Hitherto, those looking to test out beta releases of Apple's OS X would need to sign up to the Developer Program, which, for $99 per year, looked quite a steep fee for the casual, inquisitive user. Now, however, the Cupertino company has introduced a new OS X Beta Seed Program, whereby users can test out pre-release builds of the Mac software simply by signing up with an Apple ID - no annual fee required.
The introduction of the radically-redesigned iOS 7 brought a shock to the system of many everyday iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users back in September, but after the previous year's Maps fiasco and the subsequent shake-up this led to in the iOS design team, the techies among us saw it coming. With Jony Ive's influence now apparent throughout the company's mobile OS, we fully expect OS X to follow suit given Apple's craving for uniformity, and designer Danny Giebe has presented us with a concept idea of what this may look like.
Apple has finally flipped the switch and made the OS X 10.9.2 Mavericks download available to the end users today. Details on what the update brings and how to download or update can be found below.
Apple's Mac range, which only recently turned thirty years old, is an integral component in the world of modern computing. Like iOS devices, Apple computers tend to run smoothly, and this can largely be attributed to the fact that Apple itself designs both hardware and software in-house. But while OS X, the company's desktop platform, can only run on Macs (save Hackintosh-like methods), there was once a point when Steve Jobs - former CEO and co-founder of the Cupertino outfit - wanted OS X to run on Sony's VAIO notebooks.
The fact that webcams are installed into each and every MacBook (and indeed, most other notebooks nowadays), can be of great usefulness, and the fact that Apple's computers present a green light when the camera is activated means that users are under no illusions as to whether the FaceTime camera is running or not. However, a piece of software in circulation, which has already been utilized by one unscrupulous individual, allows anyone to activate the camera without throwing up that green light, which is more than just a tad alarming.
Windows and OS X have been competing for years in the battle of the two major desktop platforms, and although Windows has been comfortably ahead since the beginning of time, Apple's Mac operating system has certainly made some headway in more recent times. Microsoft's Windows 8.1 and OS X Mavericks 10.9 are the latest entrants to the market, and although, as noted in the headline, Windows 8.1 has just sneaked ahead of Mavericks in terms of reach, the latter's 2.42% market share has now surpassed that of each of its predecessors.
Apple's decision to revamp and revitalize the rather disheveled iChat app was undoubtedly a decision that was needed to be made, but the execution of that decision has left more than a lot to be desired. OS X users have been more than happy to let Apple know that the Messages app on their platform isn't up to scratch, but while we wait for the Cupertino overlords to do something about it let's take a look at a new Messages concept that totally overhauls the app with the aim of actually appealing to those who use the service.
Want to install Mac OS X Mavericks Hackintosh on your PC? Thanks to the latest UniBeast release which adds support for Mavericks, you can now have best of both worlds (Windows and Mac) on your Intel-based PC.
One thing that OS X has always excelled at in comparison to Microsoft’s widely used desktop OS, are the platform’s aesthetics. Windows has a long way to go before it can even remotely catch up to the beautiful graphics and rendering of OS X, and that is one of the primary reasons for the existence of several methods, skin packs, tips and software that help Windows users emulate some OS X features on their PCs.
Whenever a new OS is released on any platform, there usually lies a series of hidden gems and goodies within, and OS X Mavericks, which released earlier on this week at Apple's special iPad event, is no exception to the rule. As well as the new stock wallpapers, there are 43 "hidden" backgrounds on offer to those on the new, California-themed flavor of OS X, and although they don't necessarily relate to the fruit company's home state, they are still rather easy on the eye. If you are looking for some alternative backdrops for your newly-updated Mac, then check out the details after the jump!
