WWDC: OS X Mavericks

In Apple’s highly anticipated WWDC keynote address on Monday, the Cupertino company unveiled its next generation operating system for the Mac. Called OS X Mavericks, the OS is named after a beach in northern California. Apple admitted on Monday that it had run out of big cats, so future releases of OS X will be named after locations in California that “provide inspiration.”

The name change aside, OS X Mavericks does feature some pretty important changes for Mac users. Here is a quick rundown of some of the most important features of the latest release of the Mac OS.

Finder Tabs

Finally! Having multiple Finder windows open makes it difficult to organize files. Many have speculated that it would be easier to manage the Finder if it had tabs, like a web browser. Apple has delivered in Mavericks. Organizing files and maintaining Finder windows will be much simpler with tabs. For power users, like myself, I can have four or more Finder windows open at once. In fact, I often have a second desktop open just for the Finder windows. This will not be necessary in Mavericks.

Tags

Tagging a file is a simple concept, but Apple has really done a great job of taking tagging to the next level. In Mavericks, when a user saves a file, they will have the option to add tags to assist with searches. A new tags section has been added to the Finder’s side bar allowing users quick access to their tagged files. This is really interesting because it acts as a second organizing method. In addition to saving your files to a desired folder, Mavericks will also keep your files organized by the tags you assign. While this may not be a big feature for most users, as someone who has thousands of files on my MacBook Pro, this will be a big help.

Notification Center

Notification Center has received some nice enhancements in Mavericks. In addition to providing updates from your favorite websites, notifications will now be synced using iCloud. This means that you will receive notifications from your iPhone or iPad apps on your Mac as well. And once you close the notification, it will close on the other devices. This may not be a major change, but it will cut down on the clutter in Notification Center on iOS. My favorite new feature of Notification Center is that it will now show everything you missed while you were away on the sign-in screen (see above).

Multiple Displays

Apple has always supported multiple displays, but in Mountain Lion, there are some major issues. When a user opens a full screen app, the second display shows the linen background, rendering it useless. This was certainly a hinderance to users. In Mavericks, this problem has been corrected and some great features have been added. OS X will support up to 6 displays, and they can all be running at 4k resolution. In addition, each monitor can have its own dock and will have its own Mission Control. An important update for those users who utilize multiple displays.

Safari

Safari has received some minor updates in Mavericks. In addition to having a new sidebar for bookmarks, Safari will use less power and less of the CPU during operation. Safari’s updates may not seem exciting, but improvements to the coding of any app is welcomed as it improves its stability and power consumption.

iBooks

It’s about damn time. Apple is bringing iBooks to the Mac. Enough said.

Maps

It was only a matter of time before Apple brought its Maps app to the Mac. This may not seem that important, but it is a really nice addition. Most of us tend to use Google Maps on our computers to find a location before we leave. But once we get in the car, we have to program the address into a phone or GPS. With Maps on the Mac, once you have created your itinerary, you can forward the information to your iOS device. Very handy. Other than that, Maps is pretty strait forward.

iCloud Keychain

This is an interesting addition to the Mac and iOS. iCloud will remember your passwords and credit card information so that you do not have to keep post-it notes on your screen. iCloud Keychain will even suggest complicated passwords when you are creating a new account. This feature looks interesting, but some users will be leery of keeping their credit card information in the cloud.

Other Changes

There are a host of other changes in Mavericks. Apple has finally ditched the fake leather look in Calendar and the book layout of Contacts. Although Jony Ive is not yet gotten his hands on OS X, they will likely move in that direct next year with OS X 10.10. Many of the other changes announced are under the hood. Improved CPU management and compressed memory will keep your Mac running efficiently. One other interesting features was App Nap. The software will track which program is in use and which programs are in the background. When an app is in the background, CPU power will be cut to that app to save power.

Mac OS X Mavericks will be available in the Fall and pricing as not yet been announced, but I expect Apple to continue their trend of $19.99 upgrades through the Mac App Store. This looks like a solid release with a number of new apps and system enhancements that will make Mac users happy. I am looking forward to seeing what Ive does with OS X in 2014, but for now Mavericks will be installed on my MacBook Pro the day it is released.

Note: Watch these features in action at Monday’s keynote address here.

Mac OS X Lion Review

I decided to push my review of Lion back a week so it could be post number 100!  So, here it is….POST 100:

Apple released Lion on July 20 through the Mac App Store for a reasonable $29.99.  There are some who have complained about the lack of a disc option, but Apple is planning to release USB flash drives with Lion for $69.  Clearly it is cheaper to purchase the OS through the App Store, but not everyone has high speed internet and the file was a hefty 3.75GB.  That being said, the download is worth the wait as Lion’s features are a more noticeable transition from Snow Leopard then the Leopard to Snow Leopard upgrade in 2009.  Where Snow Leopard was a rewrite of the OS, Lion focuses more on end user features.  Apple has publicized this as iOS meets Mac OS X, but has it worked?  Lets find out.

Multi-Touch Gestures

Many people are probably wondering why this is such a big deal.  Apple already used Multi-touch with the Mac, but the experience has been taken to the next level.  Users using a MacBook or iMac with a Trackpad will find multi-touch very useful.  From swiping between desktops/full screen apps, pinch to zoom, short cuts, the user experience has been greatly improved with these simple gestures.  While there are many gestures available, users can customize gestures and can even view short demos in System Preferences>TrackPad.  The one annoying change Apple made is scrolling.  You can still use two figures, but it is the opposite of what we are used to.  They claim it is more natural, but I hate it.  Luckily, this can also be disabled in System Preferences.

Full Screen Apps

This is one of the simplest features of Lion, but also very useful for power users and those using 11″ or 13″ MacBooks.  All of Apple’s built in Apps have a new button at the top right corner of the screen to open the app in full screen mode.  When an App is place in full screen, its enters its own space.  Using a simple 3-finger swipe, the user can swipe between all open full screen apps and desktops.  This makes switching between Safari, Mail, and iTunes (the apps I use most) very quick.  What has amazed me is how fluid the system switches between apps.

Mission Control

Before Mission Control there was Expose and Spaces.  Mission Control combines these features along with Full Screen Apps to give users quick access to all open programs on their machine.  Again, a multi-touch gesture can be assigned to access Mission Control or by pushing F3 on the keyboard.  No only does this show all open apps, but you can add more desktops and arrange the apps between these desktops, much like Spaces.  What is annoying, however, is that I cannot rearrange full screen apps.  They are arranged in the order you opened them or the system will also order them by the number of times you use the app, but you cannot drag them around.  I hope this will be a change Apple will make in one of its early updates to Lion because I want to order the apps by my priorities.

LaunchPad

Launchpad is the most obvious carryover from iOS.  The iPad/iPhone like layout allows users to organize apps and place them into folders.  Again, this is accessible using multi-touch gestures, but I find the whole idea to be pointless.  What is wrong with the Dock?  Most users will probably skip this option….I know I have.

Resume

Resume is one of the most clever and useful of the changes in Lion.  It is probably one of the most simple as well.  How many times has your computer asked you to restart after an update and you skipped it because you were working in an app?  Of course, if you had restarted you would have lost where you were.  That is no longer the case with Lion.  Resume does two very important things.  First, it remembers where you were and what you were doing in an app.  If you were writing a paper in Word and quit, when you come back later, Lion will take you back to where you left off.  It will even remember your preferred screen size and layout.  The second thing feature of Resume comes when you are asked to restart or simply shutdown the computer at the end of the day.  When you turn the computer back on, all apps that were running when you shutdown are reopened and brought back to where you left them.  Both Apple and Microsoft had a feature where you could assign apps to open when you started the computer, but they would always default to the opening screen.  Resume carries out these two functions very well and it can do them both at the same time!  This feature is built into Lion and will work with any app, including third party apps.

Auto Save

Another simple and very useful tool in Lion is Auto Save.  After the initial save, you never have to tell the system to save the document again.  There are several new options you have with this feature.  The most useful of which is quickly duplicating the document.  This allows the user to save a locked version to use as a template.  You can also lock the document when you are finished with it and no longer wish to make changes. All these options are found in a new menu located at the top of the window next to the document’s title.  For now, Auto Save only works with Apple’s iWork and Text Edit document editors.  Third party developers need to be sure they take advantage of this feature.

Versions

Along with Auto Save comes Versions.  As the system auto saves, it also keeps a log of the changes made to the document.  If the user needs to pull a previous version of the document out, they get a simple, Time Machine like, interface that allows them to restore any version of the document.  As with Auto Save, this only works with iWork and Text Edit for now.  Microsoft says their next update to Office will take advantage of these features.

Mail

One of the apps that received a major overhaul was mail.  Not only can it be viewed in full screen mode, but it is now more iOS like with threaded messages and a more convenient reading pane.  Those familiar with Apple’s mail service will be comfortable with the button layout at the top of the screen, but with the messages on the left and the optional folder bar to the left of the messages, the new mail is even more user friendly.  It also is great for managing multiple email accounts.

Air Drop

Air Drop is a great new features for businesses using Macs or for a household with multiple Macs.  Air Drop allows users to quickly and securely share files between computers.  Air Drop is locoed in the new Finder and will search for all Macs on the local WiFi network.  You can then drag-and-drop files between Macs.

Other new Features

Many of the favorite apps from Snow Leopard remain and work better than ever.  The Finder has been updates and Spotlight search is now more inclusive.  Safari has a built in Reader option to save articles from websites and takes advantage of multi-touch gestures with pinch-to-zoom and two figure swipes to go back and forth between sites.  Dashboard has been placed in its own space to the left of the desktop in Mission Control.

Verdict

After using Lion for nearly two weeks, I have found very few bugs.  The release is remarkable stable.  It is obvious Apple has worked hard to bring all these new features to Mac OS X, but what is most surprising is how well they work together.  Individually, they are impressive features, but what is important for any OS is how all the features work together, and that is where Apple has always succeeded.  Apple has proven yet again that when an Operating System and the hardware are designed by the same people, they work together seamlessly.  Lion has already sold well over 1,000,000 copies and is truly the greatest release of Mac OS X yet, and at $29.99, Lion is a no brainer.

Mac OS X Lion Released Today

Sometime today, Apple will release its latest version of Mac OS X: Lion.  Apple has touted Lion as being Mac OS X meets iOS.  With feature like multi-touch gestures, Resume, Mission Control and Auto Save, power users will certainly experience several changes in the OS.  The average user, however, may not notice many of the changes under the hood.

Lion will be available for $29.99 from the Mac App Store on Snow Leopard Intel machines.  Apple is also expected to update some of its hardware today, including the MacBook Air.

I will install Lion and write a full review soon!