Instead, when you invoke Save As, it saves both the original file as well as creates a new one. So, in the example above, if I'd taken that departure (wiping out old content and adding new) and then chosen Save As, the content of my original file would be saved up to the point of the Save As invocation.

The original version's not gone, however. With Mountain Lion's Auto Save feature you can click on the Auto Save triangle in the document's title bar and choose Browse All Versions (or choose File -> Revert -> Browse All Versions). In the Time Machine interface that appears, return to the first iteration of the document to find the original.

I'll now give you a little time to wipe the spittle off your display that resulted from your "Are you frickin' kidding me!? I'm a savvy enough Mac user that I can do that, but what about the poor shmoes coming to the Mac for the first time thanks to their easy-does-it iOS experience?" ejaculation.

I agree with those who suggest that the original Save As implementation wasn't entirely intuitive. But it was what we were used to and to restore the name of a command with that kind of history but change its functionality is curious to me.

So, other than choosing to revert the document via the Time Machine interface, is there some other way to approximate the Save As behavior of old? Not in as few steps, regrettably. Try this: