What’s New In OS X 10.9 Mavericks

Whereas Apple’s iOS 7 looks and acts radically different, ditching skeuomorphism hard, OS X 10.9 Mavericks is a more evolutionary update with new features that move bar, but not reset it. Underscoring the point is the fact that if your Mac can run OS X 10.8, you will be able to run Mavericks — check OS X 10.9 compatibility here.

• Finder Tabs

— Pull together a number of Finder windows into a single tabbed window, decreasing clutter and increasing productivity

— Finder is now a fullscreen app, which is perhaps more of a check for Apple to tick rather than an immediately useful feature.

— Drag n’ drop files, folders between tabs

• Finder Tags — Tag your files and folders. Tags are listed in Finder window sidebars. This feature improves the searchability of files and folders in OS X.

• Advanced Technologies

— Compressed Memory increases responsiveness and performance, reduces memory calls

— App Nap directs power to the apps that need it

— System-wide Core Animation for super responsive scrolling

— OpenGL 4 improves graphics performance across the board

— Timer Coalescing manages system CPU calls to reduce power usage by up 72 percent

• Multiple Displays

— Get menus across multiple displays. Summon the Dock on multiple displays

— Menu Bars work independently on each display

— Go fullscreen in one app and the second, etc display doesn’t get blanked out (finally)

— Panning through Spaces works independently on each display

— Mission Control has been “supercharged” for multiple displays

— A connected HDTV and/or Apple TV can act as independent displays

• Safari 7

— New Sidebar for quick bookmark access, Reading List with continuous scrolling

— Shared Twitter and LinkedIn Links in the Sidebar for quick access (no Facebook!)

— Tabs moved to a separate process

— Nitro Tiered JIT with greatly improved JavaScript performance

— Background tab optimization, greatly reducing power usage

— Updated Safari Top Sites

• iCloud Keychain

— Sync logins, credit card numbers and Wi-Fi networks across multiple Apple devices, including iThings.

— iCloud Keychain suggests and remembers complex passwords

— Automates complex password logins across devices

• Notifications

— Reply to Messages, Tweets, email, FaceTime calls, etc right within a Notification

— iOS Notifications can be configured to appear on your Mac

— Notifications are delivered when you Wake, start your Mac

— App Updates are automated in the background

• Calendar

— Clean, minimalist user interface (goodbye skeuomorphism)

— New inspector is location, travel time aware

— Continuous scrolling

— Events are location aware, including traffic and weather

• Maps

— Streets, 3D flyover, points of interest, etc

— Turn by turn directions

— Sync directions from your Mac to an iThing

— Developer SDK for adding Maps to third-party apps

• iBooks

— Full 1.8 million book iBooks Store library

— Supports iBooks interactive textbooks

— Remembers notes, page position, study cards, etc across devices

— Search points of interest, make info cards, bookmark locations, etc

Apple has ditched some skeuomorphism with OS X 10.9 (i.e. Calendars), but the overall look and feel of the Mac desktop operating system is little changed, which I think is a good thing™. That said, I’m greatly looking forward to using multi-display fullscreen apps, a bit of functionality that Apple should have put in when it shipped OS X Lion.

OS X 10.9: Best New Feature

In a similar vein, iCloud Keychain addresses a long-standing OS X/iOS integration issue that has bedeviled users since 2007. Though this feature and Mavericks are still sight unseen for this user, I’m going out on a limb and naming iCloud Keychain the best feature in OS X 10.9.

Apple pushed OS X 10.9 Mavericks beta to developers, so look for a steady stream of updates on the features covered here, as well as functionality that hasn’t yet been revealed.

Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks is expected to ship this Fall. Apple hasn’t announced pricing, but it seems reasonable to expect it will cost $20 on the Mac App Store, just like Mountain Lion…

What’s your take?