Mavericks
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Apple seeds OS X Mavericks Preview 5 with iBooks for Mac
Apple has seeded the latest beta of OS X Mavericks to developers, which this time includes iBooks for Mac, reports 9to5Mac. This is the first Mavericks build seed to include iBooks for Mac. According to reports, the app doesn't look much different than what was previewed at WWDC this June. The iBooks app has the same features as the iOS version, functioning as both a store and a reader. OS X Mavericks will ship this fall.
A look at OS X Mavericks and tagging
Apple introduced file tagging in OS X Mavericks, letting you assign custom metadata to a file that you can retrieve using Finder. According to our own Brett Terpstra, tagging may be difficult at first, but once we adopt the practice, it may change the way we think about the filesystem of an OS. With iCloud and sandboxing, Apple is distancing us from the folders that hold our data. In this folder-less existence, Tags will become the glue that holds our data together and lets us organize our files. It'll be an iOS-like experience in which you don't have to worry about where files are being stored. You can find files by their tags and don't have to dig through folders and Finder windows to organize your work. You can read more about tagging and OS X in his "Mavericks and Tagging" article on his blog.
Apple releases OS X Mavericks Developer Preview 4
Apple has seeded OS X Mavericks Developer Preview 4 to developers. The latest build offers the usual bug fixes, but there are a couple of new small goodies tucked away inside as well. As 9to5Mac notes, so far four changes have been spotted. These include a new installation screen for OS X 10.9 Mavericks, a new Time Machine icon while performing backups, the ability to scroll through pages and windows in Mission Control, and finally, the ability to quickly post something to LinkedIn via Notification Center. OS X 10.9 Mavericks will ship this fall.
Apple seeds 'Mavericks Preview 3 Graphics Update 1.0'
On Friday, Apple seeded "Mavericks Preview 3 Graphics Update 1.0" to developers. The update came just four days after Apple released OS X Mavericks Developer Preview 3 and then followed that up three days later with another seed fixing an OS X Recovery bug. The "Mavericks Preview 3 Graphics Update 1.0" issued on Friday fixes a second known bug with OS X Mavericks Developer Preview 3 that caused Macs running the build to reboot without warning. But unless you're a developer, fear not about any of these bugs. Hopefully they'll all be ironed out for good when OS X Mavericks ships in the fall.
Daily Update for July 9, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Apple releases OS X Mavericks Developer Preview 3
Following on the heels of the third beta of iOS 7, Apple has released OS X Mavericks Developer Preview 3. There are no major changes that are immediately noticeable in this update, however Apple has made some underlying tweaks to iCloud Keychain. The latest release also offers the usual "bug fixes." Developers can download the latest Mavericks preview update via the Mac App Store.
OS X Mavericks Developer Preview 3 now being served up
Cupertino's clearly in the mood to churn out beta releases today. Just a few hours after unleashing the third iOS 7 beta, Apple's dished out OS X Mavericks Developer Preview 3. The House that Jobs Built is remaining tight-lipped about what the update contains, but it's safe to say it packs a usual suspect: bug fixes. Devs raring to snap up the latest release can click the bordering source link for the download. However, if you're not of the (Apple-approved) programmer persuasion, you can experience the operating system vicariously through our preview.
A look at OS X desktop pictures
Thomas Brand at Egg Freckles has written a short history of Apple desktop pictures through the years. "Mavericks' New Wave" talks about how the Apple desktop has evolved since Mac OS 8 and the quality of the desktop patterns and photos. Thomas includes download links to copies of the desktop picture backgrounds used in different Mac OS X systems via his dropbox account. He thinks that the new OS X 10.9 Mavericks Wave desktop picture is the "best default desktop wallpaper the Mac has seen in a long time." In his TUAW article, "Grab the OS X Mavericks wallpaper now," Michael Grothaus relates that the "beautiful image of a cresting wave [for] OS X 10.9 Mavericks is meant to represent the surfing spot that the OS is named after." Unfortunately, the link in that article to download the desktop no longer works, so please use Brand's link to his copy of the Mavericks Wave [direct download link]. On Another Note For those of you who are still interested in enhancing your Mountain Lion Desktop, I found an article from 2012 on OSX Daily that may interest you. The article, titled "43 Amazingly Gorgeous Secret Wallpapers Hidden in OS X Mountain Lion," contains instructions for locating four folders that contain 3,200 × 2,000 resolution images you can use as your desktop pictures. These are the images used in Mountain Lion's screen savers, but can be used individually. Thumbnails of the available images and instructions for using the files appear in the link above. Interesting Related Resources Screenshots of Mac OS System 1 through Mac OS X 10.3 [Guidebook by Marcin Wichary] Apple Mac OS X: a history in pictures [Telegraph Media Group Limited]
The Weekly Roundup for 06.24.2013
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Apple OS X Mavericks 10.9 preview
There was no OS XI at WWDC. There was no plan to reinvent the wheel. The takeaway message at the launch event was simple: Apple is committed to OS X. What that means, in the long run (naming scheme aside) is that changes to the desktop will probably continue to be gradual. New features will be added and things will evolve over time. Like other recent versions of OS X, version 10.9 Mavericks follows the lead of iOS, culling from its most successful features -- though there's nothing on the order of iOS 7's dramatic redesign in store. But while the iPhone operating system seems to have taken the lead in terms of innovation, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of feature crippling in Mavericks, which some feared would come with the mobilization of the OS. In fact, there are a number of welcome upgrades here -- things like folder tabs, tags and a more interactive Notification Center will likely improve the workflow of many Mac users. Built-in apps like Safari and Calendar have gotten nice facelifts, as well. We've spent a few days with the most recent build of OS X and are ready to give you a peek at what you're in store for, come fall. Still, knowing Apple, the company's likely still got a couple of tricks up its sleeve.%Gallery-192205%
Testing the pros and cons of Mavericks' multi-display support
While Mavericks won't be officially released for a few months, developers already have their hands on the beta, and are putting the operating system to the test. One intrepid YouTube user, MrThaiBox123, has uploaded a video showcasing the strengths and weaknesses of the system's multi-monitor abilities. And he's done this with six 27-inch monitors. You know, just like your average work space. It's important to note that the issues MrThaiBox123 deals with could all be fixed by the public release this fall. Still this is a fascinating look at both the upcoming operating system and the troubleshooting that comes with beta testing.
Daily Update for June 18, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Apple's love of 'Mavericks' has been around for a while
At this year's WWDC Apple previewed the latest version of OS X 10.9 named Mavericks. The name was a departure from its previous scheme of naming OS X after cats. As Phil Schiller noted in the keynote, Mavericks is a popular surfing spot in California that many Apple employees like to go to to catch a wave – and as we've noted, it's close to where Phil Schiller lives. An interesting little factoid about Mavericks (courtesy of keen eye reader Tyler G) is that this is not the first time Apple has used the name. Way back in 2005 the company spotlighted the Mavericks surfing spot in promo material for its then-newly released Aperture software. Surfing images from Mavericks, along with the locale's name, can be found as elements of custom-made Aperture books and also as contact sheets on the original web page announcing the features of Aperture.
Three things you (probably) didn't know about OS X Mavericks' name
Mavericks is a surfing spot near Pillar Point Harbor in Northern California. Not only is it OS X's first non-cat name, it's actually named after a German Shepard named Maverick. Hard to say how many place names in California are named after dogs, but it could be an interesting trend. The name is a possessive, not a plural (several Mavericks). Update: An anonymous tipster adds: "One other note about Mavericks - it is located very near Half Moon Bay where several Apple execs (Phil Schiller and others) live. You didn't hear this from me."
Apple releases Mavericks core technology overview
Apple spent a lot of time talking about the key new features of OS X Mavericks, but the company only glossed over the impressive underlying technology that powers the operating system. For those hardware and software geeks in the audience, Apple has released a document detailing the core technology that drives Mavericks power optimizations and its improved performance. You can download the PDF document from Apple's website. [Via Engadget and Ars Technica]
Apple details OS X Mavericks' energy-saving skills, friendlier network sharing
While we learned many things about OS X Mavericks' feature set at WWDC, there were a few important details hiding in the woodwork. Apple has just revealed a few of them through a new overview of the platform. Among them is a potentially huge step forward in the Mac's willingness to play with others: Apple has switched its default network file sharing system from the ages-old Apple File Protocol to the more universal SMB2. The move gives OS X the same approach to sharing as more recent versions of Windows, helping it slot into the corporate world and mixed-platform households. AFP and the original SMB are sticking around, but they'll now kick in only when needed. The crew in Cupertino has also filled in many of the blanks surrounding Mavericks' vaunted performance and power optimizations. Battery-saving tricks like App Nap and timer coalescing mostly involve heavy task rescheduling and throttling. Memory compression, meanwhile, relies on an old yet largely untapped algorithm to avoid hard drive access. A deeper dive into the new OS X release is available at the source, although it's not for the faint-hearted -- the overview's developer focus doesn't exactly make for casual reading.
Grab the OS X Mavericks wallpaper now
That beautiful image of a cresting wave that you've seen on banners and promo shots of OS X 10.9 Mavericks is meant to represent the surfing spot that the OS is named after. As with all OS X operating systems, Apple usually spotlights one wallpaper as the default desktop image for marketing material. This image is always included as a new wallpaper in the OS when it ships. However, if you don't want to wait for OS X 10.9 Mavericks in the fall, you can download the wallpaper directly from Apple now. What's interesting about this wallpaper is that it comes in 5,120 x 2,880 resolution, which is higher than the resolution of any Mac currently on the market. Is this a sign of Retina display iMacs to come? Could be.
Macs compatible with OS X Mavericks
One outstanding question about OS X Mavericks is the minimum hardware requirements needed to run the operating system. There are a lot of older Core 2 Duo machines kicking around, and those owners are wondering it they still have the horsepower to run Mavericks. Apple hasn't released those details, but Apple Insider talked to OS X developers who have access to release notes and other details about OS X 10.9. According to AI's sources, any Apple computer capable of running OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion will be able to run Mavericks. This includes the following machines: iMac (mid-2007 or later) MacBook (13-inch aluminum, late 2008), (13-inch, early 2009 or later) MacBook Pro (13-inch, mid-2009 or later), (15-inch, mid/late 2007 or later), (17-inch, late 2007 or later) MacBook Air (late 2008 or later) Mac mini (Early 2009 or later) Mac Pro (early 2008 or later) Xserve (early 2009) This early information is promising for Apple owners with hardware that is approaching its fifth or even sixth year of faithful use. Keep in mind that these hardware specs may change when Apple releases the final version of OS X Mavericks later this year. [Via Gizmodo]
The Daily Roundup for 06.10.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
WWDC 2013 keynote roundup: OS X Mavericks, iOS 7, new Mac Pro, refreshed Airs and iTunes Radio
We know, oh boy do we know. With E3 and WWDC happening at the same time, it's easy to get lost in all the news -- we've got you covered for all the delicious Apple bites right here, though. Today the team from Cupertino delighted its keynote crowd with the official announcements of iOS 7, refreshed MacBook Airs and iTunes Radio. Even more exciting, however, was the sneak peak at the much-anticipated -- and cylindrical -- next-gen Mac Pro and the introduction of OS X Sea Lion Mavericks. Whether you're just trying to recap all the announcements or find what you missed, our full roundup is up after the break.
