OS X Mavericks

New features in OS X Mavericks

Perhaps you just bought a Macintosh computer that includes Mac OS X Mavericks. Or maybe you've recently upgraded to Mavericks from a previous version of OS X (pronounced O-S ten). On the other hand, you may be a Windows user who is considering switching to a Mac.

No matter your situation, we're going to show you some of the many new features in OS X Mavericks.

We'll talk more about the basics of using Mavericks in our lesson on Getting Started with OS X Mavericks.

What is Mac OS X Mavericks?

OS X Mavericks (version 10.9) is the most recent operating system designed by Apple and released in 2013. It is generally used with Apple Macintosh computers (Macs). Like other operating systems, it allows you to run programs, organize your files, browse the Internet, and more.

Although Mavericks is new, other versions of Mac OS X have been around for years. Previous versions include Mountain Lion (version 10.8), Lion (10.7), Snow Leopard (10.6), and Leopard (10.5). If you are upgrading from OS X Lion or Mountain Lion, Mavericks will be a relatively minor upgrade. 

Mac OS X Mavericks

An operating system manages all of the hardware and software on a computer. Without it, the computer would be useless. To learn more about how operating systems work, check out Understanding Operating Systems and Getting to Know the OS in our Computer Basics tutorial.