Apple OS/X 10.8 "Mountain Lion" now available

[haven]

The latest operating system for Mac laptops and iMacs is now available. Price for the upgrade is $20.
http://www.apple.com/osx/

Several articles describe the new features in OS/X 10.8.
http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/07/os-x-10-8/
http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/25/apple-os-x-mountain-lion-10-8-review/
http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/25/3185644/mac-os-x-10-8-mountain-lion-review
http://www.macworld.com/article/1167804/mountain_lion_apple_gets_its_operating_systems_in_sync.html

And here's a review that focuses on the little details of Mountain Lion
http://tidbits.com/article/13147

All the reviews say the upgrade is worth doing. Significant speed improvements to Safari and better integration of iCloud network features top my list of reasons to get 10.8.

That said, I suggest holding off for a few weeks. There always are bugs and mistakes in a new version of any software, more so in a major release to your OS. I'll wait for version 10.8.1.

 

[Rallyroo]

That said, I suggest holding off for a few weeks. There always are bugs and mistakes in a new version of any software, more so in a major release to your OS. I'll wait for version 10.8.1.

^This.

I let early adopters, people who HAVE to have the latest and greatest, beta test before I jump on board.

 

[RobRed]

It's been pretty well vetted. It's been running on my Machine for weeks with out issue.

 

[nwoods]

Why do you use safari instead of chrome? Honest question, not trying to start a flame war. I'm just curious.

 

[haven]

I use Firefox most of the time because it has a plug-in that does a good job at removing web page display ads. I also use Safari and Chrome.

 

[nwoods]

I use Firefox most of the time because it has a plug-in that does a good job at removing web page display ads. I also use Safari and Chrome.

I used to use Firefox as my daily browser, but only occasionally now solely to use the outstanding Web Developer plugin, for which I have found no equal in Chrome.

 

[RobRed]

I use chrome mostly but there are issues occasionally I fall back to safari. Now that safari has integrated search in the URL it makes it nicer to use. Both browsers are underpinned with Apple's WebKit so they are not that different.

 

[reece146]

That said, I suggest holding off for a few weeks. There always are bugs and mistakes in a new version of any software, more so in a major release to your OS. I'll wait for version 10.8.1.

^This.

I let early adopters, people who HAVE to have the latest and greatest, beta test before I jump on board.

Given what a buggy POS 10.7/Lion has been I really don't think there is any downside to jumping to 10.8/Mountain Lion immediately. I would be already running it if my datacap for the month wasn't already being on the verge of being blown for this month.

 

[TheAlmightySam]

I've been running 10.8 since it dropped the other day, and it has brought the snappy back to my old MBP. Lots of nice little features, and Safari 6 seems a lot more stable than the older versions.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I've been running 10.8 since it dropped the other day, and it has brought the snappy back to my old MBP. Lots of nice little features, and Safari 6 seems a lot more stable than the older versions.

What vintage is your machine? We're still running 10.5.8 on our computer, which is a MBP2,2 (roughly 2006 Core 2 Duo). This is too old according to the Apple, but wondering if that's true or maybe Apple is trying to perform a cashectomy on us for a newer computer.

 

[reece146]

The relatively newish machines that have been dropped don't have full 64 bit video hardware. ML is pure 64 bit so your display won't be supported. This is what I've read online but have not confirmed.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Gotcha, it uses the 32-bit Radeon X1600 so that means it really is a boat anchor.

 

[TheAlmightySam]

The relatively newish machines that have been dropped don't have full 64 bit video hardware. ML is pure 64 bit so your display won't be supported. This is what I've read online but have not confirmed.

This is correct. 10.8 has a 64 bit kernel only, which eliminates any machines with 32 bit hardware. Mine's a late 2008 unibody, so it barely sneaks in under the wire.

 

[RobRed]

I know we all hate it when the next new thing isn't supported by our older hardware but I should point out that shedding legacy is part of what makes Apple, Apple. It's one of the things we like about them when we are buying new equipment and the thing we hate when our old Mac wont run the latest OS. I myself felt this on my iMac (2010 i7 2.93 16GB ATI Radeon HD 5750 1024 MB) as I cannot use Airplay since my machine isn't IvyBridge. But then again when I bought this machine it didn't have airplay - so am I really wronged for not getting it in the upgrade?

 

[DaveInDenver]

I never saw much use in upgrades to 10.6 or 10.7, so not getting 10.8 isn't going hurt my feelings. Apple was kind enough last year to replace the motherboard (under warranty due to a latent design flaw none-the-less) and sell us a replacement battery so they don't seem worried about us being brand loyal or not.