OS X Mavericks (version 10.9) is the 10th major release of macOS, Apple
Inc.'s desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers. OS X
Mavericks was announced on June 10, 2013, at WWDC 2013, and was released
on October 22, 2013, worldwide. It was also the last version to use a
mostly skeuomorphic design; the next release, OS X Yosemite, featured a
redesign of the user interface appearance. It was also the first version
of macOS to be offered only on the App Store, rather than on a physical
disk.
Developed by: Apple Computer, Inc.
General availability: October 22, 2013 (version 10.9 build 13A603 -
original Mac App Store release)
Last release: September 19, 2012 and October 4, 2012 (version 10.9.5
build 13F1911 - final security update; scroll down and click on "Release
History" for all builds)
Preceded by: OS X Mountain Lion (version 10.6)
Succeeded by: OS X Mavericks (version 10.8)
Kernel type: Hybrid (XNU)
Support status: Obsolete, unsupported as of September 2016. iTunes is no
longer being updated after March 2017. Drops support for iTunes 8.
The update emphasized battery life, Finder improvements, other
improvements for power users, and increased iCloud integration, as well as
bringing more of Apple's iOS apps to OS X. Mavericks was named after the
surfing location in Northern California.It also removed some of the
skeuomorphic designs from OS X Mountain Lion, and it is the final version
of macOS that features the Lucida Grande typeface as the standard system
font since Mac OS X Public Beta in 2000.
Mavericks was the first OS X release to be named after a location in
California, and the first to be a free upgrade since Mac OS X 10.1 Puma.
History
Apple announced OS X Mavericks on June 10, 2013, during the company's
Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote (which also
introduced iOS 7, a revised MacBook Air, the sixth-generation AirPort
Extreme, the fifth-generation AirPort Time Capsule, and a redesigned Mac
Pro). During a keynote on October 22, 2013, Apple announced that the
official release of 10.9 on the Mac App Store would be available
immediately, and that unlike previous versions of OS X, 10.9 would be
available at no charge to all users running Snow Leopard (10.6.8) or
later.
On October 22, 2013, Apple offered free upgrades for life on OS X and
iWork.
System requirements
All the Macs supporting OS X Mountain Lion support OS X Mavericks. As
with Mountain Lion, 2 GB of RAM, 8 GB of available storage, and Mac OS X
Snow Leopard or later are required. Mavericks and later versions are all
available for free.
Here is the full list of compatible models:
iMac (Mid 2007 or later)
MacBook (Aluminum, Late 2008 or later)
MacBook Air (Late 2008 or later)
MacBook Pro (Mid 2007 or later)
Mac Mini (Early 2009 or later)
Mac Pro (Early 2008 or later)
Xserve (Early 2009)
FeaturesAdded features
The menu bar and the Dock are available on each display.
Additionally, AirPlay compatible displays such as the Apple TV can
be used as an external display. Mission Control has been updated to
organize and switch between Desktop workspaces independently between
multiple displays.
OS X Mavericks introduced App Nap, which sleeps apps that are not
currently visible. Any app running on Mavericks can be eligible for
this feature by default.
Compressed Memory is a virtual memory compression system which
automatically compresses data from inactive apps when approaching
maximum memory capacity.
Timer coalescing is a feature that enhances energy efficiency by
reducing CPU usage by up to 72 percent. This allows MacBooks to run
for longer periods of time and desktop Macs to run cooler.
Apple now supports OpenGL 4.1 Core Profile and OpenCL 1.2. Server
Message Block version 2 (SMB2) is now the default protocol for
sharing files, rather than AFP. This is to increase performance and
cross-platform compatibility.
Some skeuomorphs, such as the leather texture in Calendar, the legal
pad theme of Notes, and the book-like appearance of Contacts, have
been removed from the UI and replaced with flat design similar to
iOS 7.
iCloud Keychain stores a user's usernames, passwords and Wi-Fi
passwords to allow the user to fill this information into forms when
needed.
The system has native LinkedIn sharing integration.
IPoTB (Internet Protocol over Thunderbolt Bridge) Thunderbolt
networking is supported in Mavericks. This feature allows the user
to quickly transfer a large amount of data between two Macs.
Notification Center allows the user to reply to notifications
instantly, allows websites to send notifications, and, when the user
wakes up a Mac that was in a sleep state, displays a summary of
missed notifications before the machine is unlocked. Some system
alerts, such as low battery, removal of drives without ejecting, and
a failed Time Machine backup have been moved to Notification Center.
The "traffic light" close, minimize, and maximize window buttons
have appeared somewhat brighter than OS X Lion and OS X Mountain
Lion.
Removed features
The Open Transport API has been removed. USB syncing of calendar,
contacts and other information to iOS devices has been removed,
instead requiring the use of iCloud. QuickTime 10 no longer supports
many older video codecs and converts them to the ProRes format when
opened. Older video codecs cannot be viewed in Quick Look. Apple also
removed the ability to sync mobile iCloud Notes if iOS devices were
upgraded from iOS 8 to iOS 9, effectively forcing all Mavericks users
to update or upgrade their computers.
App features
Finder gets enhancements such as tabs, full-screen support, and
document tags. Pinch-to-zoom and swipe-to-navigate-history gestures
have been removed, although both are supported anywhere else.
The new iBooks application allows the user to read books purchased
through the iBooks Store. The app also allows the user to purchase
new content from the iBooks Store, and a night mode to make it
easier to read in dark environments.
The new Maps application adds the same functionalities that were
featured in iOS Maps. Among these new features is the capability to
search directions for driving and walking, report problems in the
Maps application, and viewing street addresses to Maps via the
Contacts application.
The Calendar app has enhancements such as being able to add Facebook
events, view the map of a specified location, and an estimate for
the travel time to an event.
The Safari browser has a significantly enhanced JavaScript
performance which Apple claims is faster than Chrome and Firefox. A
Top Sites view allows the user to quickly access the most viewed
sites by default. However, the user can pin or remove websites from
the view. The sidebar now allows the user to view their bookmarks,
reading list and shared links. Safari can also auto-generate random
passwords and remember them through iCloud Keychain.
Additional changes were made to the messaging system. FaceTime is
updated so that the user no longer needs to enable camera, in a
similar manner to FaceTime in iOS 7. OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 added the
option to block users in iMessage.
Release History
Version
Build
Date
Darwin Version
Notes
10.9
13A603
October 22, 2013
13.0
Original release
10.9.1
13B42
December 16, 2013
About the OS X Mavericks v10.9.1 Update
10.9.2
13C64
February 19, 2014
13.1
About the OS X Mavericks v10.9.2 Update
13C1021
March 14, 2014
About the OS X Mavericks v10.9.2 Supplemental Update
10.9.3
13D65
May 14, 2014
13.2
About the OS X Mavericks v10.9.3 Update
10.9.4
13E28
June 30, 2014
13.3
About the OS X Mavericks v10.9.4 Update
10.9.5
13F34
September 19, 2014
13.4
About the OS X Mavericks v10.9.5 Update
October 16, 2014
About the security content of Security Update 2014-005 Mavericks
January 27, 2015
About the security content of Security Update 2015-001 Mavericks
13F1066
March 9, 2015
About the security content of Security Update 2015-002 Mavericks
13F1077
April 8, 2015
About the security content of Security Update 2015-004 Mavericks
13F1096
June 30, 2015
About the security content of Security Update 2015-005 Mavericks
13F1112
August 13, 2015
About the security content of Security Update 2015-006 Mavericks
13F1134
October 21, 2015
About the security content of Security Update 2015-007 Mavericks
13F1507
December 8, 2015
About the security content of Security Update 2015-008 Mavericks
13F1603
January 19, 2016
About the security content of Security Update 2016-001 Mavericks
13F1712
March 21, 2016
About the security content of Security Update 2016-002 Mavericks
13F1808
May 16, 2016
About the security content of Security Update 2016-003 Mavericks
13F1911
July 18, 2016
About the security content of Security Update 2016-004 Mavericks
