Apple's OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion launches: review, app updates, and more

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 Reminder lists, and URL shortening when tweeting from Notification Center. Apple even fixed up the Save As... function many people lamentedin Mountain Lion's previous verison. Also, here's our full review of Mountain Lion in case you're still considering the upgrade.

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.

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 yet running Mountain Lion on their Retina MacBook Pro, the system management controller (SMC) firmware update is said to increase stability and fix "several sleep/wake issues" on the machine. The update is available now in the Mac App Store, and a similar upgrade for 2011 and 2012 MacBook Airs was released earlier this week.

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.

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 OS X Mountain Lion Server, feel free to peruse the Advanced Administration guide.

Update: This article previously stated that OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion Server was the first to launch as a separate app. We have verified that OS X 10.7 Lion Server was an add-on app as well and have changed the article accordingly.

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 apparently "coming soon" for the new MacBook Pro with Retina display.

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 course, it's important to note that Redmond is simply talking about compatibility — Office won't suddenly allow you to save documents to your iCloud account, for example — but for Office users anxious to take the Mountain Lion plunge the news will no doubt be quite welcome.

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.

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 components. Between the new Retina display and Mountain Lion, most of Apple's flagship apps have gotten a recent facelift.

Check out the full Mountain Lion review.

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 on Snow Leopard, and we can't find a link or dedicated page to download it for Windows. If you're running OS X 10.7, you can download it now through the Software Update app. You can check out new features at Apple's site here, and developers can review the new development tools, including HTML5 notifications and a redesigned version of Web Inspector.

Apple’s major operating system update, OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, is now available for download from the Mac App Store for $19.99. The update adds a list of new features and improvements, including AirPlay for beaming your content to an Apple TV, Messages for sending and receiving iMessages on your Mac, Notification Center, support for speech-to-text dictation, and software updates during sleep with PowerNap. Also, on the security side, Gatekeeper brings Apple-signed digital certificates to apps that aren’t sold (or can’t be sold) on the Mac App Store.

The news comes just over two weeks after the company released its Golden Master build to developers. Unlike Lion, Mountain Lion is App Store only (Apple isn't selling USB keys with the software this time around), so you’ll need to be running Lion to upgrade. Lastly, don’t forget — if you bought a new Mac on or after June 11th you’re entitled to a free copy of Mountain Lion through Apple’s Up-to-Date program.