When it comes to books forecasting the future, tech statesmen like Eric Schmidt don’t have a stellar track record. Even Bill Gates, in his 1995 The Road Ahead, ignored the internet just as it was about to transform the world.

Mountain Lion, the latest Mac operating system, introduces more than 200 new features but seems to have only one overarching goal: Binding your computer ever more firmly to your iPhone and iPad, while binding you ever more firmly to Apple.