A year after it rolled out the Mac OS X Lion, Apple again plans to introduce a new version of its desktop operating system. The update—dubbed Mountain Lion—will ship this summer. As with Lion, this latest version of OS X will incorporate many features first introduced in Apple’s iOS mobile operating system, as Apple looks to bolster the interoperability of its two platforms.
Apple previewed Mountain Lion on Thursday, rolling out a developer release of its new OS. The company also released a public beta of Messages, a revamped version of its iChat messaging app that replicates much of the functionality found in the iOS version of Messages.
In addition to Messages, Mountain Lion also adapts such iOS features as Reminders, Notes, Notification Center, Twitter integration, Game Center, and AirPlay Mirroring for the Mac. Mountain Lion also adds options for limiting the kinds of apps users can install and increases the integration with iCloud, Apple’s data-syncing service.
