks to iCloud, items sync across all devices. This lets you create a new to-do item on your Mac and be reminded by your iOS device when you're away from the computer.
Notes. Mountain Lion also adds Notes, a feature pulled over to the desktop from iOS. The OS X version of Notes adds images and attachments. Notes can be easily managed through the desktop application. Again, through iCloud, users can sync between their Mac and various iOS devices. It's a nice way to keep track of, um, recipes, among other things.
Notification Center. Notification Center is designed to consolidate all of your notifications--iMessages, emails, alerts--into one list. It's designed for minimal interruption. The notification banners look much like Growl notifications, something we love. We're curious to see how well this works with email as many of us at BYTE are inbox-centric, and something like this could add make us a lot more productive on the Mac.
1 | 2 |Next Page »
Related Reading
 |
To upload an avatar photo, first complete your Disqus profile. | View the list of supported HTML tags you can use to style comments. | Please read our commenting policy. |
COMMENTS
Tune In to BYTE
Related Webcasts
- Thriving in a Multi-Platform World: Integrating Mobile Device Management into Your Overall Security Strategy
- CTO to CTO: Scott Davies, VMware, and Jim Davies, Mitel, Give Voice to the Virtual Desktop
- What Impact Will Windows 8 Have on the Tablet Market?
- Entering the Scrum: Taking the First Steps on Your Agile Journey
- Unlock the Value of Your Business Data: IBM's Integration Solution for .NET Environments
Whitepapers
In this paper you will learn the five trends shaping
the future of enterprise mobility. Learn how the rise of social media as
a business application, the lurring between work and home, the emergence
of new mobile devices, the demand for tech savvy employees and changing
expectations of corporate IT will fundamentally change the workplace.
In a survey of more than 1,700 information workers
(iWorkers) in North America, notebooks, desktops, and smartphones were
found to be “must-have” devices, while tablets, slates, and netbooks
were relegated to “nice-to-have” status, according to a commissioned
study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Dell and Intel.
Upcoming Events
Oct 20: Becoming a Security Detective - Gathering and Analyzing Security Intelligence in the Enterprise
In this all-day virtual event, experts will offer detailed insight in how to collect security intelligence in the enterprise, and how to analyze and study it in order to efficiently identify new threats as well as low-and-slow attacks such as advanced persistent threats. Register today!
Platinum Sponsors: ArcSight, NetIQ, Proofpoint, Thawte
Gold Sponsor: Q1 Labs
October 6: InformationWeek 500 Virtual Event: The Need for Speed
At the 2011 InformationWeek 500 Virtual Conference, C-level executives from leading global companies will gather to discuss how their organizations are turbo-charging business execution and growth.
Platinum Sponsor: ArcSight, Workday
Gold Sponsor: IBM
Aug 25: InformationWeek & Dark Reading present: How Security Breaches Happen and What Your Organization Can Do About Them
Attendees will get insights on how to prevent breaches from happening, how to research and identify the source of a breach, and how to remediate a compromise as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Platinum Sponsor: ArcSight, NetIQ, Thawte
Gold Sponsors: Lumension, NetGear, GFI
Silver Sponsor: Motorola
July 28: InformationWeek & Symantec present: Infrastructure at Risk -- Taking Decisive Action to Secure Your Critical Data Assets
Join the editors of InformationWeek and leading security experts from Symantec for an in-depth look at the current threats faced by large and small organizations, and the implications for your business, your customers, and even your country. You'll hear how today's threat landscape is changing drastically, and learn the latest countermeasures and best practices to keep your company's precious data assets out of the hands of determined cybercriminals.
July 27: Electronic Health Records -- Moving from Concept to Reality
At this InformationWeek Healthcare Virtual Event, we will talk with healthcare practitioners, IT professionals and other industry experts about issues surrounding EHR selection, deployment and use.
Platinum Sponsor: HP, Intel, GBS, Geotrust, NextGen
Silver Sponsor: Proofpoint
On-Demand: InformationWeek & Interop present: Business Mobility Unleashed
In this virtual event, the leaders behind InformationWeek Business Technology Network and Interop zero in on the top mobile technologies and techniques you'll need to understand and master to ensure your organization thrives in the wireless world.
Platinum Sponsors: Alcatel-Lucent, APC
Gold Sponsor: HP
Silver Sponsor: Emerson Network Power
Bronze Sponsor: Skybot
On-Demand: Cybersecurity Best Practices
In this half-day virtual event, experts assess the state of cybersecurity in government and present the latest strategies for creating a more secure, attack-proof IT infrastructure. This event will help CISOs and other information assurance professionals in federal, state, and local government stay on top of the latest developments in the field.
Platinum Sponsor: GeoTrust
Gold Sponsor: Bit9
On-Demand: Data Center Transformation
Data centers are undergoing incredible transformations that create
both opportunities and challenges for IT professionals. Server virtualization enables rapid provisioning,
more efficient use of resources, and improved disaster recovery. That trend will continue with storage and network virtualization,
allowing IT pros to further abstract -- and optimize -- data center resources.In this virtual event, you will learn how prepare your organization for a data center transformation.
Platinum Sponsors: AMD, APC, Cisco, Eaton, SunGard
Gold Sponsor: Emerson Network Power
On-Demand: Cloud Computing Roadmap: Controlling the Cloud - Managing, Optimizing and Integrating Cloud Services with Your Existing IT Infrastructure
In this virtual event, you'll learn how to craft your own strategy for successfully embracing and integrating new cloud computing capabilities without derailing or destroying your current IT roadmap.
Platinum Sponsors: ArcSight, GoToAssist, SunGard, thawte
Gold Sponsor: Symform
Silver Sponsor: Skybot
On-Demand: Plugging the Leaks -- Finding and Fixing the IT Security Holes in your Enterprise
In this virtual event presented by Dark Reading and InformationWeek, you'll find out how criminals target the flaws in your IT environment, and you'll get some insight on the best methods for finding and fixing your vulnerabilities -- before you're hit by malware or unauthorized access.
Platinum Sponsors: NetIQ, Novell, thawte, Webroot
Gold Sponsors: ArcSight, Bit9, OpenText
Silver Sponsor: Application Security, Core Security, Lumension
The 2011 Informationweek 500 Conference will be held at the beautiful St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point, CA. Mark your calendars for September 11-13, 2011.
InformationWeek Healthcare IT Leadership Forum
Related Reports
Related Whitepapers
