At Apple's event on Tuesday, the company announced that its Mavericks X operating system will be available for free while it slashed the prices of its new laptops. Previously, Apple charged for OS updates, but has since taken a different route due to the need to get its operating system into many hands as possible.
Apple's Maverick X is named after the surfing location in northern California. The new operating system brings a host of new features and apps to Macs, most of which were taken straight from iOS 7, Apple's operating system for the iPhone and iPad devices. Mavericks includes iBooks, a software that allows iPhone and iPad users to sync books to their Mac computer. Also included is Apple's Maps app, which will also sync information with iOS devices. Additionally, the new operating system comes with a new version of the Safari browser that has a feature called Shared Links. It helps the user to find new links on the web by consolidating links shared by people on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Furthermore, Mavericks includes a technology that improves on the battery life of the Mac laptop, which is always a welcoming news for anyone who owns a MacBook. Mavericks also brings to the table iCloud Keychain, a feature that allows for the saving of website log-in information, credit card details and WiFi passwords. All saved information will be available for all Apple devices via iCloud wherever the user is located.
"Mavericks is an incredible release, which introduces significant new apps and features, while also improving the performance and battery life of your Mac," said Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering in a press release. "We 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."
Interested parties will have to visit the Mac App Store for the free Mavericks X update.
If Apple plays its cards correctly, there might be a chance for Mavericks X to surpass the dwindling Windows 8 market share. The Cupertino giant has a lot of work cut out, but with Microsoft on the ropes, it is the perfect time for Apple to strike.
