Apple OS X Mountain Lion: Top 5 Features Explained

OS X Mountain Lion, which debuted last week, has drawn a lot of attention as the latest operating system aims at bridging the gap between Mac and iOS devices.

Many of the iPad features have been ported to this new ‘cat’. Developers have already got their hands on Mountain Lion though consumers have to wait until summer to grab their copy. Apple said there are more than 100 new features in this version, ranging from cloud storage to new security mechanism and social networking capabilities.

The top 5 features of Mountain Lion are explained below:

iCloud

Apple’s own cloud storage, named iCloud, was introduced last year along with iOS 5. Now iCloud is going to be a key feature in Mac too, as it was in iOS 5. Mountain Lion has a deep iCloud integration offering 5 GB of free online storage. However, only the apps purchased through Mac Store will be integrated with iCloud.

Messages

Messages is a complete replacement for the existing iChat application with some newly added features to it. Messages is simply a multi-protocol IM with support for Gmail, Jabber, AIM and Yahoo Messenger accounts. Not only messages, users can also send photos and videos in attachment. Any file of size up to 100 MB can be sent through Messages. The best feature is that this app automatically syncs with iOS device too. It means you can start a conversation on Mac desktop and carry it further on an iPad.

Twitter Integration

Apple desktops have just gone social friendly. This feature is something that Twitter fans will admire the most. There is deep Twitter integration in Mountain Lion. Just sign in to your Twitter account and start tweeting directly from supported application like Safari and Photo Booth.

Game Center

Mac has got a bad reputation for gaming support. With Game Center, it looks that Apple is trying to give it a good image. Game Center gives a whole new multiplayer gaming experience. Users can send friend requests in Game Center, view leadership board and play against buddies in games.

Reminders & Notes

Reminders & Notes is another feature imported from the iPad. This app lets you note down important things and set a deadline, and Mac will always remind you of them. On the other hand, Notes let you pour all your thoughts on a paper and even attach photo, video, etc.

(Reported by Johnny Wills, Edited by Surojit Chatterjee)