Apple appears to be preparing to include an Automatic Downloads feature in its OS X Mountain Lion operating system. The feature, discovered in Mountain Lion Developer Preview 3, is partially enabled according to 9to5Mac, who spotted an Automatic Downloads option recently. Like the iOS equivalent, Automatic Downloads will let Mac App Store users automatically install new purchases on all of their Macs with the same App Store account.

The feature isn't working fully yet, but the App Store does offer to enable Automatic Downloads when a new application is purchased. iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users already use the feature to ensure applications are always installed on each device automatically, and it's believed that the Mac version will work the same way. Apple's Mountain Lion Developer Preview 3 debuted last month and a final version is expected this summer.