June 11, 2012 at 3:33 PM ET
The latest version of Apple's OS X will arrive in July for $19.99, it was announced Monday at the company's Worldwide Developer Conference keynote. Mountain Lion, as version 10.8 is nicknamed, looks much the same as it did when it was previewed back in February, but there are a few new features as well.
Facebook integration has been added to the ubiquitous share button, so you can fire off photos and calendar items to the social network without having to open a browser. iOS received a similar upgrade; it's clear that social is a high priority for Apple right now.
There's also a new feature called PowerNap, which lets your computer download updates and receive messages while it's sleeping. Some have pointed out that Windows 8 does something similar with Connected Standby; both were likely inspired by mobile devices with always-on internet connections that can get over-the-air updates while in your pocket.
Sadly, PowerNap only works on the new MacBook Pros and later models of MacBook Air. So if you're on vintage Apple hardware, that's one feature you won't be getting in July.
Developers will be able to preview the new OS starting today, so there may be more news hidden away in its code. Occasionally, these preview versions yield references to unannounced hardware and features. For now, you can learn more about Mountain Lion from its official site.
Devin Coldewey is acontributing writer for msnbc.com. His personal website iscoldewey.cc.
