OS X Mavericks

Erick Eckel gives you just the facts on the soon-to-be-released next version of Apple's OS X.

This fact sheet will be continually updated with the latest details as we learn more about Apple OS X Mavericks. You can check back and refresh this article to get the latest updates.

What we know

• Availability:  Fall 2013, likely mid September
• Base Price: Approximately $20 to $30
• Distribution: On new systems and via Apple App Store
• iBooks: Apple will add iBooks integration within OS X, meaning users can synchronize books, bookmarks and notations across multiple compatible devices via iCloud.
• Maps: Integrated within the OS (as well as the Mail, Contacts and Calendar apps), Maps delivers crisp, detailed views of map locations and destinations while adding additional relevant information (driving directions, telephone numbers, photos, etc.) to assist travelers or the curious. A Flyover view, meanwhile, adds interactive 3D viewing for locations. Maps and destinations researched on the laptop or desktop can be transferred to an iPhone for navigation assistance.
• Calendar: Boasting a streamlined new interface, the new Calendar faeatures continuous scrolling, making it easier to navigate week and month views. A new event Inspector assists users in create appointments, edit events, identify popular meeting locations, add mapped destinations and more. The new Calendar also calculates travel time and displays helpful weather information for meeting destinations.
• Safari: Apple’s trusty Web browser features speed improvements (thanks to Nitro Tiered JIT and Fast Start technologies) making it faster than Firefox and Chrome, lowers battery consumption and adds a Shared Links sidebar that displays links from social media contacts as part of a refreshed design. The browser also benefits from improved memory usage.
• iCloud Keychain: iCloud Keychain helps users better manage passwords, an increasing problem as digerati become increasingly dependent upon Web sites and cloud services for everyday tasks and operations. The iCloud Keychain integrates and collects password storage, credit card information and similar sensitive data within a secure, connected cloud. The technology is designed to work across multiple devices, including OS X systems, iPads and iPhones.
• Multiple Display Refinements: Dual displays used to be a luxury. No more. Businesses have discovered the productivity and efficiency benefits that result when using multiple monitors. Mavericks introduces improved multiple display support and eliminates primary and secondary display configurations. Instead, Mavericks adds Dock flexibility, includes a menu bar on each display and adds support for AirPlay-connected monitors, among other new capabilities.
• Notifications: Email, news, Tweet and other updates, popularized on iPads and iPhones, comes to OS X with the Mavericks release. Notifications alert users to updates, messages, email, breaking news and other information, including FaceTime video calls.
• Finder Tabs: With Mavericks, users can maintain separate tabs for documents, network files and more. Being able to track multiple locations leveraging separate tabs within the OS X Finder eliminates the need to open multiple Finder windows and simplifies desktop interaction.
• Tags: Tags, the indexing technology that really took off as Web 2.0 projects grew in popularity, provide a simple way to organize, search and locate files containing relevant information. Built within Mavericks, tags enable indexing files across multiple locations, including spreadsheets, documents and presentations stored on different Apple devices connected by iCloud.
• Developer Tools: New APIs assist developers in producing more efficient software programs and applications. A new Sprite Kit makes it easier to produce two-dimensional interfaces, while a new AV Kit simplifies support for modern media formats and assists transitioning QuickTime-based apps to alternative media formats.
• Timer Coalescing: By better grouping operations and better leveraging idle CPU cycles, Mavericks’ Timer Coalescing technology can reduce CPU activity and prolong battery life.
• App Nap: Mavericks’ App Nap assists OS X in saving power, lowering CPU usage and conserving battery life by making intelligent decisions and reducing power dedicated to an app that is open but isn’t being actively used or is covered by other active application windows.
• Compressed Memory: Mavericks systems that approach maximum memory use benefit from new Compressed Memory technology in which the OS automatically compresses data from inactive applications. Reducing the RAM dedicated to inactive applications enables Mavericks to dedicate additional memory to active applications requiring additional resources.