Register Existing Software with the Mac App Store

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John Brownlee:

Yesterday we showed you how in OS X Mountain Lion, Software Update has shifted from its own app to the Mac App Store. But how will that work with updating apps that weren’t purchased through the App Store, but were instead bundled with your Mac at point-of-sale or installed from a DVD?

As you can see in the screenshot above, Apple’s got it covered: the Mountain Lion App Store will automatically detect any app that has historically been updated through Software Update and ask to register it to your Apple ID, along with a unique hardware identifier.

This is very exciting.

‘Apple to Take on Windows 8 With OS X Mountain Lion’

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Ben Brooks:

Paul ‘Supersite’ Thurrott on the OS X Mountain Lion release:

There were absolutely no rumors to indicate such a release was coming, and given the timing, one can logically assume that Apple is trying to steal some thunder from Microsoft’s eagerly-awaited Windows 8.

Apple CEO Tim Cook to the Wall Street Journal:

I don’t really think anything Microsoft does puts pressure on Apple

Who to believe, who to believe…

I bet Mountain Lion ships well before Windows 8. But! While Microsoft has been trying to get Office and Windows Phone 7 out, Apple has been sitting on it's hands so… not really a fair fight.

Apple - OS X Mountain Lion - Inspired by iPad. Made for the Mac.

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Apple.com:

In OS X Mountain Lion, sign in once with your Apple ID and iCloud is automatically set up across your Mac.

What I like the most is that picture of Pages for Mac synced with the Pages on iPhone/iPad. This has been the primary barrier keeping me from picking up the iWork suite for iOS.

Another App Store Lock-Down Piece

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Harrison Weber:

As you’ll see in Apple’s carefully worded explanation of Gatekeeper, each user is given the choice of deciding if they wish to allow non-App Store apps or not. But what’s the default setting going to be? In the screenshot provided by Apple, it looks like “Mac App Store and identified developers” is the default, and will likely go unchanged by the average, non-tinkering user.

The thrust of this piece by Weber is that Apple will eventually iOS-ify the Mac and force users (and developers) into the Mac App Store. This isn't going to happen. That will stop upgrades and it will slow growth. I, for one, welcome the change. I think the default setting is the right one and I can feel even more secure using my Mac than I do now. I use OnyX to scan new downloads from some third party site for potential threats — especially for programs that want my admin password. This will remove that fear. I'm very pleased. I'll be an early adopter for sure. Looks like a really solid release.

No OS X Mountain Lion Event

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Martin Bryant:

Apple sometimes pushes out simple press releases when it comes to minor announcements, but with big upgrades like an all-new messaging app,  tight iCloud integration and Notification Center on the desktop, Mountain Lion is well worth the live demo treatment.

I do wish there had been a live event. I don't really care for pickup up pieces here are there from everyone at the exact same moment. I prefer the Apple release and then a filtering down of deeper insights as the days roll on. With the Apple Education event just behind us and the iPad 3 event coming up on us fast I guess there wasn't a good time for it, but I wish they'd just given us bunch of events back-to-back anyway. It'd be like the late 90's and early 00's all over again.

iCloud In Mountain Lion Could Be a Big Headache for IT

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Ryan Faas:

In Mountain Lion, Apple is bringing the iOS document syncing feature to OS X along with Mac versions of the iOS Notes and Reminders apps. There’s also a Mac version of the iOS 5 notification center. These are all tremendously valuable features for business users, but the fact that they function by passing business content to Apple’s iCloud servers and onto the devices of employees and their family members is likely to be a big concern for CIOs.

I guess that's why corporate adoption of iPhones and iPads has been so low.

Siri for Mac

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So much great stuff from this post by John Gruber

There is a feature from the iPhone that I would love to see ported to the Mac, but which is not present in Mountain Lion: Siri. There’s either a strategic reason to keep Siri iPhone 4S-exclusive, or it’s a card Apple is holding to play at a later date.

Put my money down on the latter.

Gruber on Gatekeeper

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John Gruber:

My favorite Mountain Lion feature, though, is one that hardly even has a visible interface. Apple is calling it “Gatekeeper”. It’s a system whereby developers can sign up for free-of-charge Apple developer IDs which they can then use to cryptographically sign their applications. If an app is found to be malware, Apple can revoke that developer’s certificate, rendering the app (along with any others from the same developer) inert on any Mac where it’s been installed. In effect, it offers all the security benefits of the App Store, except for the process of approving apps by Apple. Users have three choices which type of apps can run on Mountain Lion:

  • Only those from the App Store
  • Only those from the App Store or which are signed by a developer ID
  • Any app, whether signed or unsigned

The default for this setting is, I say, exactly right: the one in the middle, disallowing only unsigned apps. This default setting benefits users by increasing practical security, and also benefits developers, preserving the freedom to ship whatever software they want for the Mac, with no approval process.

Call me nuts, but that’s one feature I hope will someday go in the other direction — from OS X to iOS.

This is an amazing idea! I have my fingers crossed for iOS 6 this summer!