OS X Mavericks - a new operating system for your Mac

Yesterday I wrote about the new iPad and iPad mini that Apple just introduced (if you missed it pop over here).  There’s more than just new iPads coming – Apple also has something new for the Mac users too.

A new operating system - OS X Mavericks

 What’s new? 

• Improved battery life, with your idle apps put ‘to sleep’ so they don’t drain power

• Multiple Finder tabs – similar to your internet browser.  You can now consolidate multiple finder windows into one.

• You can ‘Tag’ your files now to make it easier to find related files.  Great for keeping track of multiple files for one project - tag your Keynote presentation, your Pages report and the list you created in Numbers – click their tag name in the Finder sidebar and all three files will appear together in one Finder window. 

• You can now access iBooks across all your devices, so if you buy a book on your iPad it will automatically appear on your Mac.  Also, if you’re copying text from iBooks to a Pages document, a citation will be added for you (great for students and researchers)

• No more remembering passwords - iCloud Keychain stores, encrypts and automatically enters your usernames and passwords across all your devices

• Apple Maps

• A new look Calendar that can provide maps to your appointments and estimate the travelling time (as long as you've activated location services)

• With Airplay you can set up an Apple TV or a standard TV as a secondary monitor

• Safari has had a makeover too, it’s much faster and there are new safeguards against malicious tracking sites

• Notifications now has Quick Reply for Mail and Messages, which means you can reply directly from the alert – no need to go to the app.

OS X Mavericks is available now for your post-2007 Apple desktop and laptop.  It’s free from the App Store, as long as you’re running OS X Snow Leopard or later.   If you’re still running Leopard, you’ll need to upgrade to Snow Leopard first, and you’ll have to pay $20.99 for that upgrade.