Apple has announced the next version of their OS, which now drops the mac name and is just OS X Mountain Lion. This continues bringing OS X and iOS closer together.

New features include:

• Further integration with iCloud, which keeps your mail, calendar, contacts and documents in sync.
• iChat has become Messages, and includes support for messaging with iOS devices and you can download a beta today. It is still a little rough, but being able to have my iMessages synced across all my devices is very cool.
• Reminders is now on the Mac and syncs with iOS, though this should have been there from the start.
• Notes is now on the Mac as welll
• Notification Center on the Mac access with a 2 finger swipe is just like the iOS version, and looks like it will replace GROWL for notifications on the Mac.
• Share Sheets allows you to contextually aware share where you are from Safari, Notes, iPhoto
• Twitter has been fully integrated into the OS, just like on iOS
• Game Center is now integrated into the OS, and you can supposedly play some games between the mac and iOS.
• AirPlay Mirroring allows you to mirror your computer to your Apple TV.
• Gatekeeper is the most controversial new feature, initially is set to only allow apps from the Mac App Store, but can be turned off so you can install your own Apps.
• Another unannounced feature is that Sotfware Update is now gone and integrated into the Mac App Store. This one I find weird, as you don’t upgrade your iOS device through the app store, you have to go into settings to do the update, so why shouldn’t you have to go to Software Update?

Of course it doesn’t come out to till the summer so features will change, and hopefully the color finder icons will return!

AND AN IMPORTANT NOTE FOR EDITORS AS FINAL CUT PRO 7 will likely no longer work on Mountain Lion, so it is time to move on.

Tags: Snow Lion