Mon, 11 Jun 2012 11:56:05 PDT
At today's WWDC keynote event, Apple announced a release timeframe and
pricing for Mountain Lion, the next version of the Mac operating system
which was previewed earlier this year. Executives also gave a preview of
some new features including dictation, iCloud Tabs, and Power Nap. Mountain
Lion will be released in July through the Mac App Store for $19.99 and
all Macs purchased starting today can receive an upgrade for free.
The new dictation feature will be integrated throughout the operating system
to allow dictation anywhere to enter text. Dictation was previously rumored
in May when resource files in Safari listed keyboard shortcuts that pointed
to dictation functions.
iCloud Tabs, a new feature in Safari on the Mac, was also demonstrated.
iCloud Tabs will show all tabs open in Safari on all other iOS devices and
Macs logged in to the same iCloud account. Safari also gains a unified
search and address bar to streamline its interface.
Power Nap is a new feature that will carry out functions while a Mac is
charging and sleeping. New emails will be downloaded, Time Machine will
automatically run, app updates will be applied and other actions will be
carried out with Power Nap, which will be available on the new ultra-thin
MacBook Pro that was announced today and second-generation and later MacBook
Airs.
Apple first previewed Mountain Lion in February, highlighting many features
already present in iOS, including Messages, Reminders, Notes, Notification
Center, Game Center and more at that time.
