Apple is ready to unleash Mountain Lion - the new version of its hit operating system, which is set to make Macs even more like iPads.
The new software will be available as a download via the Mac Store, priced around $20.
The new OS has been released as a 'golden master' to developers - usually a sign it is ready to roll out to customers.
When Steve Jobs unveiled Lion, Mountain Lion's predecessor, he said that the light, streamlined operating system was like what would happen if MacBook and iPad 'hooked up'.
Mountain Lion is even more like the operating system used by iPhone and iPads - adding features which are highly familiar from iOS devices such as iPhone's iMessage communication software.
'The Mac is on a roll, growing faster than the PC for 23 straight quarters, and with Mountain Lion things get even better,' Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing said when he launched the software.
Recognisable features include integrated Twitter, iMessage, Reminders and Notes.
Apple says that 26 billion messages have been sent using iMessage since the software was launched in October.
Mountain Lion will add iMessage to Mac OS, allowing users to start conversations on iPods or iPads, then finish or resume on a Mac.
The Game Centre software used on iPhones and iPads is now part of Mac OS, as is an integrated 'Notification Centre' which brings together messages from the operating system and apps.
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