Details on upgrading to new Mac system

So you've heard a lot about Apple's new operating system, Mountain Lion, and think you're ready to upgrade your Mac computer. Your options depend on what computer you have now.

- If you bought your Mac on or after June 11.

The upgrade is free. You can get Mountain Lion as a download through the Mac App Store.

- If you bought your computer in late 2009 or after.

How to go about upgrading..

Be sure you have either the Snow Leopard or the Lion version of the operating system installed.

The upgrade will cost $20 through the Mac App Store. That's $20 for all your Macs, not each one.

- If you have an older computer.

More from News Analysis

You must first upgrade to Snow Leopard if you don't have either that or Lion already. That costs $29 and is available for shipping through Apple's online store.

It's possible an older computer won't work with Mountain Lion at all. You need at least 2 gigabytes of memory and 8 GB of available storage. Specific computers supported by Mountain Lion are listed here: http://www.apple.com/osx/specs .

Even if you can run Mountain Lion, it's possible some features won't work on older machines.

Associated Press