Mountain Lion Release Date and Features: Apple Announces Computers that are not Compatible with OS X 10.8

Apple is looking to wow its huge user base with the OS X Mountain Lion; but not everyone will be that fortunate.

Apple recently announced that six models of Macs will not be able to support the OS X Mountain Lion. They include:

• Macs introduced in January 2006
• MacBooks made prior to the introduction of the all-aluminum models in 2008
• MacBook Pros made prior to June 2007
• MacBook Air model introduced in January 2008
• Mac Minis made before 2009
• Mac Pros made before 2008
• Xserve hardware made before 2009

According to Tech News World, Apple has not confirmed or opted to explain why these machines will not support Mountain Lion, but many reports indicate that the graphics information of the system may be the main reason.

According to Arstechnica, the older 64-bit machines do not have graphics chips capable of handling the new technology under Mountain Lion. Previous Apple operating systems Lion and Snow Leopard were more flexible with graphics capabilities of older computers, but it seems that Mountain Lion is pushing the envelope in a direction that these computers cannot handle. Users that cannot utilize Mountain Lion can still run Lion and its predecessor Snow Leopard and according to Tech News World, Apple will continue to support those two systems for at least one year after Mountain Lion's release.

According to Techland, Apple has stated that the new OS will have over 200 features. Sources indicate that Mountain Lion could be available on July 25 and will cost about $20 at the Apple App Store.

Any user who purchased a Mac on June 11 of this year or after will be able to obtain Mountain Lion for Free.

Interestingly, some users have suggested the release date for the OS X 10.8 to be July 17 since the calendar in a Mountain Lion displaying macbook on Apple's website displays the date. According to another user, the significance of July 17 is as follows:

"All Macs since 2002 have shown the date in iCal as July 17th. A significant date to Apple I am told, on July 17, 2002 Apple had released a boatload of software and the date was significant enough to use in future releases. Look at some official pictures of Lion, Snow Leopard, etc. (Apple's pictures, not someones screenshots) they have the same date July 17th. "

Upgrading to Mountain Lion

Here are the upgrade steps from Apple's website:

Step 1:

Your Mac must be one of the following models:

- iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)

- MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or 2009 or newer)

- MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)

- MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)

- Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)

- Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)

- Xserve (Early 2009)

If you are running Lion, you can find out if your current Mac qualifies by clicking the Apple icon at the top left of your screen, choosing About This Mac, then clicking More Info.

Step 2:

While you have the About This Mac window open, check what version of OS X your Mac is running.

If you are running Lion (10.7.x), you're ready to update to Mountain Lion. Go to Step 3. If you are running Snow Leopard (10.6.x), update to the latest version of OS X Snow Leopard before you purchase OS X Mountain Lion from the Mac App Store. Click the Apple icon and choose Software Update to install Snow Leopard v10.6.8, the latest version.

Step 3:

Open the Mac App Store from your Dock to buy and download Mountain Lion. Then follow the onscreen instructions to install it. If you don't have broadband access, you can visit any Apple Retail Store to get help with downloading.

RELATED STORIES:

Mountain Lion Release Date and Top Features for Apple's Latest OS X 10.8 Upgrade

Mountain Lion Release Date: Apple Upgrade Likely to be Downloadable on July 25, Sources Say  

Windows 8 Release Date Nears, Uncertainty Causes PC Sales to Fall in Second Quarter 2012

Windows 8, OS X Mountain Lion: Release Dates, Features, Price of the Upcoming Microsoft and Apple Software