Posted by Mike Wehner

While many of us may still be adjusting to the plethora of changes brought forth by Apple’s Lion operating system, the company isn’t wasting any time readying its next software revamp for release. Called Mountain Lion, OS X 10.8 will add over 100 new features, though — as with all new Apple OS rollouts — most users will likely only notice a few.

Gatekeeper, a new security feature that will be introduced in Mountain Lion, gives users more precise control over the apps they download from the Mac App Store and other sites around the web. You’ll be able to set permissions for app developers you trust, or even completely lock down your computer, allowing only Apple-verified software to make a home on your system.

Taking a page out of their iOS mobile operating system’s playbook, Apple will also launch a new notification system with Mountain Lion. Called the Notification Center, the new feature will compile all calendar, messages, reminders, and mail alerts into one, easy-to-browse location. If you have iOS 5 installed on your iPhone or iPad, you’ll already be familiar with how this new feature works, and it should feel rather familiar even on the larger screen of your desktop or laptop.

Registered Apple developers have access to the beta version of Mountain Lion today, but the formal launch won’t take place until later this summer.

source: tecca