How to Claim Mountain Lion App Code

Mountain Lion - equipped Mac

Okay, I know it's been 2 months since Apple decided to give away Mountain Lion to recent Macs, which somehow surprised me, since no one has ever, really, given away their latest OS, for free (it has $19.99 value. Don't be disappointed if you're pretty greedy like me; wanting something as expensive as possible to be free ;) :p)

So, although Apple is a company which now is getting worse in the public's eye (due to its relentless fight against Samsung in court), there's at least one catch: it indeed fulfills its promise, and not in a difficult way, too.

Yesterday, I thought I might claim my copy of Mountain Lion, and I did... pretty easily. I'll teach you guys how to claim it today. Here goes:

Oh, and before attempting this guide, please make sure that you have an active and stable internet connection (broadband, please), alongside an Apple ID. I recommend you to log in to your Mac using your Apple ID first, accept the iLife apps, before attempting this guide.

One more thing, get your receipt ready, since you're going to need to input your purchase date. If you purchased your Mac on July 26, 2012 or afterwards, your Mac is eligible to get this free OS.

How to Claim Mountain Lion Code:

1. Go here and see if your Mac qualifies for the promotion. Then, find the link which says (Request your Copy of Mountain Lion). You may use CTRL+F (Windows) or CMD+F (Mac) for easy and quick search.
2. Input the information you're required to input, such as when you bought your Mac, where you got it, and if you have the right to copy. If you only have one Mac, then I guess you should thick the checkbox, and fill in "1" into the textbox. If you have more than one, write how many of your Macs are eligible. If one doesn't work for you, then I suggest you leave both the checkbox and the textbox empty. Hit 'Continue' when you're ready.
3. Next, enter your names, and personal information. Trust them on this one, since it's needed for administration only. Oh, and as for the Email ID section, it refers to the email you use for your Apple ID. Later on, you'll need to log into the Mac App Store to claim your copy. As usual, click 'Continue' to move on.
4. Now, you're asked to input your Mac's serial number. Select how many Macs you think it's eligible, and finally, input the serial number of your Mac. If you don't know (as you're certain not to know and memorize), you can hit the Apple menu on top of your OSX menubar, and select 'About This Mac'. You should come up with a new pop-up Window. There, you should easily find the little gray text that says 'Version'. Click it twice to view the serial number of your Mac, and type it manually into the text box. If your Mac isn't turned on, then you can get the serial from the bottom of your computer. Don't worry, it says 'Serial' before the number combinations.
5. If your serial and input is questioned by Apple, you might need to proof a clear image of scan of your proof of purchase and upload it to the site. If you bought your Mac separately, I'm afraid you'll need to upload each of your Mac's proof of purchase. This step isn't necessary, though. As long as you fill the data right (especially the serial), you won't come up with this step.
6. Apple will finally give you your claim number. Should anything happen and you need to contact support, you'll need to use these numbers. You're done here. Now, you should open your mailbox and wait for Apple's email.
7. You should receive 2 emails from Apple. One contains the pdf file for the app code, and the second contains the password you need to unlock the pdf (I was freaked out at first :p). I received mine minutes after I applied, so you should receive them at the same amount of time, too.
8. Once you get the code, copy it. Open the Mac App Store, and select 'Redeem'. Paste the code into the text box. Once received, you ought to get the notice that you need to log in. Log in, and you'll download your copy of Mountain Lion. You don't have to download now, though, since it's already included in your 'Purchased' tab, meaning you should be able to download it at any time.
9. Regarding how to install Mountain Lion, I think that's the simplest update I've ever seen. Apple has always been known for simplicity, and this also proves it. You just double-click the installer, follow the instructions, and let the installer do it for you. No problem. But I strongly recommend you to back up your data first, though...

Mountain Lion brings quite a few noticeable features, such as:

1. Notification Center (Handy if you're having a schedule on iCal, reminders), 
2. Gatekeeper (Security measures which works like a FireWall), 
3. Game Center (The one in iOS, meaning you can compete with your friend's iDevice. directly), 
4. Twitter Integration (Tweet and share right from native apps and Notification Center), 
5. Messages (like one-for-all IM client). 
6. Notes (that yellow notebook now appears on your Mac)
7. Reminders (same as Note)
8. Dictation (SIRI now acts as your secretary :p)
9. Broader iCloud integration (for Notes, Messages, Reminders, and Game Center now can be synced directly to your Mac)
10. Power Nap (for MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with Retina Display only; allows background system to continue such as email check, downloading, etc. while the Mac is asleep)

Sure, there's a battery issue for some, but now that it's updated to 10.8.1 (initial release was 10.8.0), most of the battery issues were resolved, and now I have more than 7 hours on my fully-charged MBP :D

Well, Folks, I guess that's that. I hope you can receive your free OS without any hassle and enjoy all the goodness of Mountain Lion. Thanks for reading, and Happy Trying :D