OS X Mountain Lion released July 26 for the low price of $20, as Apple brings elements of iOS to the desktop operating system. With critics' reviews abounding across the web, here's what's being said.

"The mindset and development schedule - "What can we do to make this nicer by next year?" - may well be the most important thing from iOS that Apple has taken back to the Mac," John Gruber - on his Daring Fireball blog - said. "Quick, Familiar, Cheap, And Drenched In iOS Goodness," Techcrunch claimed, while it has been called "the best desktop iCloud client Apple knows how to make" according to Ars Technica.

"[W]e're witnessing a dramatic change how desktop operating systems are fundamentally conceived," The Verge said in its review. "[A] confident, thoughtful, step towards the future of desktop computing," it concluded. AllThingsD is reserved in its conclusion: "the operating system's focus on smart sharing and overall integration with social networks makes it a pleasure to use," it admitted.

"If there's one feature worth upgrading for, it's Notification Center," TechRadar suggested, while Mountain Lion represents an "upgrade that makes it work seamlessly between Apple devices and simplifies more of the tedious tasks of computer maintenance."

What if Apple reinvents the iOS UI this fall, with the launch of iOS 6? Will there be a similar chance for Macs, or will Apple bring elements of the desktop to the phone?

Mobillenapps.com covered the notable features of OS X Mountain Lion just before its launch. Included is Notification Center, from iOS, allowing apps to publish the latest events and seen by swiping from the left; Facebook integration which launched this fall, allowing status update and/or links to be posted without heading to the website; and iCloud, allowing content - including contacts and notes - to be synced constantly just by entering in account details.

It's definitely a signal as to where Apple thinks the future of desktop computing lies. The iPad is probably outselling Macs, despite the former being in existence for three years, so bringing iOS elements over to the desktop seems like a logical move.

OS X Mountain Lion is available now, for $20, exclusively from the Mac App Store.