Apple, which embraced Twitter in its iOS5 update last year, is expanding the palette of social sharing options with two new partners -- Flickr and Vimeo -- in the company's latest operating-system upgrade, Mountain Lion.
Users of the OS upgrade, also known as Mac OS X: Version 10.8, will see a new option in many apps called Share Sheet. Share Sheet lets you share photos, videos and links across your apps. As previously noted, Apple has expanded its relationship with Twitter to allow Twitter-based sharing in place of the now-defunct iChat. But Twitter's not the only option.
As with the iOS 5 Twitter integration, aligning your Flickr and Vimeo accounts requires that you log into those accounts via System Preferences. According to Slashgear, Mountain Lion-based apps will be able to offer options that make the most sense. For instance, Flickr sharing will be an option in PhotoBooth, but not in Notes. (In a nod to Apple's recent popularity in China, Share Sheet also offers integration with Chinese video-sharing sites Youku and Toudu. Mail, contacts and Calendar syncing will receive support from QQ, 126 and 123 -- Chinese service providers.)
Apple's choice of new sharing partners was doubtlessly based at least in part on the realpolitik of the tech industry. Apple has a fractious relationship with Facebook, in part because of that company's close ties with Apple archrival Microsoft. Apple and Google's mutual enmity is also a major reason why Vimeo has been integrated but the Google-owned YouTube has not.
Considering those limitations, Apple has still greatly expanded built-in sharing options. Vimeo, for instance, claims to receive about 65 million unique visitors per month (vs. 130 million for YouTube) while Flickr brings in about 80 million.
