Apple's new Mountain Lion for Macs roars

— -- The new Mac OS X Mountain Lion operating system software that Apple unleashes in the wild today doesn't represent as dramatic a change as Microsoft will be making this fall moving from Windows 7 to Windows 8. In Microsoft's case, the look and feel of its upcoming operating system — meant to be friendly for touch-capable tablets in addition to traditional PCs — is starkly different compared with earlier versions of Windows.

By contrast, in migrating from OS X Lion to Mountain Lion, the ninth significant release of OS X in 11 years, Apple takes the Mac on a path that will look awfully familiar to users of the iPad and iPhone. But the added features should please the Mac faithful just the same.

As part of Lion, Apple brought OS X ever closer to the iOS operating system at the heart of the company's prized tablet and smartphone. In several ways, Mountain Lion makes the two operating systems even more alike, raising the question of if, or perhaps, when, they will merge someday.

For now, users of the iPad and iPhone will recognize in Mountain Lion such iOS fixtures as Notification Center, Notes, Reminders, Game Center, Messages, Dictation and AirPlay Mirroring.

Among the updated features, I'm keen on Twitter and especially Facebook integration, plus improvements in the Safari Web browser. Throughout the operating system, Apple has placed a handy "share" button within apps, making it simple to share photos, videos, Web links and documents, with different options depending on the app. Mountain Lion is also the first version of OS X to come out since Apple introduced its iCloud service.

Apple is making a big deal about new features aimed at buyers in China, as well. Suffice to say, the typical American consumer will recognize a mere fraction of the more than 200 new features that Apple is claiming overall for Mountain Lion.

I've been testing Mountain Lion on a MacBook Pro loaner laptop. I also upgraded my own second-generation MacBook Air laptop, which was previously running Lion. My verdict: The collective changes in Mountain Lion are worth the relatively modest $19.99 price to upgrade, though you'll have to wait for some features. For example, the ability to display and keep your Facebook friends data fresh in the newly renamed Contacts app — it had been called the Address Book — comes as part of another software update this fall.

Other takeaways:

Taming Mountain Lion. The new operating system will be preloaded on new Macs, of course. Folks who bought a Mac on or after June 11 are eligible for a free upgrade.

Those paying for the upgrade must download the new operating system from the Mac App Store. After the purchase, you can freely install the software onto all the personal Macs you own, provided the machines meet the system minimum requirements. That basically eliminates an iMac or MacBook Pro dating to the middle of 2007 or earlier, a Mac Pro from early 2008 or before, a Mac mini from early 2009 or prior, and MacBooks and MacBook Airs that came out ahead of late 2008. Even if your machine can handle Mountain Lion, it might not be able to handle all the new features.

Exhibit A: On the MacBook Pro, I was able to successfully test AirPlay Mirroring, a feature that, through an optional Apple TV box, lets you wirelessly display what's on the Mac screen on a high-definition television. It wouldn't work on my Air, though.