if iPhoto came with my Mac, can I still get free updates after Mountain Lion?

Since:

• I got iPhoto included with my MacBook Pro, not from the Mac App Store
• Mountain Lion is replacing Software Update with the Mac App Store

Will I still be able to get free iPhoto updates with Mountain Lion? How would that work?

Yes! When you open the App Store's Updates tab, you'll see a special dialog allowing you to accept the apps such as iPhoto that were bundled with your computer. If you accept them and enter your account info, the licenses will be automatically associated with your account. In the future you'll be able to receive updates exactly as if you had purchased the apps.

(The details probably depend on which computer you have and when you purchased it. But if your computer is a relatively recent model then you probably will have access to these apps. If you want more details you may need to contact Apple.)

Last night I installed Mountain Lion on my 2011 iMac which came with Snow Leopard and iLife on DVD. After the install, I opened iPhoto and chose Software Update as normal.

The App Store opened and in the updates tab, it had a new section called System Updates and downloaded the updates for iPhoto and iMovie. I do not have these apps associated with my account in the App Store and thus there was a note at the bottom of the System Updates section stating that these updates are all subject to the original licence agreement.