Mountain Lion Non-Announcement

Apple posted a simple preview site of the new software for the Mac today on http://www.apple.com/macosx/mountain-lion. It's stunning to me that a new operating system is being previewed without an event. Imagine Windows 8 just showed up on a Microsoft website one day with no fanfare - yaaa, no.

Apple is moving to bring the iPad and iPhone experience to the Mac, but without just copying it. I have the best beta tester in the world - my dad - who can break anything and attach to incorrect logic chains better than anyone. To me, this new system is aimed squarely at him. It's his iPad, on his Mac, but tailored to it, not just copied.

However, that's not the most striking thing about this preview - that would be the "Non-announcement". If you've never read John Gruber's writing, now is the time to start:

We were sitting in a comfortable hotel suite in Manhattan just over a week ago. I’d been summoned a few days earlier by Apple PR with the offer of a private “product briefing”. I had no idea heading into the meeting what it was about. I had no idea how it would be conducted. This was new territory for me, and I think, for Apple.

His take on Apple's self awareness to have a non-announcement is fascinating.