Mountain Lion on a brand new MBA 13"

[andreibutilca]

Hi everyone.

I'm about to get my first ever Mac OS machine, and I'm already fixed on the 2012 MBA 13"/128GB/8GB. I'm just about ready to go buy one, but I'm concerned about the new 10.8 version that should drop in July.

It would be neat if I could get Mountain Lion pre-installed on the MBA when it arrives, because I'm completely new to Mac OS and its way of doing things, and I definitely don't want to screw things up by updating Lion to Mountain Lion myself.

So, my question is: if OS 10.8 will be released in July, based on past years' experience, how much time does it usually take for it to be pre-installed in all future Macbook units they sell? Does it happen real-time, like 10.8 rolls out => instantly, all future Macbooks will be sold with it?

Thanks for reading, awaiting answers!

 

[Comeagain?]

The upgrade is the easiest thing to do. Just download and follow the instructions on the screen. If you want the new MBA, go for it.

 

[andreibutilca]

I want it to be pre-installed, so I want to make sure everything's clean and smooth. Do you happen to know how long does it take them to ship it pre-installed, right after they roll the update on the Mac App Store? Thanks

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

Welcome to MacRumors and welcome to the Mac!!

To answer your question directly, I'm not entirely sure, but I would guess that it would be very quickly. Possibly day of, but surely within a week. This is because the final release candidate is set in stone a few weeks before launch (there should be one more before release), and Apple will use this time to start loading up ML on all their Macs.

But honestly, everything will be "clean and smooth" if you purchase now and upgrade. It couldn't be a simpler process. I won't tell you how to buy your computer, and I'm assuming there is no urget need. But I, persronally, would purchase now, because I like to get my toys as quickly as possible.

Although I could understand you not wanting to start learning Lion and then have some things change with ML just a month after you were getting used to everything! Haha

 

[PurrBall]

If you buy it at an Apple Store, I believe they will go through their existing stock before selling pre-loaded ones. They used to slip upgrade discs in, but that's no longer necessary. If you order online, I believe Apple will put a "Ships with Mountain Lion" badge on the page, which is something they've done in the past.

 

[andreibutilca]

Thank you both so much for your answers - and the warm welcome!

I'm really excited to get it asap, but I live in Romania. They sell Macs through Authorised Distribution/Resellers. There's no such thing as Apple Stores here.

Things are a little bit complicated. I want my MBA with a custom extended 8gb RAM, and the staff at the shop already told me custom machines take around 3 weeks to arrive.

I mainly opened this thread because I want to synchronise and have it at my doorstep (ML pre-installed if possible) before 25th July, when I'll be leaving for holidays.

I know there's no way of giving an exact date for this to happen, but any approximation is welcome. Any chance of getting it before 25?

Thanks!!

 

[haravikk]

The question really is whether you should upgrade to Mountain Lion straight away, or wait for the 10.8.1 update. In the past most OS X versions have been better to wait for the first update which will smooth out most early issues.

While upgrading is a pain, if you want to get the machine sooner rather than later then personally I'd say get it now with Lion, since it's nice and stable right now. Then hold off on Mountain Lion till the first update comes out.

If you're concerned about the update being less stable over the top of an existing OS, then make sure you back-up with Time Machine first and do an erase and install first, then restore from your Time Machine backup, this way you get a clean OS with any of the Applications, files etc. you used under Lion.

 

[andreibutilca]

As already stated, I'm very new to this and have no idea about how stuff is 'usually' done, concerning the Mac OS. I'm not that desperate to get it NOW, but it would be really nice if I could get it by the end of August, if I won't make it until July 25.

 

[rkaufmann87]

As already stated, I'm very new to this and have no idea about how stuff is 'usually' done, concerning the Mac OS. I'm not that desperate to get it NOW, but it would be really nice if I could get it by the end of August, if I won't make it until July 25.

To be honest you are making much ado about nothing. If you bought now and got ML when it began shipping installing is so incredibly simple there is nothing to worry about. I know you want ML pre-installed but your fears and wants are unfounded. OS X isn't like Windows, being flakey, multiple versions, complicated etc... It's very robust and straightforward. That being said you should have a backup in the weird event of a disaster such as a power outage during a download. You should be backing up anyway and with Time Machine backups are also incredibly simple to do. Just make sure:

A) You have a good backup
b) You have a strong internet connection

Everything else forget about and move forward.

 

[3bs]

There's no way to tell exactly when they'll start shipping with ML pre-installed. I say go for it now. Like others have said, it is very easy to upgrade and you won't have any problems. You just have to follow a few simple steps. In the end it's up to you.

 

[haravikk]

As already stated, I'm very new to this and have no idea about how stuff is 'usually' done, concerning the Mac OS.

As rkaufmann87 says, it's dead straightforward. If you've got an external drive for the machine then setting up Time Machine is a snap (it'll usually ask you as soon as you connect a suitable drive). Time Machine then sits as an icon in your menubar so it's dead easy to see when the last backup was completed, and request a last minute backup to make sure nothing is lost when performing an erase and install.

An erase and install is then dead easy once you've downloaded Mountain Lion, the setup guides you through the whole thing and gives you a restore from Time Machine option, at which point it's like you never erased anything, except you'll then have all the new Mountain Lion features as well.

That said, you usually don't need to bother with an erase and install unless you're experiencing issues. I make a habit of erasing and installing from time to time, but that's because I have a nasty habit of tinkering with things I shouldn't; it takes quite a fair amount of effort to screw up OS X so most users don't need to worry about it, at which point an upgrade installation is just fine.

To be honest, the differences between Mountain Lion and Lion aren't as big as some previous OS versions, so there shouldn't be any big problems with upgrading, it's really a matter of the extra time to download and install, but with a decent internet connection it's really very quick.

 

[Major.Robto]

I work with computers alot, I would always do the long way around mac and pc, but to be honest, Apple knows how to upgrade a OS. Since 10.5 went to 10.6 that update worked quite will from what I herd, The update from 10.6 to 10.7 I herd also worked fabulous.

Trust me buy your MBA now and just do the free upgrade! Nothing super big will change, just small things like Notification center.

Your whole system is only getting new features like a normal pogram installer.. it never removes anything.

 

[andreibutilca]

Thanks for all the feedback!

It's good to know my concerns were not founded, but tbh, I imagined the updating process to be something similar to updating Vista to 7 - nightmare.


I'm waiting for the MBA to be available, so I can get a custom 8gb one. I heard the new MBAs are snappy and super fast, best all-around ultra portables.

 

[GfPQqmcRKUvP]

Thanks for all the feedback!

It's good to know my concerns were not founded, but tbh, I imagined the updating process to be something similar to updating Vista to 7 - nightmare.

I hear you there! OSX updates (at least the last two) are entirely uneventful. Installing Office is more complicated.

I'm waiting for the MBA to be available, so I can get a custom 8gb one. I heard the new MBAs are snappy and super fast, best all-around ultra portables.

Mine should arrive tomorrow and I'll be able to share my experiences. A lot more reports of the 8GB configs should be coming in soon.