Next generation of Apple’s desktop software, Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion will be available from the App Store in July.

Demoed on stage at the firm’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), Apple’s next big-cat themed operating system update will bring over 200 new features to Macbook laptops.

As well as those features we already know of, Craig Federighi, VP of Mac OS engineering, today unveiled some yet-unseen features of Mountain Lion, including a new silent update option called Power Nap. There’s also Facebook integration, system-wide sharing via Flickr and Vimeo, Dictation and a new Gatekeeper feature, which makes downloading software from the Internet safer by giving you control over which apps can be installed on your Mac.

“The pace of innovation on the Mac is amazing, OS X Mountain Lion comes just a year after the incredibly successful launch of Lion,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With iCloud built right in and the new Notification Center, Messages, Dictation, Facebook integration and more, this is the best OS X yet.”

The upgrade to Mountain Lion will be available to users running Snow Leopard or Lion, and will be available to download from the App Store next month for $19.99. Given our luck here in the UK, it will probably cost us £20 too.

Additional new features in Mountain Lion include:

• AirPlay Mirroring, an easy way to wirelessly send an up-to-1080p secure stream of what’s on your Mac to an HDTV using Apple TV®, or send audio to a receiver or speakers that use AirPlay;
• Game Center, which brings the popular social gaming network from iOS to the Mac so you can enjoy live, multiplayer games with friends whether they’re on a Mac, iPhone, iPad or iPod touch;
• a faster Safari® with a unified Smart Search Field, iCloud Tabs that present your open tabs across your devices, and a new Tab View to quickly swipe through them;
• new features for China, including significantly improved text input, a new Chinese Dictionary, easy setup with popular email providers, Baidu search in Safari, built-in sharing to Sina Weibo and popular video websites Youku and Tudou; and
• over 1,700 new APIs that give developers access to the latest core OS and web technologies, as well as the newest features of OS X, including Documents in the Cloud, Notifications, Sharing and Game Center.

via The Inquirer