OS X Mavericks

15 'OS X Mavericks' stories June 2013 - December 2014

Apple seeds Safari 8.0.3, 7.1.3, and 6.2.3 betas to developers

Zac Hall Dec 17 2014 - 12:42 pm PT

Safari betas

Following the release of the third OS X 10.10.2 pre-release version, Apple has seeded individual Safari betas for testing via its developer program.

While the pre-release version of OS X 10.10.2 included Safari 8.0.3 beta, Apple has made beta versions for OS X Mavericks and OS X Mountain Lion available to download from the developer portal. The latest Safari beta versions include Safari 6.2.3, Safari 7.1.3, and Safari 8.0.3.

Apple lists the following focus areas for the latest beta versions of its web browser:
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How-to: Get started with Instant Alpha and Smart Lasso in Preview for OS X

May 11 2014 - 12:00 pm PT

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As you may know, Instant Alpha is a feature that allows you to remove an object in an image from its background. You can find this feature in apps like Pages and Keynote, as well as the Preview app that comes built-in on Macs. As we’ve written recently in articles about signatures and marking up images, Preview has a lot of capabilities that don’t get much press.

In this article, you’ll learm how to use Instant Alpha and Smart Lasso to create custom images, remove an object from its background, and some advantages of using Preview to create custom images.

Images created in this way could be used for anything, including fun social media posts. They can be imported into iPhoto, cropped and used in books, calendars, or especially to customize a birthday or greeting card. Depending on what kind of image you want to create, you can really do quite a bit using Preview, Pages and a few other tips and tricks.

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Apple seeds new OS X Server 3.1 build to developers

Zac Hall Feb 19 2014 - 10:33 am PT

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Following the release of the latest OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 build to developers earlier this week, Apple has released a new seed (build 13S4101b) of OS X Server 3.1 to developers today.

Apple seeded the previous build earlier this month as it inches closer to public release.
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How-To: Start using Maps in OS X Mavericks

Nov 24 2013 - 12:00 pm PT

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Apple has finally implemented a maps app in the OS X platform, and it seems to have been worth the wait. After being noticeably missing from the system, Maps (and iBooks) are helping achieve a greater consistency between the iOS and OS X platforms. After running the free Mavericks update, the Maps app icon will automatically be added to your dock.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to use the new app for everything from searching for locations to getting turn-by-turn directions set directly to your iPhone.

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Mavericks How-to: Use iBooks for organizing, reading, and shopping

Sarah Guarino Nov 10 2013 - 12:00 pm PT

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iBooks was introduced in 2010 for the iPad. With Mavericks, 3.5 years after iBooks came out for iOS, Mac OS X finally gets in on the action. Unlike iOS devices that have to download iBooks from the App Store, the Mac comes pre-loaded with it. This how-to will discuss how to organize and read your books, and how to shop for new books in the iBooks Store.

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Latest Mavericks Safari browser safer as Flash finally gets sandboxed

Ben Lovejoy Oct 24 2013 - 4:53 am PT

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Safari 7, introduced with OS X Mavericks, is now better protected against malware and poorly-written Flash code as Flash is finally sandboxed.

Sandboxing means that OS X restricts what the code can do, stopping a badly-written app from crashing the entire browser and preventing malware from getting access to any other part of your Mac. Flash has been sandboxed for some time in Chrome, Firefox and even Internet Explorer.

In an Adobe blog post, Platform Security Strategist Peleus Uhley wrote:

For the technically minded, this means that there is a specific com.macromedia.Flash Player.plugin.sb file defining the security permissions for Flash Player when it runs within the sandboxed plugin process. As you might expect, Flash Player’s capabilities to read and write files will be limited to only those locations it needs to function properly. The sandbox also limits Flash Player’s local connections to device resources and inter-process communication (IPC) channels. Finally, the sandbox limits Flash Player’s networking privileges to prevent unnecessary connection capabilities.

Safari users on OS X Mavericks can view Flash Player content while benefiting from these added security protections. We’d like to thank the Apple security team for working with us to deliver this solution.

Via CNET

Apple announces October 22nd iPad event: ‘We still have a lot to cover’

Mark Gurman Oct 15 2013 - 9:02 am PT

36 Comments

Apple has announced that it will be holding its next media event on October 22nd, which is in line with expectations. The event will take place at 10 AM Pacific/1 PM Eastern Time at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California.

The event will likely showcase new versions of the iPad, including a redesigned full-sized model that looks like a larger iPad mini and a new iPad mini that boasts a Retina display.

Also in Apple’s pipeline are new iWork suites, a new version of the Apple TV, new MacBook Pros with faster chipsets, OS X Mavericks, and the new Mac Pro. It’s unclear which of the aforementioned products will actually get stage time this time around, but the new Mac Pro, MacBook Pros, and OS X Mavericks are the most likely to appear in addition to the tablets…

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AppleCare begins OS X Mavericks training ahead of likely launch toward end of October

Mark Gurman Oct 2 2013 - 5:22 am PT

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Apple has begun training its AppleCare support staff on its upcoming OS X Mavericks, according to several sources. These sources say that training has begun today, and support staff will be required to learn about the operating system’s new features, installation process, and troubleshooting options for at least six hours over the course of the next few weeks…

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Apple’s OS X Mavericks release planned for end of October

Mark Gurman Sep 6 2013 - 5:32 am PT

31 Comments

Apple plans to release its next Mac operating system, OS X 10.9 Mavericks, at the end of October, according to sources with knowledge of the launch plans.

This comes despite claims and speculation that Apple will release OS X Mavericks and iOS 7 in tandem this month. iOS 7 is set to ship alongside the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C later in September. There has also been chatter about Apple holding the iPad iOS 7 release back until October.

For the launch of both OS X Lion and OS X Mountain Lion, Apple released the new operating systems the day following an earning results release. Apple traditionally shares its Q4 earnings numbers during the second half of October, so perhaps Apple will release Mavericks the day following its Q4 results announcement…

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Gallery: Eight beautiful new OS X Mavericks wallpapers

Zac Hall Sep 3 2013 - 5:52 pm PT

15 Comments

Rolling Waves

Apple released its seventh developer preview of OS X 10.9 Mavericks today including eight beautiful new wallpapers. The new wallpapers depict various landscapes including a scenic mountain view and yet another oceanic-themed wave. Check out our gallery below and try out the new Mavericks wallpapers for yourself!
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Video: OS X Mavericks’s enhanced multi-monitor mode demonstrated

Mark Gurman Jun 17 2013 - 9:25 am PT

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi6AhogZCeg?rel=0]

One of OS X Mavericks’ premier features is the ability to use different full-screen apps on different displays in a multi-monitor setup. The enhancement over previous versions of OS X also allows the Mac Dock, Mission Control, and Menu Bar functions to be accessed on each individual monitor…

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Getting TextExpander, BetterTouchTool and Parallels to behave with Mavericks

Scott Buscemi Jun 15 2013 - 9:04 pm PT

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Screen Shot 2013-06-15 at 8.37.46 PM

Since the new OS X Mavericks is just a few days old, bugs and incompatible applications are to be expected until developers have time to run through the new APIs and patch up their apps. In the meantime, some non-functioning apps can be fixed with simple work-arounds or downloads.

Over the next couple of months, expect a few sites to pop up with app compatibility charts for the new OS. If you’ve found an application that doesn’t work without an available fix, feel free to leave a comment below with the information.

TextExpander & BetterTouchTool

My dependence on TextExpander is insane. I have even set up my email signature through TextExpander (so I can choose when it displays with just a couple of key strokes). Finding out that TextExpander is thrown off by Mavericks was a bit disappointing, but iDownloadBlog posted the details on how to make it work. In short, the application tells you to go through “Universal Access” in System Preferences, but you actually need to go inside “Security & Privacy”.

Screen Shot 2013-06-15 at 8.41.24 PM

This work-around also works for BetterTouchTool, the app I use for simple Window Snapping and creating additional multi-touch gestures for the Magic Trackpad / Mouse. Check out iDownloadBlog’s step-by-step instructions.

Parallels

Parallels, my favorite operating system virtualization software, isn’t able to open any virtual machines when you first try opening up the application on Mavericks.

However, Parallels provides a simple workaround on their Knowledge Base until they can update the app in the near future. The company has provided a “startPD” script that gets the application and all associated virtual machines up and running again. Update: Parallels has been updated to work with Mavericks.

We’ll keep our eyes peeled for any other workarounds and update this post as they become available.

How to: Create a bootable OS X Mavericks USB Flash Drive from original App Store package

Jun 13 2013 - 11:38 am PT

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On Monday Apple finally unveiled to the world the next iteration of OS X, Mavericks. A developer preview of the new operating system is available now as a Mac App Store download for registered developers. Delivering Mavericks via a download is super conveient and easy for everyday users but can be unhelpful in several troubleshooting or advanced OS modification situations. The only way to obtain a bootable OS X Mavericks USB flash drive is to create your own:
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A quick taste of Mavericks [Screenshots]

Ben Lovejoy Jun 11 2013 - 4:37 am PT

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There was a lot to digest in yesterday’s keynote, so if you just want to get a quick feel for how things will look on your Mac when you upgrade from Mountain Lion, here are a sprinkling of screenshots to provide a taster …
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Apple announces improvements to Notifications for Mac with quick reply, iOS push notifications, and more

Jordan Kahn Jun 10 2013 - 10:46 am PT

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Today at Apple’s WWDC keynote, Apple took some time to announce some improvements to Notifications, as we expected. The majority of the improvements that Apple has demoed so far include new features for Notifications on the Mac coming in the just announced OS X Mavericks, such as quick replies, the ability to receive iOS push notifications, and lock screen access.

Apple showed off a new quick reply feature for Notifications on the Mac that will allow users to mouse over a notification and quickly reply from a dialog that pops depending on the app. Not only can you reply to messages to respond to FaceTime calls, for example, you will also be able to perform other actions with the quick reply Notifications such as quickly deleting emails.

Another feature that we saw today during Apple’s keynote is the ability to receive iOS push notifications right on your Mac for apps installed on your iPhone and iPad. These are a few of the updates we were expecting from Apple today, ~~but we’ll have to wait to see if they fixed the other half of the problem during its iOS 7 portion of today’s presentation~~ but Apple also showed off a redesigned Notification center for iOS including lock screen access and new tabs (pictured below).

Additionally, Apple showed off the ability to view Notifications directly from the lock screen in OS X Mavericks.

Update: As we expected, Apple also announced that Notification Sync will be coming in iOS 7, but didn’t show off any specifics.

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