Apple boss Tim Cook wants Mac to be more like iPhone

Apple chief executive Tim Cook has said that he wants Mac computers to become more like the iPhone, after the US firm released the latest version of its OS X operating system yesterday.

Mountain Lion is the ninth iteration of OS X and a major indication that Apple wants to replicate the success of its mobile devices in its desktop and laptop range.

The new operating system, which is already in the hands of developers, brings various iPhone services to the Mac, including messaging, Notification Centre and Game Centre.

It is the first version of OS X integrated with remote storage service iCloud, and comes with new security system Gatekeeper and AirPlay Mirroring for syncing what is on the Mac screen to a television using Apple TV.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Cook said that people "are in love with a lot of the apps and functionality" on the iPhone, adding: "Anywhere where it makes sense, we are going to move that over to Mac."

Apple sold a record 5.2 million Macs in the quarter ending last December, up 26% from the same period in 2010. But Macs represented just 5.4% of global personal computer shipments in the fourth quarter, according to IDC figures, up from 4.5% the previous year.

In contrast, Apple is now the leading maker of smartphones worldwide, ahead of Samsung, and also dominates the tablet computer market with its iPad.

Cook said that he views the iOS mobile operating system and OS X "as one with incremental functionality". He said that laptops and tablets would continue to exist separately, but did not rule out a future convergence of the two technologies.

The firm's OS X team has already taken cues from iOS, as the Lion release of OS X last July introduced mobile-like features such as advanced gesture controls and the ability to view desktop apps in an iPhone-style grid.

Asked about whether Apple could one day use the same microprocessor chips in iPhones, iPads and Macs, Cook replied: "We think about everything. We don't close things off."

Despite Apple reporting record financial performance for the fourth quarter of 2011, when revenue jumped 73% year-on-year, earnings from Macs dropped to 14.2% from 20.3%.

However, Cook said that the Mac remains "incredibly important" to the company, and claimed that it has in fact benefited from the success of the iPhone, such as in China where sales have doubled.

"They love the iPhone and so they then search out and look for the Mac," he said.

Mac users will be able to upgrade to Mountain Lion from the Mac App Store in "late summer 2012".