OS X Mavericks review: Free as in beer
The last time Apple released an OS X update for free, it was playing defense. OS X 10.0 was slow and buggy and adoption was slow; version 10.1, rolled out in September 2001, was an apology release for the pioneers on Apple’s then-new Mac operating system.
Twelve years later, Apple’s playing offense. OS X Mavericks (technically version 10.9) launches a new era of Mac operating systems, complete with a non-feline nickname and a blank price tag. It’s free as in beer, whether you’re running Snow Leopard or Lion or Mountain Lion, and just as with its many free iOS updates, Apple wants you to upgrade.
This review can’t tell you whether or not to spend your hard-earned money on this upgrade, because, well, Mavericks won’t cost you a penny. But I can at least explain the highs and lows of this new update as you make the decision about whether to stay put or accept Apple’s generous offer and catch the Mavericks wave.
(Before we get started, a word about compatibility. Mavericks appears to be the most compatible OS X release Apple has made in years; so far as I can tell, any system that could run Mountain Lion can run Mavericks. That means iMacs and MacBook Pros from as far back as 2007; MacBook Airs, MacBooks, and Mac Pros from 2008; and Mac minis from 2009. That’s a whole lot of Macs, and Apple would love all of them to run its latest operating system.)
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