July 2011 was a rather frustrating month for my Mac. As is my preference, I backed-up all data from the machine before wiping it clean, ready for its upgrade from Snow Leopard to the radically different Lion.
I've been a devotee to OS X since 2001's 10.1 release, and have always regarded it as by far the best operating system on the planet, mostly because of the way it slips quietly into the background, allowing me to focus on my work. There were very few distractions or interventions from the OS itself, certainly in comparison to the Windows machines I was still (at the time) forced to use at work.
So in spite of some worrying comments I'd read about Lion's attempt to ape iOS, as a self-confessed fanboy I downloaded 10.7, popped it onto a USB stick and proceeded to do a clean installation, expecting never to look back as I had not once needed to in the 10 years preceding. Sadly, within two weeks I found myself going through the same process all over again, backing-up and wiping my Mac, in order to revert back to Snow Leopard, the OS that my Mac shipped with.
I'm no luddite when it comes to technology, and especially anything Apple related, so what went wrong? Well, for the first time since my 'switch' from PCs to Macs, I felt Apple had got something horribly wrong. My Mac felt sluggish (yes, even after Spotlight had done its thing), the CPU fans were kicking-in more regularly and I somehow felt less productive. Suddenly I was 'aware' of my Mac - it was distracting me. On top of that, my initial reaction to Apple's rather clumsy attempt to 'iOSify' OS X was entirely negative. Was this really a full release of OS X? Are they sure it's not a beta? Granted Apple is now selling many more iOS devices than Macs, but suddenly it felt as though Apple were on a mission to undermine the essence of its desktop operating system. Lion felt like the result of a train crash between iOS and OS X, counter-intuitive, slowing my workflow.
It wasn't all negative. I liked the removal of the coloured lozenges used for buttons and scroll bars, and full-screen mode, such a simple thing, which seems to me a great way to promote a return to single-tasking, app multitasking having done so much damage to my ability to concentrate on my work. But really, for me, the dislikes were so far outweighing the likes that I felt no alternative but to revert back to Snow Leopard. Doing so brought instantaneous relief, almost like going home again, and my Mac cooled down and began to zip along once again. I really didn't miss anything about Lion throughout its year of tenure, in spite of all the tantalising articles and the inevitable subconscious peer pressure from the Mac faithful.
So now it's July 2012, and a new cat has prowled onto the scene. I liked what I was reading about the changes and refinements, and I'll admit the ludicrously low price gave me that 'what the hell, might as well try it' feeling. I also decided to take the plunge and invest in a Magic Trackpad at the same time, having heard all the positive comments about the gestures. And so the backup was made, Mountain Lion was downloaded and yesterday my Mac was wiped-clean ready for the big installation. This time I wanted to like what I found on the far side, and I'm delighted to say that - 24 hours later - I do.
It does seem to me that Apple is openly experimenting with its loyal Mac user base, but as John Siracusa points out in his excellent and exhaustive review of the new OS, traditional Mac users are unlikely to be the primary focus of the big Apple now that vastly more of its profits are coming from the millions of iPhones and iPads it's selling every quarter. The reality is that the way we interface with our computing devices is changing, evolving. Touch screens are becoming more common in our lives and the way applications behave and interoperate is being increasingly driven by the cloud services we are using more every day. iCloud is by no means the first, but the point is the integration at the OS level, impacting decades of file system traditions. My feeling is that we're in the middle of a migration from the desktop of old to the infinitely versatile computing device of the future, and right now OS X has a foot in both camps. The old guard lovers of the traditional desktop OS may have to accept that Snow Leopard was the last of the line, from Apple at least.
These matters of taste aside, Mountain Lion feels ready for prime time to me, in a way Lion immediately did not, almost from the moment I began using it. My Mac seems happy running it (even at the dot zero release), and the extras make it a more compelling upgrade for me. I also have to say that as long as my fingers are cool enough to use it (it's been extremely hot in the author's study this week), the Magic Trackpad is quickly becoming my new pointing device of choice and I love the gestures. Tip for those new to these things; don't rest your wrist on the table but try to float your arm - I think it's a healthier way to use the thing.
So, to wrap this up, Mountain Lion is, I would say, worthy of your attention if - like me - you balked and rejected Lion. You won't like everything about it if you're a long-time Mac user, but the irritating elements are (fairly) easy to ignore. For me, the pros now outweigh the cons, so I think I'll be sticking with this particular cat.
What do you think? Are you a desktop traditionalist still clinging to Snow Leopard, or a diehard fanboy who'll lap-up anything Cupertino waves in front of you? Whatever your leaning, it would be interesting to hear your thoughts.
