The latest version of Apple’s desktop operating system OS X v10.8 Mountain Lion is – as of writing – is now available for download from the Mac App Store. It is all set to be installed on your Mac from the Mac App Store for just $19.99 which is a small price to pay considering all the new iOS-like features.
In this post, we’ve listed eight of the best reasons why you should upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion today. Check them out after the jump, keep in mind that they are in no particular order!
Snow Leopard Users Can Upgrade Straight To Mountain Lion
Ever since Snow Leopard was announced and released, Apple has shifted to a quicker release schedule for OS X. New versions now have small number of game changing features and are priced much lower; this makes it easier for folks to upgrade but there are always folks who are either too lazy to upgrade or just don’t really care about new features and prefer stability and reliability over new features.
If you’re among the latter and didn’t upgrade to OS X 10.7 Lion from Snow Leopard, we have good news for you: after updating to the latest version of Snow Leopard, you can upgrade directly to Mountain Lion. That’s $30 saved!
iMessage!
As we’ve mentioned before, OS X Mountain Lion’s new features are mostly taken from iOS. One such major feature is being able to send and receive instant messages using the popular iMessage protocol with the new Messages app. Staying in touch with your family – provided they use iPads, iPods and iPhones – will be much more easier and faster.
AirPlay Mirroring
Those of you who own an iPad plus an Apple TV will know just how awesome and useful AirPlay Mirroring is. This feature has now made its way onto Macs with Mountain Lion so you can give presentations in the office and watch movies / TV shows, play games on your big screen TV at home.
Facebook and Twitter Integration For Easy Sharing
I’m a heavy user of the two biggest social networks today – Facebook and Twitter. I regularly share updates from my life and post interesting articles, photos and videos there. Now, part of the reason why I do this is because it is so darn easy to share stuff on these services from iOS apps and iOS itself.
Thanks to Mountain Lion’s Twitter integration (Facebook integration coming later this year), it’ll be equally easy to send out tweets. Mountain Lion also has a Share button strewn throughout the OS so you can email, message, upload on AirDrop and more with just a couple of clicks.
But wait, there’s more to it, Mountain Lion supports push notifications for both the social networks, namely Facebook and Twitter, ensuring that you don’t miss a single moment.
Stay Up To Date With A Unified Notifications Center
Another feature taken straight from iOS 5, Notifications Center on Mountain Lion takes all your app’s notifications and puts them under one place. No need for going into each app’s settings or menus. Just swipe to the left and voila!
It’s an excellent feature that I’m very glad is making it’s way to desktop operating systems. This is one of the biggest reasons why I would upgrade to Mountain Lion.
Notes And Reminders
Having our content synced across a multitude of devices is everyone’s desire. Personally speaking, I use the Notes and Reminders app a lot on my iPhone, it helps me stay on track and keep me updated on pending tasks. But now, Mountain Lion makes them easier to access thanks to it’s very own Notes and Reminders app which syncs everything across your iOS and Mac devices, courtesy iCloud.
System-Wide Voice Dictation
A feature which was at first exclusive to iPhone 4S users made its way across to the new iPad, and now, Apple is bringing it to Mountain Lion. Though the feature is not a groundbreaking one, but it’s worth noting that it is indeed a giant leap for the Mac.
Typing an email, sending a message or just typing a document using the power of your voice really adds to the whole experience of using the Mac.
Cross Platform Gaming Via Game Center
I’m an avid iOS gamer and a big fan of Game Center, but the thing which has annoyed me the most for quite a while now is the limitation of Game Center to iOS devices only, meaning that I can only challenge iOS gamers around the world with the Mac nowhere in sight.
With Mountain Lion, all that is about to change big time; with the inclusion of Game Center, gaming is now consistent across the board and seamlessly cross platform. Why be dependent on other iOS users for gaming when you can simply challenge your Mac owning buddies?
So go ahead and get downloading from the Mac App Store!
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