OS X 10.9

Apple seeds OS X Mavericks Beta 5 with iBooks for Mac

Just 24 hours after seeding the fifth iOS 7 beta (here's what's new) to its registered iOS developers, Apple on Wednesday issued the fifth beta of the upcoming OS X Mavericks.

The software is available for download to paid members of the Mac developer program through Apple's Mac Dev Center or via Software Update in the Mac App Store.

The new OS X Mavericks Developer Preview now for the first time includes iBooks for Mac, a brand new native Mac app Apple promised to include in the final Mavericks release come this Fall...

Apple Seeds OS X Mavericks Developer Preview 4

Apple has seeded the 4th developer preview of OS X Mavericks, and it's available for download right now. The download, which comes in at about 1.27GB for users of OS X Mavericks DP 3, can be found via the Mac App Store app. For those of you not yet running OS X Mavericks, the download would normally be available through the Mac Dev Center, but it's been down as a part of a well publicized security breach.

OS X Mavericks: How to use Safari Shared Links

Safari has received a miniature overhaul in OS X Mavericks, and one of the most outstanding new features is Safari Shared Links. This is a features that takes links shared with from people you follow on Twitter or Linkedin, and makes them easily accessible directly within Safari for your consumption. In a world dominated by social networking, Safari Shared Links makes sense, and I find its implementation to be well done. Take a look inside as I guide you step by step through its usage on video...

Apple releases OS X Mavericks graphics update

Apple has released a new graphics update for OS X Mavericks. The update, which is aimed at users running OS X Developer Preview 3 is to resolve an issue where a Mac running OS X Mavericks Developer Preview 3 may reboot without warning. The graphics update, which is a 1.0 release, comes in at 4.9 megabytes and requires a restart after installation.

A closer look at Safari Power Saver in Mavericks

Have you ever opened a web page, and somewhere on the page a Flash video starts blasting sound? I'm sure almost everyone who's used a computer in the last few years has experienced that unfortunate occurrence. There are browser plugins and extensions to prevent such a thing, but Apple is now waging a direct assault on rogue plugins.

Safari Power Saver is a new feature exclusive to OS X Mavericks, and its job is to prevent plugins from auto starting while surfing the web. While that sounds good on paper, in practice this could potentially cause problems when you want to watch legit content that utilize certain plugins like Flash. The good news is that Safari Power Saver is smart enough to know which content is legit content that you want to use, and which content is stuff that you probably don't care to use.

I took a few minutes to put together a video demonstration of Safari Power Saver. Check inside for the full video walkthrough and detailed analysis.

Apple releases two new Mavericks beta software updates

Apple has released two new software updates for OS X Mavericks beta testers. Included is an update for AirPort Utility, bringing the release to 6.3.1, and a 1.0 update for the Mavericks Developer Preview Recovery Update. Both releases can be obtained by beta testers by opening the App Store app and clicking the Updates tab in the upper right-hand corner. Check inside for a few more details as to what the updates consist of.

How to make TextExpander work with OS X 10.9 Mavericks

As a huge TextExpander fan, and a person that relies on the app on a day to day basis, I freaked out a bit when I couldn't get TextExpander working on my MacBook. Yes, I'm one of the very foolish ones who decided to put a beta OS on their main work computer, but that's just how I roll.

At any rate, I needed to get this fixed ASAP, because it was hindering my ability to be productive. The problems stems from the fact that OSX 10.9 places the access to assistive devices option — an option absolutely necessary to run TextExpander — in a brand new location, under the guise of a new security setting.

So every time I received this error: "Please go to the “Universal Access” preference pane and enable access for assistive devices before using TextExpander!" TextExpander would point me to a section of the System Preferences that no longer exists.

How to fix? It's actually quite easy to do, follow me inside...

Apple shows off standalone Maps Mac app

During the OS X Mavericks segment here at WWDC 2013, Apple's OS X head Craig Federighi announced a new native Maps app for the Mac. The standalone program takes advantage of core system enhancements in OS X Mavericks. The resulting experince is much more fluid, pleasing and responsive compared to what you had in Safari. One of the interesting features is the ability to send any location or route right from the Maps Mac app right to your iDevice’s Lock screen...

Apple announces OS X Mavericks

Apple here at WWDC said that Mountain Lion, Apple's ninth release in a decade, is now on 35 percent installed Mac base in just under six months. Taking the stage, Apple's head of Mac software Craig Federighi in a joke aimed at the rumor-mill said that the next release, OS X 10.9, is named Sea Lion.

Not really - Apple would run out of cat names had they hone with the Sea Lion name. Therefore, the company has chosen the naming convention that will take them into the next ten years. Say hello to OS X Mavericks...

OS X 10.9 said to feature tabbed Finder with tags, iOS style multitasking and more

OS X 10.9, the next major revision to Apple's operating system for Macs internally codenamed 'Cabernet', is up for introduction later this year, according to a well-informed writer. Specifically, Apple is apparently bringing more of core iOS features to its desktop operating system.

This entails stuff like iOS style multitasking that should prove functional by allowing background tasks to pause like on the iPhone and iPad. Finder, the Mac's long-standing default file manager, is understood to gain power features such as tabbed browsing modes and tags.

An enhanced Safari browser is thought to include a redesigned backend for improved page loading, speed and efficiency, which reminds us a lot of Turbo browsing mode from the Opera mini browser...

Apple announces WWDC 2013 for June 10-14, confirms iOS 7 and OS X 10.9 previews

Having posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings yesterday, Apple this morning officially announced that its annual developers conference will take place at Moscone West in San Francisco from Monday, June 10 until Friday, June 14. I know what you must be wondering: will the five-day conference serve as a launchpad for a next major revision to Apple's iOS and OS X operating systems, right?

According to Apple's marketing honcho Phil Schiller, that's in fact in the cards. “Our developers have had the most prolific and profitable year ever, and we’re excited to show them the latest advances in software technologies and developer tools to help them create innovative new apps," he was quoted as saying in a press release...

Rumor: Apple Maps and Siri coming to the Mac with OS X 10.9 next year

OS X 10.9, the next major revision to Apple's desktop operating system, will contain Siri and Apple Maps, the two headline capabilities currently exclusively available on newer iPhones, iPads and iPod touches. According to a new report this morning, early builds of OS X 10.9 that were previously spotted in web logs include Siri and Maps integration. Both features are purportedly in the early testing stages so it has yet to be determined if they will be ready for prime time when OS X 10.9 ships some time next year...