With the next version of Apple's OS X operating system for its Mac computers, the company has one clear message: If you're going to buy one Apple product, you might as well keep buying more.
Apple on Thursday released a preview of the software, called Mountain Lion. It introduces several new features that move it closer to iOS, the software running on iPhones and iPads. While Apple is the world's biggest smartphone maker, its share of the PC market is still small, so tying the two together could help it sell more computers.
Mountain Lion includes some apps and features that were previously exclusive to Apple's mobile devices: Messages, Notes, Reminders and Notification Center. And it has a strong focus on iCloud, Apple's online service for storing and synchronizing data between mobile devices and Macs.
When users first start up Mountain Lion, they are asked to enter their iCloud credentials. This way, content like notes, messages and event reminders can be easily shared between multiple Apple devices. For example, if a user jots something down in the Notes app on an iPhone or iPad, that same note will appear in the Notes app in Mountain Lion on a Mac.
Apple's iCloud is one of several new cloud services available from technology companies, including Amazon, Dropbox and Microsoft. Though the details of these services vary among companies, they traditionally focus on storing files on online servers as opposed to a local hard drive, so multiple devices can have access to the data over an Internet connection.
Apple is thinking about "a world where the personal cloud is rapidly displacing the personal computer as the center of the consumer's digital life," said Michael Gartenberg, an industry analyst with Gartner.
With the Mountain Lion update, Apple is calling the overall operating system OS X, instead of Mac OS X. This move and the continuing convergence between Macs and iOS devices raises questions about
whether one day, the two products will run the same operating system. Gartenberg said he didn't think that would be the case.
"When you try to unify those devices, you end up with weird devices," he said. Apple is creating a similar look and feel for the two operating systems to create a sense of familiarity among its different computing platforms, which could make customers more loyal to the brand, Gartenberg said.
In other words, the similarities and new features mean that if you own an iPhone, it makes more sense to buy a Mac as opposed to a Windows PC. Or if you own a Mac, you might as well get an iPhone or iPad, as opposed to an Android device.
"Consumers don't like change and they don't like uncertainty," said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at the NPD Group. "When I, as the consumer, know that I can get a consistent experience across all my devices, it makes it much easier for me to buy products from that company since I know the learning curve will be short."
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