Mountain Lion preview! Will your Mac run it?

Apple surprised me when it announced Mountain Lion. I'm just getting used to Lion and now something new in the future.

The first question many of you will want to know is whether your Mac will run Mountain Lion. Here is a preliminary list of what Macs will run the Developer Preview:

Apple hasn't made an official announcement about which Macs will be able to run the new OS. However, the following models are supported by the initial developer preview version:

• iMac: 2007 and later
• Mac mini: 2009 and later
• Mac Pro: 2008 and later
• MacBook: Late 2008 and later
• MacBook Air: Late 2008 and later
• MacBook Pro: 2007 and later
• Xserve: 2009

You may notice that some models supported by Lion aren't in that list--just because your Mac can run Lion doesn't mean it will be able to run Mountain Lion. Specifically, the following models can run Lion, but aren't compatible with the initial developer preview of Mountain Lion:

• 2006 iMacs
• Mid 2007 Mac mini
• 2006 and 2007 Mac Pro
• 2008 (original) MacBook Air
• Early 2008 and earlier MacBook
• 2006 (15-inch and 17-inch) MacBook Pro
• 2006 and 2008 Xserve

For more information go here in PCWorld.com and here in PCMag.com 

News and Views

All signs point to Apple announcing the iPad 3 on Wednesday, March 7. It started with a report at iMore.com. Jim Dalrymple at LoopInsight, who is known to have internal Apple sources, confirmed the report with a “Yep.”

The very high resolution “Retina Display” is anticipated by most sources.  Also, Apple will use an “A6” processor, but whether it stays dual core, like the iPad 2’s A5 chip, or goes quad-core, remains to be seen.

Whether Apple will offer 4G LTE cell service in the top-of-the-line models remains to be seen. Qualcomm has made the hardware, but it’s not known if Apple implemented it.

So all I have got is rumors. Like the smell of steak on the grill, it’s very tempting; but you have to wait for the real taste test.

The Macbook is Dead, Long Live the MacBook

Apple has confirmed that it has phased out the white Macbook (my companion in computing since November 2006) for all customers, even the education market. From now on, the low-end model is the $999 11” MacBook  Air.

But fear not! Apple plans to release revised MacBook Pros this year. Apple will make them very thin. These new models will use SSDs instead of hard drives and ditch the internal SuperDrive.

The 15” MacBook Pro will get the first revision, since it’s the most popular model.  The 17” model comes next and I look forward to seeing one of these at the Apple Store.

Apple faces competition from the Ultrabooks originated by Intel and sold by ASUS and Acer and HP and Dell. Well, they in turn, face the problem of a lack of CNC milling machines. Apple has most of them engaged in making chassis for its products.  So the competitors have to make due with plastic or hybrid plastic & aluminum designs.

The Editor’s new Mac Mini

Yes, the editor has finally upgraded to a Mac Mini running 10.7.3. I’m still learning about 10.7.3 on a personal level.

I am pleased to say that this hardware and software will run videos without causing a kernal panic. I had to watch The Overtime segment of Bill Maher’s HBO show posted on-line on my Windows 7 machine. Not any more!

I have found a solution for running Quicken 2006 on the new machine by using VNC (Virtual Network Computing). I’ve set up a simple client-server network, with the old white MacBook as the server offering up Quicken 2006; and the aluminum Mac Mini as the client, where I access the program via the Chicken VNC client program.

Will I upgrade to the Lion –compatible version of Quicken 2007 announced by Intuit


Maybe. Intuit didn’t say when they would bring it out and what it would cost. 

Speculation about the iPad 3

While I wait for the iPad 3, I have dug up some speculation about what it will come with.

1. Retina Display. Considering that Android devices have surpassed the iOS devices in sheer number of pixels pushed onto the screen (at least in the premium devices), I would anticipate an increase in the display's resolution.

2. Apple will probably name the processor in the iPad 3 the A6, succeeding the A5 in the iPad 2. The RAM memory will probably get bumped up, too, if only to handle the increased number of pixels in the display.

3. How about an HD camera for video chats? That's what many people use their tablets and iPads for.  Speculation is that, yes, Apple will improve the camera that faces you.

4. How about hopping on the 4G cellphone network? this is speculation. If Apple did release a 4G iPad, that would indicate a 4G iPhone would follow. Does Apple consider 4G a mature enough technology for it to use? We shall see.

5. Siri?! Again this is up in the air. If Apple did include it, I would buy an iPad 3 in a heartbeat.

6. The All Things D website reports that Apple will announce the iPad 3 early in March. So when is it available? Follow the link.

7. Will it look different from the iPad 1 and 2? Look, why argue with success? Maybe a little thicker and heavier to accommodate the new display, but not a lot different from previous models.

8. Discussion about the iPad. Look at the discussion threads following this article. They pose interesting questions, such as how often do you use your iPad now that you've had it awhile?

Where to download files mentioned 02-01-2012

Here's where to download files mentioned in last night's presentation. Just click on the filenames.

Applejack

OmniDiskSweeper

JDiskReport

Super-Duper!