Apple’s OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion launches: review, app updates, and more – The Verge

Mountain Lion 10.8.2 with Facebook integration, consolidated iMessages available for download

2012-09-19T13:16:58-04:00

Mountain Lion Apple stock image

Apple has just pushed out OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2 just moments after releasing iOS 6 to the general public. The update makes available a variety of features that put OS X on par with iOS, namely Facebook integration inside Notification Center, Game Center, Contacts, and Mountain Lion's "Share" button. 10.8.2 also includes Power Nap support for late 2010 MacBook Airs, as well as consolidated AppleIDs and phone numbers - which means that iMessages or FaceTime calls sent to your phone number will now also appear on your Mac.

There are also a variety of bug fixes and feature updates, like Passbook support inside Safari and Mail, shared Remind …

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Mountain Lion is Apple’s ‘most successful’ OS X release with three million downloads in four days

2012-07-30T08:43:32-04:00

Mountain Lion Apple stock image

Apple's recently released OS X 10.8, codenamed Mountain Lion, is officially the California company's most successful OS X release to date. Totalling more than three million downloads in its first four days of availability, it overshadows OS X 10.7 Lion - the prior version of the operating system, which was also the first to be made available via a direct download from the Mac App Store. Lion was already the fastest-spreading OS X upgrade in Apple's history, thanks to that direct distribution method, and the cheaper and universally better Mountain Lion seems to be keeping that momentum going.

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MacBook Pro with Retina display gets Power Nap via firmware update

2012-07-28T13:00:44-04:00

MacBook Pro with Retina Display 2012 stock

Closing the lid on your MacBook Pro with Retina display is going to get a bit more useful thanks to an update that brings Power Nap to the laptop. The feature - which is only available for those running Mountain Lion on select laptops - lets the machine periodically check for updates as well as new Calendar, Contacts, Mail, Notes, and Reminders while asleep. Power Nap also updates your iCloud documents, Find My Mac location, Photo Stream, and Time Machine backups.

By default the feature only works when plugged into the power source, but you can enable it in the Energy Saver system settings menu to operate when on battery, too. For those not y …

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Apple issuing OS X Server codes to some Mountain Lion upgraders

2012-07-27T06:57:52-04:00

Gallery Photo: Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion screen shots and photos

A number of users attempting to upgrade to Mountain Lion, the latest version of Apple's OS X operating system, have mistakenly been issued with activation codes for OS X Server components, according to a report from 9to5Mac. The codes came through Apple's Up-To-Date program, which offers a free edition of the latest OS to all users who bought a Mac computer after Mountain Lion's June 11th announcement. The components that the codes correspond to can only be downloaded by users with Mountain Lion already installed, making them effectively useless.

At least nine posters in the MacRumors Forums have reported receiving OS X Server codes so far. …

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Apple OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion Server app now available for $19.99

2012-07-26T11:52:53-04:00

MacBook Pro with Retina display angle (1024px)

Apple's OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion Server is now available in the Mac App Store. With the package, admins can set up file server between Mac, iPads, and PCs, maintain a wiki server, manage multiple profiles, handle Time Machine backups, and sync calendars, contacts, and email for clients. While some familiar tools like Server Admin and Workgroup Manager are missing in this version, many of the features have been built into the Server app itself. At $19.99, adding the server doubles the price of the standalone Mountain Lion upgrade, but is considerably cheaper than the $49.99 Lion Server add-on. For a further look at what you can expect with the …

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Power Nap available for 2011 and 2012 MacBook Airs via firmware update

2012-07-26T07:01:24-04:00

MacBook Air

Apple has released a firmware update for 2011 and 2012 series MacBook Airs, enabling the Power Nap feature in the latest version of OS X. Released yesterday, Mountain Lion uses the feature to perform actions such as updating and processing notifications while the computer is ostensibly powered down, creating a smoother transition between sleeping and waking modes.

The system management controller (SMC) update is currently available for download via Apple's support site, with specific versions for the mid-2012 and mid-2011 Airs. Power Nap will not be supported on the late-2010 model or any earlier versions, but a firmware update is apparentl …

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Microsoft confirms Office for Mac is compatible with Mountain Lion

2012-07-25T20:58:05-04:00

Mountain Lion

We found quite a lot to like in OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, but upgrading your computer's operating system always carries with it the potential to harm the stability of essential apps. Users of Microsoft Office are in the clear, however, with Redmond stating today that both Office for Mac 2011 and Office for Mac 2008 work just fine with Apple's new operating system. There is one wrinkle, however: according to Microsoft, standalone software updates for Office won't launch due to Mountain Lion's Gatekeeper security feature. The solution is to enable Office's AutoUpdate component; updates initiated through that software will work correctly.

Of co …

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This is my next: Safari 6.0

2012-07-25T12:30:13-04:00

via dl.dropbox.com

This is my next is a special feature where editors of The Verge sound off on their latest deep, dark desires from the world of technology.

Say what you will about Apple's slavish worship of skeuomorphism and sometimes-questionable design decisions of late - Apple's best first-party apps are well-designed, with features that make them feel like a better "fit" in OS X than third-party options. I felt Safari was one of those apps for a long time - but somewhere along the way we started drifting apart. Lately, I've been thinking it's about time we get back together.

I bought my first modern Mac (the first 12-inch PowerBook) in early 2003, a fe …

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Apple updates iWork and iPhoto for Mountain Lion, fixes bugs in iMovie

2012-07-25T10:46:34-04:00

iWork Mountain Lion

Mac owners will be busy with updates this morning as Apple releases software that works better with the newly-released Mountain Lion. The latest version of iWork now supports Mountain Lion and the new MacBook Pro Retina display. Mountain Lion features like iCloud document storage and dictation also show up in the release notes. iPhoto has been given a similar update, with added compatibility and support for sharing through Messages and Twitter. The latest version of iMovie already supported Retina and doesn't seem to offer any Mountain Lion-specific features, but you'll get stability fixes for MPEG-2 previewing and some third-party QuickTime …

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Apple rolls out Safari 6 for Lion with unified search and offline reading list

2012-07-25T09:52:53-04:00

via devimages.apple.com.edgekey.net

Along with the release of Mountain Lion, Apple has rolled out Safari 6, the new browser it demonstrated last month. Some of the more exciting new features - like iCloud tabs and Tab View - are only available on OS X 10.8, but Lion users can still enjoy improved performance and a few welcome tweaks. Apple's added the unified Smart Search Field, a unified search and address bar, and the Reading List feature now works offline. Safari 6 also supports Do Not Track and a new pane for storing passwords, and Chinese search engine Baidu is a built-in option.

We've confirmed that the new Safari works on Lion, but it's unclear whether it's supported o …

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