Apple opted at WWDC this year to name new releases of its desktop OS after California locations, where the software is being developed, as opposed to members of the feline family. The first location to be referenced is Mavericks, the big-wave surf spot in California which gives OS X 10.9 its moniker.
Perhaps Apple feels that the surfing location isn’t going to be the only place making notable waves when OS X 10.9 launches later this year (fall, in the US). Developers have already got their hands on a preview version of the desktop operating system and there are more than a few changes in store for Apple’s desktop machines.
Improved multiple monitor support will be one of these changes, letting users split menus between displays and use one screen for a full window while the other functions as normal. Apple TV-connected TVs will also be able to act as displays. OS X’s Finder will be getting tabs, allowing for multiple instances of the feature in one place, and documents will be able to have tags added which are searchable in both Finder and iCloud.
The operating system will see performance tweaks added which should improve battery life while using a Mac’s CPU more efficiently. Called “timer coalescing”, CPU usages will be dropped by up to 72% in some cases. A memory improvement also promises to increase performance on wake by providing more memory to applications.
Like iOS 7, OS X 10.9 will see changes in both the Safari browser and with the Notifications feature. Safari is getting a new sidebar for bookmarks and reading lists as well as a Shared Links feature which shows items that people users follow on Twitter and LinkedIn have shared. A new feature called App Nap will also reduce Safari’s power usages when it isn’t being directly used. Notifications will permit users to reply to emails or FaceTime calls via the Notifications box and online applications will also be able to use push notifications that provide information to the Notifications feature.
Also in common with iOS 7, OS X Mavericks will be supporting iCloud Keychain on release which will sync passwords and credit card information between iOS devices. Apps will also be gaining the ability to automatically update in the background. The Calendar and Maps apps have also got various changes on the way.
Lastly, iBooks is going to make the jump to OS X, putting all of the functionality found on mobile devices onto a Mac desktop. iBooks will sync reading positions between devices from mobile to desktop and back again, much like the functionality between a Kindle and Kindle’s PC app.
Source: Ars Technica
