Minor additions that matter quite a lot, especially when taken with the whole shebang

Jun 18, 2012 20:51 GMT  ·  By

For the past six months, Apple has touted key features in OS X 10.8 such as iCloud, Messages, Notification Center, system-wide Sharing, and more. There are a few, less-discussed features that are also making their way inside Mountain Lion this summer.

Showcased at WWDC this year, Mountain Lion is nearing completion. On top of the features we’ve already dissected time and time again since February (when Apple rolled out the first beta to developers), Mountain Lion includes additional goodies, such as:

1. AirPlay Mirroring, described by Apple as an easy way to beam a secure stream of what’s on your Mac to an HDTV using the company’s set-top box. The same technology lets you wirelessly send audio to a receiver or AirPlay-enabled third-party speakers.

2. Game Center, a social gaming network now shared by iOS and Mac OS X “so you can enjoy live, multiplayer games with friends whether they’re on a Mac, iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.”

3. Safari with a brand-new, unified Smart Search Field, and iCloud Tabs. You can start browsing on your iPad and then finish off on your Mac, where you’ll find the exact same tabs open. The Tab View lets you quickly swipe through your open web sites, facilitating a more visual navigation experience between your opened tabs.

4. China for the win! The new Mountain Lion will appeal to our Asian friends with “significantly improved text input, a new Chinese Dictionary, easy setup with popular email providers, Baidu search in Safari, and built-in sharing to Sina Weibo and popular video websites Youku and Tudou.”

5. 1,700+ new APIs (application programming interface) so that developers can leverage the latest core OS and web technologies to make their software more integrated with the Mac operating system, resulting in a more stable and streamlined experience for the user. These APIs include a bunch of code that also allow integration with key OS X functions and, Documents in the Cloud, Notifications, Game Center, and Sharing.

Although these “minor” features aren’t as heavily marketed as others, they help build the next-generation OS X experience as much as anything. OS X Mountain Lion is scheduled to ship next month. The exact launch date is yet to be announced.

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Safari in Mountain Lion (Apple promo material)
Game Center in Mountain Lion (Apple promo material)
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