Cue the fanfare. Apple released OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion at long last, after more than a year in development. First announced in February, third-party application developers have spent months preparing for the release.
Despite the release dubbed as a minor upgrade to the older 10.7 "Lion," Apple has included a number of new features to revitalize Mac sales ahead of Microsoft's Windows 8 launch later this year.
With greater iCloud integration, Messages, and social sharing, along with a brand new Notification Center, Apple continues the "iOS-ification" of its desktop operating system to bring it closer in line with its mobile cousins.
Mountain Lion is now available in the Mac App Store for $19.99 in the U.S., £13.99 in the U.K., €15.99 in Europe and AU$20.99 in Australia. Most modern Macs, MacBooks, and Mac minis will be able to download the operating system, and those who bought new Apple hardware in the past month will receive a free upgrade.
