Apple has just announced the latest version of OS X, 10.9 Mavericks, will be available as a free Mac App Store download today.
In addition to the usual promise of increased speed and efficiency, the
update has a number of improvements over 10.8 Mountain Lion, including a
more robust notification system (which includes inline replies), better
support for multiple monitors and full screen apps, a revamp of Finder,
and the addition of iCloud Keychain for saving passwords.
A clip from Apple's keynote.
Many other apps have been
updated, but although some are getting a boost in functionality, a lot
of the work done brings the overall aesthetic of OS X in line with
Apple's iOS 7. Gone are the Contacts app's fake book and pages, gone are
Calendar's torn page marks, and gone is the Notes app's yellow legal
pad. This is the first time Apple has distributed a major update like
Mavericks without charging — 10.8 Mountain Lion was priced at $19.99,
while 10.7 Lion was $29.99. The free update is available to everyone
running OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and above.
It's worth noting that the
discount doesn't extend to OS X Server. The latest Server 3.0 requires
Mavericks and will be available as a $19.99 upgrade from the Mac App
Store.
