Apple’s newest version of Mac OS X (dubbed Mountain Lion) was released on July 25th. If you own a Mac, you may be wondering whether you should upgrade the first day or wait before taking the plunge.
In the past, some versions of Mac OS X have had distinctive features that made upgrading an easy choice. Tiger (OS X 10.4) introduced system-wide searching with Spotlight. Leopard (OS X 10.5) added Time Machine, a built-in backup utility. The new Mountain Lion on the other hand, doesn’t have that one must-have feature. Instead, the Mountain Lion has 200+ smaller improvements, including:
- iCloud integration — “Automatic and effortless. Just sign in once with your Apple ID and iCloud is set up in all the apps that use it. Suddenly, life’s easier to juggle.” (source: Apple.com)
- Reminders — “iCloud keeps your reminders up to date on your Mac, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, so you don’t forget anything.” (source: Apple.com)
- Notes — “Notes is designed for whatever’s on your mind, wherever you happen to be. Think it up. Jot it down. Make it even more noteworthy with photos, images, and attachments.” (source: Apple.com)
- iMessage — “Messages appear on your Mac and any device you use, which means you can say hi from your Mac and keep chatting on your iPhone or iPad.” (source: Apple.com)
- Notification Center — “Notifications always appear in the same spot on your desktop and disappear quickly so they don’t clutter up your screen.” (source: Apple.com)
On top of adding over 200 features, Mac OS X Mountain Lion only costs $19.99 per Mac to upgrade. So the question then becomes, “Why not?” The first issue is whether or not your Mac can even run Mountain Lion. If you bought your Mac prior to 2007, you may be out of luck. Even if you bought it after 2007, you’ll want to check out Apple’s instructions on how to make sure you’re able to upgrade.
Another concern, as with every OS X release, is that there are bound to be a few bugs that pop up during the initial release. You may want to wait a few weeks to let Apple get the bugs out. And, as always, make sure you have a thorough backup before upgrading.
If you’re still unsure whether to make the jump or not, OAC Technology, a Minneapolis-based IT company, can help you decide if Mountain Lion is right for your business.
