New Apple Mac OS to include mobile features

Apple has released a developer preview of OS X Mountain Lion, the next version of OS X after Snow Leopard, which will include features from the iPad.

Mountain Lion introduced the new Messages app, which allowed the sending of unlimited messages, photos and videos from a Mac to another Mac or iOS device, Notes, Reminders, Game Center, Notification Center, Share Sheets, Twitter integration and AirPlay Mirroring to the Mac, Apple said.

Mountain Lion also featured Gatekeeper, a new security feature that gave you control over the apps downloaded and installed on the Mac, as well has features specifically designed to support Chinese users, including enhancements to the Chinese input method, Apple said.

Chief executive Tim Cook told the Wall Street Journal that anywhere it made sense to move apps and functionality over to Mac, Apple would.  The newest OS X version was the clearest sign yet of Apple's belief that mobile, laptop and desktop would converge, the Journal reported.

Mr Cook said both laptops and tablets would continue to co-exist, but did not rule out that the technologies might converge further, the Journal said.
When Mr Cook was asked if Apple's iPhones, iPads and Macs might run the same microprocessor chips, he said: "We think about everything. We don't close things off."

The release follows Apple's results last quarter, with 15.43 million iPads sold during the quarter, up 111% over the year-ago quarter, and 37.04 million iPhones sold, up 128%.  The company sold 5.2 million Macs during the quarter, a 26% rise on the year-ago quarter. 

The Wall Street Journal said according to IDC, Macs represented 5.4% of global PC shipments in the fourth quarter, up 4.5% from the year earlier.

Apple worldwide marketing senior vice president Philip Schiller said the Mac was on a roll, growing faster than the PC for 23 quarters. 

The Journal said the Apple would selling the new software in late summer and that not all mobile features would make it to the Mac, with important differences remaining according to both Mr Cook and Mr Schiller, such as the need for different touch interfaces on mobile devices.