Extended Apple employee hours point to rumored Jul. 25 Mountain Lion launch date
As preparations to roll out the next-generation OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion continue, Apple customer service workers in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region are reporting shift extensions which appear to signal a launch date on or around Jul. 25.
According to a person familiar with the matter, divisions of the company responsible for customer service and training in the EMEA region are seeing a strong push to work overtime for the two weeks following Jul. 25, likely portending the imminent release of Mountain Lion. The company is also said to be increasing the number of staffers available during the rumored rollout period though the exact nature of their hire is unknown at this time.
While those same people note that no specifics have been given regarding the increase in hours, Apple recently seeded the OS X 10.8 gold master to developers meaning the operating system is nearly ready for public consumption.
AppleInsider reported in May that the iPad maker was hiring and training new staff to aid in customer support when Mountain Lion launches sometime this month.
The new OS will feature over 200 new features including an security system that executes regular checks to keep Macs up to date with the most recent patches and updates. Some of the featured changes were outlined by AppleInsider as part of the Inside Mountain Lion series, including the iOS-style Notification Center and Voice Dictation services.
Apple announced Mountain Lion would be ready for a July release though failed to nail down a specific date. The company did note, however, the next major version of OS X will be available through the Mac App Store for $19.99 while new Mac buyers who purchased their machine after June 11 would receive the update for free.
According to a person familiar with the matter, divisions of the company responsible for customer service and training in the EMEA region are seeing a strong push to work overtime for the two weeks following Jul. 25, likely portending the imminent release of Mountain Lion. The company is also said to be increasing the number of staffers available during the rumored rollout period though the exact nature of their hire is unknown at this time.
While those same people note that no specifics have been given regarding the increase in hours, Apple recently seeded the OS X 10.8 gold master to developers meaning the operating system is nearly ready for public consumption.
AppleInsider reported in May that the iPad maker was hiring and training new staff to aid in customer support when Mountain Lion launches sometime this month.
The new OS will feature over 200 new features including an security system that executes regular checks to keep Macs up to date with the most recent patches and updates. Some of the featured changes were outlined by AppleInsider as part of the Inside Mountain Lion series, including the iOS-style Notification Center and Voice Dictation services.
Apple announced Mountain Lion would be ready for a July release though failed to nail down a specific date. The company did note, however, the next major version of OS X will be available through the Mac App Store for $19.99 while new Mac buyers who purchased their machine after June 11 would receive the update for free.