Like the title says, OSx Mavericks is the “Top Gun” thus far of all OSx and MacOS releases alike. Recently you saw the announcement that Apple was offering a free upgrade to all Lion and Mountain Lion users. This was stellar. So I took the plunge and bought the “FREE” upgrade to my MacBook (2012) Air.
After making room on the MacBook, the 4.9 gig download took (from download, to install, to using the MacBook again) 1.25 hrs. Personally, that is lightning fast compared to upgrading Windows 7 to Windows 8.
So let’s look at the advertised improvements (some major, some minor) that were tested. OSx Mavericks has added improvements such as;
· iBooks with the ability to sync with iOS devices
· Maps
· Revamped Calendar
· Upgrades to Safari
· iCloud password keychain
· Support for multiple monitors (non tested)
· Notification improvement
· Finder tabs
· Tags
First off, my favorite improvement is the addition of Finder Tabs. Just like in a browser, Finder now allows for this. You create a new tab in 1 of 3 ways; Go to FileàNew Tab or CMD + T or on the folder or Finder area you want, CTRL+CLICK and select OPEN IN NEW TAB. Now instead of going back and forth and opening up new finder windows, simply click through the tabs.
You are also now able to tag files, folders, pics, etc. The OS comes standard with color tags with the associated color name as the tag name. All you need to do to change the name is double click on a tag and it highlights the name. You then type in what you want. A suggestion is; Home, Work, Personal, Medical, etc. You can then arrange all files by tags if you wish.
The notifications are cool as well. You can now get interactive notifications in real time, such as messages, and face time requests, web based ones, such as winning an ebay auction and also notification of action items while you are away. They all come front screen.
You can now delete any password storage apps, as iCloud has you covered. With the iCloud Keychain, once set up in settings, it stores your password and credit card information as well as sites and logins with 256_Bit AES Encryption.. And all that security is FREE.
With Safari, there were several improvements. You now have shared links in the new sidebar, which will show you links posted by people you follow on Twitter and LinkedIn. This allows you to see what they see and repost what you want. Also, Safari does not expend power on sites and pages that are not in your current view. This, Apple says will give you close to an hour of extra browsing life in your battery.
Aside from a cool new interface, the Calendar also sports a new event inspector which makes it simpler to create and edit events. It has a great new feature which is suggesting addresses and points of interest when you start typing in the location field. The location will be displayed on a map as well as weather at the location. Travel time and driving distance is also displayed. What other calendar can do that?
A couple of other improvements include the ability for iBooks to sync across Apple devices, whether iOS or OSx, you can take your library with you on any device. Mavericks also comes with a great Map app. There are details on everywhere and anywhere.
This is one OS upgrade that I took pleasure in and did not fear. So what are you waiting for? Go to www.apple.com and get the details. Better yet, just go to the Mac App store and download it.
via Examiner National Edition Gadgets & Tech Channel Articles http://www.examiner.com/review/osx-mavericks-is-the-top-gun-from-apple?cid=roadrunner