

Although it has not been officially confirmed by Apple, the reason is widely believed to be that drivers for the graphics systems in those older set-ups are all 32-bit.

This list omits some older MacBook Pros, iMacs, and Mac Pro models that can have compatible processors and run a 64-bit kernel.

In practice, this means the following Macs support Mountain Lion:

Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion requires a Mac with at least an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, an “advanced” graphics processor, and (since Mountain Lion is 64-bit through and through) a logic board that can support a 64-bit kernel. If you’re running an older Mac with Mac OS 10.5 “Leopard” or Mac OS X 10.4 “Tiger,” the answer is maybe…and your path to Mountain Lion will probably be at bit complicated. The first question, of course, is “Can my Mac run Mountain Lion?” The basic answer is that if you’re running Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion” or Mac OX 10.6 “Snow Leopard,” the answer is probably yes. Mountain Lion also picks up new security features to help keep things like the Flashback botnet from happening again, deepens integration with Apple’s iCloud services, and offers built-in dictation so users enter text into almost any app just by speaking.Īpple is also upping its upgrade game with Mountain Lion: it’ll be available as a download from the Mac App store for just $19.99 - pretty much the lowest price ever charged for a mainstream commercial desktop operating system.īing Chat: how to use Microsoft’s own version of ChatGPTīut is there a catch? What do Mac users need to know before they upgrade to Mountain Lion? Is your Mac compatibile? With Mountain Lion, Mac OS X is getting things like Game Center, Messages, Notification Center, one-step sharing to services like Twitter and Flickr, and (eventually) integrated Facebook support. Once you’ve got your Mac prepped, make sure to check out our review of OS X Mountain Lion.Īpple is set to launch Mac OS X 10.8 “Mountain Lion” this week, adding a spate of new features to its desktop operating system-many of which are borrowed and adapted from its even more widely-used iOS mobile operating system.
