Apple unveils preview of Mountain Lion OS

Apple has introduced a developer preview of OS X Mountain Lion, which brings popular apps and features from iPad to the Mac.

Mountain Lion introduces messages, notes, reminders and game center to the Mac, as well as notification center, share sheets, Twitter integration and AirPlay Mirroring.

It is the first OS X release built with iCloud in mind for easy setup and integration with apps. The developer preview also introduces Gatekeeper, a security feature that helps keep the users safe from malicious software by providing control over what apps are installed on the Mac.

The preview release of Mountain Lion is available to Mac developer program members. Mac users will be able to upgrade to Mountain Lion from the Mac App Store in the summers of 2012.

''The developer preview of Mountain Lion comes just seven months after the incredibly successful release of Lion and sets a rapid pace of development for the world’s most advanced personal computer operating system,'' said Philip Schiller, senior VP, worldwide marketing, Apple.

It features new messages app which replaces iChat and allows the users to send unlimited messages, high-quality photos and videos directly from Mac to another Mac or iOS device.It also comprise of features specifically designed to support Chinese users, including enhancements to the Chinese input method. and the option to select Baidu search in Safari.