How to Download OS X Mavericks for Free

Apple has officially released its latest operating system, OS X Mavericks for free. Mac users can install it immediately. Here's what you need to know and how to get it.

About MavericksMavericks is version 10.9 of Apple OS X. At first glance, it closely resembles the previous version,Mountain Lion, but comes with hundreds of small improvements that add up to a significantly upgraded operating system.

For example, you can now reply to an iMessage right from the notification of a new incoming message, rather than open up the iMessage app. Safari has similar improvements—new functions and features that let you stay in your current window while getting relevant information or related tasks done. More importantly for laptop users, Mavericks contains a number of improvements that extend battery life and improve memory. It's impressive to see these kinds of improvements at the software level.

Apple OS X 10.9 Mavericks (for Mac)

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Is Your Mac Compatible?In a nutshell, your Mac is likely compatible if you are running Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6 ) or later. Here's Apple's list of compatible machines:

• iMac (mid 2007 or newer)
• MacBook (late 2008 aluminum, or early 2009 or newer)
• MacBook Pro (mid/late 2007 or newer)
• MacBook Air (late 2008 or newer)
• Mac mini (early 2009 or newer)
• Mac Pro (early 2008 or newer)
• Xserve (early 2009)

From Snow Leopard, Lion, and Mountain Lion, you'll be able to upgrade to Mavericks in one click—no stepped upgrading required.

If you have an iMac or MacBook Pro from 2007 or later, you should be fine, although people with older machines may want to first clean up and optimize their machines slightly, especially if they've become sluggish over the years. I recommend running a cleanup utility, such as CCleaner, which is free and what I use at home. You might also verify or repair the disk (Applications > Utilities > Disk Utilities). And finally, though this may seem like rudimentary advice, transfer huge files (videos, very large photos and PDFs) to an external hard drive or another place to get them off your Mac.

Before You Download...Before you install a whole new operating system, take a few minutes to prepare so that your update will go smoothly.

Save, Quit, Backup. Save any work you have open, and then quit the applications you were using. Backup your data. Please. Really? Okay, if I can't convince you to back up your entire machine, how about just backing up your most important data?

Update (or Remove) Apps. Check for app updates, and run the ones you need exceptMavericks for now. These updates will appear in the Mac App Store. Even better, if you see any programs in the updates list that you don't use any more, uninstall them. It's more efficient to do a little clean up before you install the new OS than after.

Install Apple OS X MavericksGo back to the App Store icon, and now install Mavericks. Don't futz around with your machine while it's updating. On the first day of release, it will probably take more time to update the operating system than if you wait a day, due to the crush of other users trying to update, too.

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Apple Inc. To Launch 55-65″ 4K HDTV Next Year

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will reportedly launch 55 and 65 inch 4K ultra high definition television towards the end of next year, claims a report of analyst Masahiko Ishino at Advanced Research Japan.

Apple working with suppliers

The report published by Bloomberg noted that television will have frameless design. Suppliers that will be providing different pats to Apple are LG for display panels, Samsung for Graphical processing and corning’s gorilla Glass 3 glass covers. Television is expected to cost around $1,500 to $2,500. Apple can hire Foxconn for assembling process of final delivery in the fourth quarter of 2014, according to the analyst.

Earlier a report in Taiwan’s daily noted that Corning, Foxconn, G-Tech Optoelectronics and display maker Innolux were working with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) on a new television product.

Hurdles in TV market

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been in the news for its probable Television from quite some time now, along with plans to foray into HDTV business anytime. However, there is stiff competition in the television market coupled with very low margins. From the technology point of view, 4K television are just amazing and at a different level. However, there is hardly any 4K television content available for which buying such expensive TV can be justified.

This year many companies came up with 4K ultra high definition displays, but the price range of these television was quite high. Further there is no confirmation on the Ishino’s report. Also, the report cannot be believed as the price of $1500 mentioned in it is very low compared to the current price ranges of 4K television services.

Matcha acquisition to help

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) recently acquired Matcha T.V., which specializes in bringing together online content and integrating social networking concept into TV viewing.

On the acquisition, TechCrunch reported earlier “Apple acquired Matcha after testing numerous approaches to generating recommendations right at the point where it had refined its algorithm such that it saw an explosion in user growth, according to our source,” further it says that app did perform successfully in the app chart and was ranked in top 15 in the entertainment category before closing.

 Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has an image of a pioneer rather than being a follower, which indicates that iPhone maker will just not launch a 4K TV for the sake of competing with other brands, but the gadget from the iPhone maker will surely be different from any other HDTV in the market.

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Apple to Ship New Mac Pro in December Starting at $2,999

SAN FRANCISCO - Apple announced on Tuesday that it will ship its new Mac Pro model in December with a starting price of US$2,999. The company made the announcement during the "We still have a lot to cover" media event.

Apple announced the new Mac Pro during June's World Wide Developer Conference, and Tuesday's media event included new details on specs, the rough shipping date, and additional specs.

Here are some large images (more information below):

New Mac Pro - Back

Apple is listing the Mac Pro in two base configurations. The entry-level device starts at $2,999 and includes a 3.7GHz quad-core Xeon processor, 12GB 1866MHz DDR3 ECC memory, Dual FirePro D300 video cards with 2GB of VRAM each, and 256GB of Flash storage.

This model is upgradable to a 3.5GHz 6-core processor, a 3.0GHz 8-core processor, or a 2.7GHz 12-core processor. You can also upgrade the FirePro video cards to the FirePro D500 with 3GB of VRAM each or the FirePro D700 with 6GB of VRAM each.

For $3,999, you get 3.5GHz a 6-Core Intel Xeon E5 processor, 16GB of 1866MHz DDR3 ECC memory, Dual AMD FirePro D500 with 3GB GDDR5 VRAM each, and 256GB of Flash storage.

This model is upgradable to a 3.0GHz 8-core processor, or a 2.7GHz 12-core processor. The video card is upgradable to the D700, as noted above.

Another large image (more information below):

Mac Pro - Inside

We should note that there is essentially one model of Mac Pro with a bunch of upgrade options. Starting with the entry level $2,999 model still allows you to get the same high-end configurations you can get starting with the $3,999 model.

Storage on either model is upgradable to either 512GB or 1TB, and both models can be upgraded to 32GB or 64GB of RAM.

Apple hasn't specified a shipping date, but said it will be available in December. The company has not included pricing for the specific upgrades mentioned above save for the starting prices of the base configurations.

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The five key announcements from Apple's iPad event

Apple's latest tech event proved to be another newsworthy affair, with the introduction of several new products as well as updates to its software suite for personal computers, tablets and smartphones.

Here's a recap of the five biggest announcements:

1. iPad Air. As expected, the new 9.7-inch iPad is thinner and lighter than earlier models, and comes in space gray and silver (what, no gold?). Although it doesn't boast the champagne hue of the iPhone 5s, it does sport the same A7 processing chip and M7 coprocessor. Also missing is the fingerprint sensor rumored to be included with the new iPad. It starts at $499 for a 16GB, Wi-Fi only model. Interestingly, Apple is keeping the iPad 2 around, selling that for $399.

2. iPad Mini with Retina display. Apple's smaller tablet gets a big screen boost with the addition of a Retina display. The 7.9-inch device features 2048 x 1536 resolution and the A7 chip, along with 10 hours of battery life. It starts at $399, with the original iPad Mini now available at $299.

3. Mac Pro. Seeking out a traditional personal computer and got money to burn? Apple rolls out its Mac Pro starting at a whopping $2,999. For that price, consumers get an Intel Xenon 5 Quad-Core processor and 4K display support (full specifications here).

4. New MacBooks. The MacBook Pro gets an overhaul, with thinner, lighter models boasting the new Intel Haswell chips. Both the 13- and 15-inch models get a price cut, now available at $1,299 and $1,999 respectively.

5. Free Mavericks. The two big words Apple used with software were "free" and "today." The highlight is the latest version of the Mac operating system called OS X Mavericks is available today for free. Users must be running OS X 10.6.8 or later to snag the upgrade. Features include multiple display support, iBooks and Maps apps and upgraded notifications.

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Apple Unveils New IPads Amid Crowded Tablet Market

Philip Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple Inc., unveils the iPad Air during a press event in San Francisco, on Oct. 22, 2013. The Air goes on sale on Nov. 1, with prices starting at $499. Photographer: Noah Berger/Bloomberg

Apple Inc. (AAPL:US) introduced new iPads in time for holiday shoppers, as it battles to stay ahead of rivals in the increasingly crowded market for tablet computers.

Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook debuted a new iPad mini with a high-definition screen, as well as a thinner and lighter design for the larger tablet named the iPad Air. The iPad Air goes on sale on Nov. 1, starting at $499. The iPad mini will be available later in November for $399 and up, higher than the previous model’s starting price of $329.

“This is just the beginning for iPad,” Cook said to a crowd of media and technology-industry insiders at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in downtown San Francisco. “We have been busy working on the next generation of iPad.”

VIDEO: Apple Unveils New 13-, 15-Inch Macbook Pro Laptops

In the year since Apple last updated the iPad, companies including Samsung Electronics Co. (005930), Asustek Computer Inc. (2357), Google Inc. (GOOG:US)and Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN:US) have unveiled new tablets, often at lower prices. The competition adds pressure to Apple because the iPad is its second-largest source of revenue after its flagship iPhone. Success of the new models will be critical as the Cupertino, California-based company attempts to reignite revenue growth, which has slowed.

New Macs

Apple today also introduced new Mac software, called Mavericks, which is available free of charge. The software may stoke hardware sales, with the company also showing an updated high-end Mac Pro desktop computer starting at $2,999 aimed at professions that need extra computing power, as well as new MacBook Pro laptops.

“We still believe deeply in this category and we’re not slowing down on our innovations” in Macs, said Cook. The Mac Pro will be assembled in the U.S., he said.

VIDEO: iPad Air Shows Bankruptcy of Thinking: Kedrosky

Apple shares fell less than 1 percent to close at $519.87 in New York, leaving the stock down 2 percent for the year, compared with a 23 percent increase in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.

Apple is updating its products ahead of the lucrative holiday shopping season. As part of the lineup, the company released new iPhones (AAPL:US) -- the iPhone 5s and 5c -- last month.

Yet more than three years after Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad, the growth of the global tablet market is showing signs of decelerating. Tablet shipments are projected to increase 28 percent in 2014 to 301 million units, after doubling in 2012, according to Counterpoint Research.

Competitors are cutting into Apple’s lead. The company’s tablet market share slid to 32 percent in the second quarter, compared to 60 percent a year earlier, according to IDC.

Samsung, Asustek, Lenovo Group Ltd. (992), Acer Inc. (2353) and others are offering devices with prices starting at less than half of the iPad mini’s previous starting cost of $329. Amazon.com introduced new Kindle Fires last month with higher-resolution screens at prices starting from $229, while Microsoft Corp. and Nokia Oyj (NOK1V) took the wraps off new tablets this week.

Biggest Usage

Cook alluded to the competition today, noting that “everybody seems to be making a tablet.” He said the iPad is still used more than four times more than all other tablets put together. Apple has sold more than 170 million iPads, he said.

In a move to spur growth, Apple will also roll out the new iPad Air in China at the same time as other markets, said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of product marketing. Apple also dropped the price of last year’s iPad mini model to $299.

No Worries

Benedict Evans of Enders Analysis said the higher starting price of the iPad mini shows Apple isn’t worried about competitors. He said the tablet market has bifurcated into two, with Apple controlling the high-end with its collection of popular iPad-specific apps, and a slew of other lower-end tablets used mainly to watch video or browse the Web.

“Apple apparently doesn’t fear much tablet competition,” he said.

Some rivals’ tablet efforts have flopped. Microsoft took an $900 million writedown earlier this year after its Surface failed to catch on with consumers.

Apple is also going on the offensive by offering its operating system software for free. That threatens companies such as Microsoft, which typically sells its software in pricier packages. Carl Howe, an analyst at Yankee Group, said Apple giving away its software is tantamount to “challenging the Microsoft model.”

Developers at Apple’s event said the updated iPads will attract consumers, especially the lighter and thinner iPad Air.

“When you have a lighter weight device, you’re going to get more usage,” said Mike McCue, co-founder of news-reading application Flipboard Inc. “People are more likely to throw it in a backpack, pick it up or use it.”

Some carriers and developers immediately began using the new iPads as a marketing opportunity. T-Mobile US Inc. (TMUS:US), which is selling the iPad for the first time, is offering users 200-megabits of high-speed data service at no extra cost, to help the fourth-largest carrier stand apart from its rivals. The 200-megabit allotment covers about five Web page downloads a day, according to the company’s data calculator. Users can buy 2.5GB of additional data for $30 or 4.5GB for $40.

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