operating systems

Apple could be planning to launch OS X Mountain Lion on July 25, according to a new report.

According to 9to5Mac, citing sources, Apple has informed some employees at its retail stores that they'll need to plan for an "overnight" on July 24. Overnights have become a key indicator that something new is coming to Apple's retail stores. Overnights mean that employees work outside their stores' open hours to prepare their location for the next day's new sale. Generally, that means Macs, iPhones, or iPads -- but not always.

If 9to5Mac's sources are to … Read more

Apple had hardly any time to breathe after settling with Proview before it was hit with another trademark infringement case in China.

Chinese tech site MIC Gadget reported yesterday that a household chemical company called Jiangsu Xuebao has sued Apple in Shanghai for allegedly infringing its "Snow Leopard" trademark. The company doesn't own "Snow Leopard" itself, but in 2000 filed for the Chinese translation, "Xuebao."

Apple used the Snow Leopard moniker in one of its more recent Mac OS X distributions, launched in 2009. The company replaced that with Lion, and later this … Read more

Microsoft's Windows 7 is about to beat XP as the world's leading operating system, at least according to new data from Net Applications.

For the month of June, Windows 7 scored a market share of 41.6 percent versus XP with 43.6 percent, the narrowest gap between the two since Windows 7 debuted in 2009.

Windows 7 has almost consistently chewed off a greater market share each month, hitting 14 percent in June 2010 and 28.7 percent in June 2011. At same time, XP has tried to hang on to its dominant lead but has seen … Read more

Android is often considered king of the mobile world, but Apple's iOS actually accounts for the lion's share of the mobile Web traffic, at least according to the latest stats from Net Applications.

iOS continues to grow, capturing a global traffic tally of 65.3 percent in June, up from 52.4 percent a year ago. Though in second place, Android has also expanded and now holds a share of 19.7 percent as of last month, compared with 14.3 percent in June 2011.

Breaking down the results by device, the iPad was the leader in June … Read more

On the fifth anniversary for the iPhone and as we draw closer to the release of iOS 6 this fall (read our First Take from WWDC here), I can't help but think of how far Apple's iOS has come since the day the first iPhone was unveiled.

If you remember, that first iPhone was announced by Steve Jobs and Apple on January 9, 2007, and was more about the touch-screen interface than any extras, but it wasn't until June of that year the iPhone was released to the public. That first iOS wasn't even called iOS (… Read more

Windows 8 offers several features designed to secure your files, but one of the most useful ones is File History.

The new File History feature can back up all your documents, browser favorites, desktop icons, and other personal files. Once set, File History runs automatically at specific times, though you can always trigger it manually.

You can also set the backup destination to a USB or network drive so your files are recoverable even if your hard drive crashes or gets corrupted. If one of your personal files gets lost or damaged, you can simply restore its most recent copy … Read more

Apple store employees can now join the party of people testing OS X Mountain Lion before it hits the streets next month.

In an e-mail to store workers revealed by 9to5Mac, Apple has invited its Genius Bar members and Creatives to partake in the AppleSeed testing program. Available to select customers as well as employees, this program gives participants access to pre-release software so they can test the products and provide feedback to the company.

Those who join the program adhere to a confidentiality agreement that prevents them from sharing the software with anyone else. Apple provides various tools for … Read more

As if actual Microsoft product launches haven't been in the news enough this week (ahem, Surface tablet and Windows Phone 8), rumors of the road map for the long-anticipated new Xbox are heating up.

A PowerPoint presentation posted to NeoGAF forums claims to divulge Microsoft's secret product launch plans. No, not the launch codes -- this isn't a nuclear crisis, though the excitement among Xbox gamers is verging on nuclear. (See what I did there?) The document has NOT been authenticated, and Microsoft is mum on the issue, but its contents are in line with previous rumors. … Read more

Windows RT could become the platform that helps Microsoft gain tablet market share. But before that can happen, vendors are going to have to pay a hefty sum just to get their hands on it, according to a new report.

Tech site VR-Zone reported yesterday that it recently spoke with several tablet vendors at last week's Computex trade show in Taiwan. And in those discussions, it found that Microsoft is charging between $80 and $95 for Windows RT, the company's ARM-ready operating system. The majority of those vendors said that they were quoted $85.

Microsoft is facing an … Read more