Apple's OS X Mountain Lion launches, should you upgrade?

People walk by a poster for the new OSX Mountain Lion operating system at the Apple's World Wide Developers Conference on June 11, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif.

/ Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

(CBS News) Apple officially launched its newest Macintosh operating system Mountain Lion, OS X 10.8, on Wednesday.

Mac OS X Mountain Lion retails for $19.99 at the App Store. And while the price is right, it may not be the best choice for everyone.

What you need to know about Apple's new OS X
Apple OS X Mountain Lion may drop support for older Macs
WWDC 2012: OS X Mountain Lion, iCloud, iOS 6 updates

First, you should check to see if your computer is compatible with Mountain Lion. Several MacBook models dated before 2008 are not supported devices. There is also the possibility that your computer is still running Leopard. The upgrade is available for computers running Snow Leopard - OS X 10.6.8 - or later. This may be obvious, but if your computer is not supported, it's best not to upgrade.

Some may hold out because they don't need the deep integration with the mobile operating system iOS or are not using the cloud storage service iCloud. Mountain Lion's addition of iOS apps like Game Center, iMessage and Reminders makes experiencing the Apple ecosystem seamless. But if you don't own an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, those features may not be "must-haves."

Most people who are active Mac users will probably want to upgrade, however. Aside from over 200 new features, keeping your operating system updated will ensure that future software you install will be compatible. Apple added some buzz-worthy features like Facebook integration, AirPlay mirroring and iOS apps.

With Facebook integration, Mac users will be able to share anything they want to several services, including Facebook, using a feature called Share Sheet. Apple's Share Sheet is a pop-up menu that lets users share photos, files or text to services, like Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. This feature will not be available until the fall, suggesting that Facebook will launch simultaneously with Apple's mobile operating system iOS 6.

AirPlay mirroring is another feature that has gotten a lot of attention. Now Mac users can watch videos in 1080p on their high-definition televisions over Wi-Fi, using Apple TV or iTunes.

The addition of iOS apps to the Mac OS is a huge vote of confidence in the future of mobile computing. Features like iMessage, Reminders and Game Center will sync nicely through all devices. And with iCloud enabled, photos and videos will also sync across Macs, iPhones and iPads.

Mac OS X Mountain Lion is available now at the Apple App Store.

17 Photos

First Look: Mac OS X Mountain Lion

[jscott418-21618367473133020464]

Much of Mountain Lion features are for the Apple purists with multiple Apple products. That's a good thing if all your friends have Apple products. Its bad if your friends have a Android phone or a PC or maybe a Android tablet. Same goes for a person like me who has a array of different products like a nexus 7 tablet, a Mac, and a Windows phone. None of which talk to one another. This is however becoming more of a normal person these days and while Apple keeps thinking if you buy one Apple product you'll buy them all. They miss the fact that they handicap their operating systems to operate with the rest of the world. So while Mountain Lion is great if you live in a Apple world. Its not so great if you don't.

[WAKAMA]

While searching for some information about the "OS X Mountain Lion is not compatible with this computer" error message I kept getting when trying to purchase Mountain Lion from the App Store on my Mac Pro, I came across this Apple Support Community forum post, https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4135260, which explains that if your Mac is older than a certain year (varies per model)... tough luck!! Regardless of how much RAM you have, or your how fast your multi-core-processors are, or how many GB of disk space you have available, you are simply not allowed to even purchase Mountain Lion from the App Store on that computer.
I think this is ridiculous, and I let them know by posting my thoughts about this on that forum mentined above. Sure enough though, Apple quickly removed it (literally within a few minutes), because it contained "Discussion of Apple Policies, Procedures or Decisions". So I've decided to re-post that comment they deleted on every single online news article, blog, & forum I can find out there on this topic.

Here's a copy of that post that Apple deleted with my thoughts on this...
====================
Seriously Apple??!! You've GOT TO BE KIDDING!! If you're looking to loose clientele fast, this is a GREAT WAY to do it!

I completely agree that you need to have minimum requirements such as OS X v10.6.8 or later, 2GB of memory, 8GB of available space in order to upgrade to the latest OS. That's perfectly reasonable. BUT... telling us that we need to have a Mac from a more recent year, even if our current one far exceeds those other minimum hardware/software requirements... THAT'S ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS APPLE!!! That's just a way to try to milk your past customers for new cash and its UNACCEPTABLE! Take for example the system that MHaddon mentions in his post above, which has:

2 x 3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
Memory: 16 GB
Graphics: ATI Radeo HD 5770 1024 MB
Software: Mac OS X Lion 10.7.4

Are you SERIOUSLY expecting folks to spend another $4,000 on a new system with similar specs simply because they bought theirs prior to 2008 or whatever date is it???!!! I DON'T THINK SO! THIS IS ABSURD APPLE! Seriously, GET A GRIP!
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If anyone else thinks similarly, please let Apple know at http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html

[jscott418-21618367473133020464]

I totally agree that its funny how your Mac was touted only a few years ago as being the best and now its not even supported by Apple's Mountain Lion. I myself own only a Macbook Pro now and when that's wore out or Apple chooses not to support it anymore I will not be buying another Mac. Maybe I will buy a iPad or just go Linux. The fact that Microsoft can support Windows XP for a decade and also support older hardware in Windows 7 and 8 just proves to me that Apple cares nothing about its customer other then to create a atmosphere of having them keep buying more Apple products. It makes Apple a lot of money and makes you and me poor.

[BigFigJam]

Absolutely agree...i have IMAC (of course its 2007 but with all the necessary specs otherwise, a macbook air, and an iphone....im through...making the switch...having the icloud is not worth all this...tired of breaking iphones only to hear "not under warranty", the iphone AT&T two year contract screwjob (you know the one where you pay $99 plus two hundred in tax because iphone prices their phone at $700 (as if its worth that), now this ....i have my laptop on the lion but not my Imac (where i keep all my contacts and calendar. MAC you have really lost your way....stoked they opened a windows store here...see ya frank