Mac and Macbook users, listen up: The latest OS X, Mavericks, is available for free. Users running OS X Snow Leopard, Lion, and Mountain Lion can download the OS X upgrade for free through the App Store. In an unprecedented move, Apple announced yesterday that they want “every Mac user to experience the latest features, the most advanced technologies, and the strongest security. We believe the best way to do this is to begin a new era of personal computing software where OS upgrades are free.”
Mavericks comes with a few new features and updates, including Finder Tags to help find specific files, better functionality for multiple displays, the addition of the iBooks and Maps apps conveniently from your desktop, the iCloud Keychain that stores all important passwords to an iCloud account for easy use between iPhones and Macs, and more.
However, the biggest upgrade that came with Mavericks is the operating system’s ability to boost computer performance and reduce the strain on battery life. Like I mentioned back in June, Mac Timer Coalescing and App Nap minimize the use of inactive data running in the background while you work. For a personal example, I always have Photoshop and Chrome running for work. Mavericks detects this and idles any other program/app I’m not currently using at that time to give a performance boost. I haven’t noticed much of a difference, but that’s only because I downloaded Mavericks 8 hours ago.
Nevertheless, considering the price tag, Macbook users should download Mavericks as soon as they can to give their old laptops/computers that much extra bit of life.
[via Engadget]