Mountain Lion Won't Play Nice With Everyone's Mac

So you've read about the new features and tricks in OS X Mountain Lion. Now, let’s address some important capability issues you might not be aware of.

Hardware requirements

Mountain Lion, which is available now in the Mac App Store, can only be installed on the following Mac devices:

• iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
• MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
• MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
• Xserve (Early 2009)
• MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
• Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
• Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)

We cannot stress this enough: If your Mac isn’t on the list, you cannot upgrade.

Software limitations

One of the coolest features in Mountain Lion is also the one that won’t work on most Macs. AirPlay Mirroring requires a second-generation Apple TV or higher. Additionally, it is only supported on the following Mac devices:

• iMac (Mid 2011 or newer)
• Mac mini (Mid 2011 or newer)
• MacBook Air (Mid 2011 or newer)
• MacBook Pro (Early 2011 or newer)

Those will older Macs, however, do have a third-party solution for AirPlay Mirroring. For $10, you can use AirParrot. Power Nap, another nice OS X feature, is only usable on the MacBook Air (Mid 2011 or newer), and the MacBook Pro with Retina display. For the entire list of feature-specific requirements for Mountain Lion, please visit Apple’s website. We hope this report helps you determine whether OS X Mountain Lion is right for you.

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