Whilst the developer beta of OS X Mountain Lion seeded to registered members of Apple’s Mac Developer Program last week remains under strict NDA agreements, a few tidbits regarding the software’s possible future capabilities have begun to emerge.
Reporting on the small snippets of what they claim to have heard from those who already have access to the software, the folks at TUAW over the weekend noted that the OS apparently contains two new framework strings which may warrant further investigation.
More specifically, the site notes that they have managed to confirm the operating system features both a new ‘CoreRecognition’ framework and a separate – (perhaps more interesting) – ‘CRCodeRedeemer’ class. While the true nature of these two findings are unclear in relation to possible future features of the unreleased OS, Rose notes that the two new strings could signal Apple is almost ready to offer app downloads by way of bar-code scanning.
We’ve heard that the system includes a new ‘CoreRecognition’ framework and a ‘CRCodeRedeemer’ class, both of which appear to be built for turning barcodes into app licenses.
Said to be designed more for developers than consumer, the site continues on to note how such a barcode-driven system might work:
Specially-crafted barcodes would let you simply hold up a card to your Mac’s camera to download a prepaid app from the Mac App Store (or from iTunes, possibly). That’s a new level of convenience for developers who want to give away copies of their apps at face-to-face events.
If true, this move could make sense, especially given that OS X Mountain Lion is reportedly set to be the first release of OS X to be available to consumers (and developers) via digital download only.
With Apple having already started the process of removing almost all of its boxed software packages from physical retail store shelves in the latter half of last year, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Cupertino-based company is hedging towards a world where digital exclusivity may very well be at the heart of purchasing software … and what better way to download an app build, than with the scan of a simple barcode?
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