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Apple's latest desktop operating system flavor, OS X Mountain Lion, is now available in the company's Mac App Store. Apple announced yesterday that Mountain Lion would be available today.

The software will set users back $19.99 via the App Store. Those who bought the operating system at any point on or after June 11 will be eligible for a free upgrade to the operating system. Apple will also be bundling it in current Mac purchases from this point forward.

The software comes with over 200 improvements, including wide-ranging integration of iOS features, like Twitter, Apple's Game … Read more

Apple says the next major version of its Mac operating system will roll out to consumers tomorrow morning.

The news came tucked inside Apple's third-fiscal-quarter earnings release where Apple reported earnings of $9.32 per share on revenues of $35 billion. The company pulled the same announcement trick for OS X 10.7, announcing its next-day availability during a conference call last year.

As a quick recap, the $19.99 software update brings a handful of iOS features to Macs, including the notes and reminders apps. It adds a few other things, like Twitter integration, Apple's Game Center, … Read more

Tuesday's top stories score a touchdown against trolls:

YouTube is hoping to reduce its troll population by letting users go by their real names. Google+ accounts can now be used as a YouTube identity. The switch can be done in settings. Before making the change, users can review past activity and delete any undesirable comments. But this isn't a required switch. Users can keep their existing account names.

Video game publisher Electronic Arts may not have the monopoly over pigskin for long. Back in 2008, EA was sued for making exclusive licensing deals with the NFL, NCAA and … Read more

Those of you who picked up a Mac on or after June 11 can soon pounce on a free upgrade to Mountain Lion.

Courtesy of Apple's OS X Mountain Lion Up-to-Date Program, consumers who bought a Mac from Apple or from an Apple authorized reseller between June 11 and the date when Mountain Lion debuts will have 30 days to request their free upgrade. The program allows qualifying buyers to download Mountain Lion for free directly from the Mac App Store.

As detailed by MacRumors, customers have to launch the Up-to-Date Program page, where an online form asks them … Read more

It's time to tap into the juiciest tech conversations for Monday:

Microsoft has not given a straight answer about whether its Skype service can facilitate law enforcement wiretapping of conversations. Previously, the online chat service was so heavily encrypted that the company went on the record about not being able to participate with wiretapping.

But Skype just made a change to its technology, and some say the changes make it possible to intercept a call. But when asked, Microsoft didn't admit if wiretapping was possible. It told Slate that Skype "co-operates with law enforcement agencies as much … Read more

This morning Apple's Up-to-Date program for OS X Mountain Lion appeared to be activated for a short while, allowing a number of people to submit applications for their free copies of Apple's new OS; however, this appears to have been an error on Apple's part and the Up-to-Date Program has been taken offline.

For people who have purchased a new Mac on or after June 11, Apple is offering a free upgrade to OS X 10.8, which is due out any day now. When the OS is released, users can go to the Up-to-Date Web page … Read more

Mountain Lion is reportedly one step closer to roaring its way onto the consumer market.

The new version of OS X has been sent to AppleCare representatives to use on their computers at work, according to 9to5Mac. This golden master build sent to employees through a redeem code is the same one offered to developers on July 9, the blogging site added.

Apple workers and other people have already been checking out the new OS via Apple's Seed program, which gives participants a chance to test new software and provide feedback. But Apple store employees who volunteer for that … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week readers wrote in with questions on how to back up to an internal partition or drive in a Mac, what to do about files not opening in the appropriate application when double-clicked in the Finder, and whether or not the Mountain Lion upgrade will affect Boot Camp partitions. We welcome views from readers, so if you have any suggestions or alternative approaches to these problems, post them in the comments!

Question: Backing up to an internal drive or partition MacFixIt reader Curtis asks:… Read more

Apple's next release of OS X "Mountain Lion" is slated for release by the end of this month, with some recent developments suggesting it may be out by as early as next week. If you are thinking about upgrading your Mac to the new operating system, then you might consider reserving some time this weekend to ensuring your system is capable of and prepared for the upgrade.

While for the most part you should be able to download and install the upgrade without any problems, there are a few things you can do to help prevent running … Read more