Update after update, who knows what each update holds? For the fast paced life of a technologically savvy collegiette, here is the low down on the latest update from Apple. You’ll be in the know about all the cool, interesting and new things you can do on your laptop or iMac.
Changing up the Dock
Calendar, Notes and Contacts all got a facelift with the Mavericks update. The applications are all much more streamlined. Goodbye fake leather and torn paper aesthetic and hello to the modern, clean and flat design that you see on your mobile devices! Interestingly, while the applications have all gotten a facelift, their icons have not. Notes is still the yellow legal pad which is a little confusing when it has this updated design. The result leaves things feeling a little unfinished and old fashioned.
iBooks and Maps
Apple is releasing iBooks and Maps from the confines of the iPad and iPhone, which allows you to access the applications on your Mac. While it may not be that exciting to read a whole novel on your laptop or desktop, the execution of implementation is pretty spot on. The built in store has a clean and aesthetically pleasing interface, making it easy to use. Some users complain that it is a stand alone store and should be integrated into iTunes but it is nice to only be one click away from the New York Times bestseller list while you’re using the application.
Apple Maps have become a combination of Google Maps and Google Earth. Some don’t think it needs a spot on your dock and should be reserved for your mobile devices. Although, the integration of Maps on your laptop or iMac allows you to add travel information (directions and duration of travel) into you Calendar events.
iCloud Keychain
This new feature is essentially a password manager, meant to mimic 1Password, but iCloud keychain also saves your credit card information. So now when you are making accounts on your favorite sites you will be asked if you want to save your password or credit card information-although on some sites such as online banking, as well as sites like Sephora, you won’t be able to save your information as companies can opt out of adding this feature to their online experience. Now for all of you who are thinking that saving your credit card information in the iCloud Keychain is asking to get hacked, Apple reassures customers that it is secure and that they can’t even view your private information-but do it at your own risk.
Finder Tags and Tabs
A feature that will make organization that much easier! You can now easily create tabs within the Finder window and share files by dragging them to the desired Finder tab-instead of cluttering your desktop with multiple windows. With tags you can assign colors and keywords to both folders and files making them much easier to find.
Battery Life
Apple claims that you can expect better battery life with the Mavericks update. Lauren Goode, from Allthingsd.com, ran some tests to find out how true this really was. Overall the conclusion was that it will take some time before you see an increase in battery life on your machine. Although, when you click on your battery life icon you can now see which applications are draining your laptops power the most. Good to know when you’re trying to finish a paper and forgot to bring your charger to the library!
Notifications
Notifications of the desktop will seem very similar to how you see them on your mobile devices. With Mavericks notifications are better than Mountain Lion because of your ability to respond to them directly. You can reply to iMessages, emails or access notifications from websites and stay updated on the latest news.
Safari
The updates to Safari aren’t mind blowing, there wasn’t a huge overhaul but Apple added a few new features like Shared Links that allows you to filter your social feeds. Your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn updates are streaming in your sidebar as well as on your Top Sites in any new tab, you now can have a streaming update on the different links your friends are sharing.
Apple also tried to speed up the browser and the efforts are noticeable. Safari feels faster-more responsive due to the improved JavaScript performance and memory optimization. Now each tab you have open runs on its own so you won’t have to force reload all of your webpages when one becomes unresponsive.
There you have it, the low down on the latest Apple update! This isn’t a comprehensive list of all the tweaks and updates but the ones that will help collegiettes stay in the know and a head of the game in the tech world as well as help staying organized and efficient! If you’re still curious and want to read on-take the links below for a more in depth update on Mavericks OS X 10.9. The Mavericks OS X 10.9 came out October 22, 2013 and is a free upgrade for Mac users.
Sources:
http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/24/os-x-mavericks-review/
http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/28/5036102/mac-os-x-10-9-mavericks-review
http://allthingsd.com/20131028/five-key-features-of-mavericks-apples-new-operating-system-for-macs/