Vacation Blackout Hints at Late July Release for OS X Mountain Lion

At its Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month, Apple officially announced that OS X Mountain Lion would launch sometime in July through the Mac App Store, carrying a low upgrade price of $19.99 for users of OS X Lion or Snow Leopard. Following the conference keynote, Apple also released a "near-final" version of OS X Mountain Lion to developers for testing purposes.

mountain lion mac app store wwdc
MacRumors has now heard from several employees at a third-party firm offering technical support for Apple products that their company has imposed a vacation blackout from July 22 through 29, requiring "all hands on deck" in its desktop and portables division to support an unspecified event.

Speculation naturally turns to OS X Mountain Lion as the event in question, although some potential customers may be hoping that new iMac and/or Mac mini hardware could arrive at the same time. Apple scheduled just such a simultaneous hardware/software launch last July, introducing new MacBook Air and Mac mini models alongside OS X Lion.

Popular Stories

Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple's CarPlay Ultra to Expand to These Vehicle Brands Later This Year

Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. In his Powe...
Apple Logo Black

Apple's Next Launch is 'Imminent'

Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models. "All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

New MacBook Pros Reportedly Launching Alongside macOS 26.3

Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
We are still waiting for the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate to come out, so the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week or two away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

Apple Changes How You Order a Mac

Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...

Top Rated Comments

KylePowers Avatar
178 months ago
Neato burrito.

I'd put money on new iMacs and Mac Minis in July.

13in rMBP in August.

2012 iPhone in September.

Me claiming bankruptcy in October.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michaelgtrusa Avatar
178 months ago
I happy to see you soon 10.8.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
doelcm82 Avatar
178 months ago
With only a year to correct a ll of the shot t comings of Lion there is little hope left. With Apple spending so much lof it's time dumbing down the Mac OS I have my doubts of being wowed again.

Because, dammit, computers should be hard to use!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sweetbrat Avatar
178 months ago
The article doesn't say that Apple is requiring all hands on deck.
"MacRumors has now heard from several employees at a third-party firm offering technical support for Apple products that their company has imposed a vacation blackout from July 22 through 29"

Wouldn't that make sense for a new OS release? People will need tech support installing ML and dealing with any problems that go along with it...
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iMcLovin Avatar
178 months ago
YES!, let there be a new iMac !!!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Razorhog Avatar
178 months ago
I'm betting it's Mountain Lion and hopefully the new iMac and Mac Mini. The iPhone will wait for a 4th quarter release.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)