Rumor: Apple's OS X 10.9 Mavericks to arrive in late October

Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
Despite being announced in early June at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference, the next major Mac update, OS X 10.9 Mavericks, may not arrive until late October, according to a new report.

Mavericks


Citing sources with knowledge of Apple's alleged launch plans, 9to5Mac reported on Friday that the debut for Mavericks is nearly two months away. In addition, the site also cited apparent "chatter" that iOS 7 for iPad won't be available until October as well.

Last year, Apple surprised when it unveiled OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion in February with little fanfare, outside of a typical keynote address. The software then became available in the Mac App Store in late July, or about five months later.

That means this year's time between announcement and launch of OS X 10.9 Mavericks would actually be shorter than the same window for OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion was in 2012. Still, some had expected that next Mac operating system might launch in the near future, perhaps as soon as Apple's iPhone media event next week.

Just this week, developers were supplied with the seventh preview build of Mavericks. The latest developer preview includes performance enhancements but still isn't ready for the public, with features like iCloud Keychain remaining a work in progress.

Apple hasn't given a specific launch window for Mavericks beyond this fall. When it does launch, it will pack in new features such as iBooks for Mac, Finder Tabs, Apple Maps, App Nap, Compressed Memory, and more.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 58
    jlljll Posts: 2,713member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    Despite being announced in early June at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference, the next major Mac update, OS X 10.9 Mavericks, may not arrive until late October, according to a new report.

     

    Despite?

     

    DP1 of Mountain Lion was seeded February 16, and the final was released July 25.

  • Reply 2 of 58
    I have no inside knowledge, but this would surprise me. Mavericks has been quite stable since DP2, and DP7 (13A569) feels pretty much finished since DP5. I'm sure Apple would spend the next 6-7 weeks polishing it even further, but based on past release builds, this sounds dubious.

    10.8 - 12A269
    10.7 - 11A511
    10.6 - 10A432
    10.5 - 9A581
    10.4 - 8A428

    We've already exceeded the build cycles for every release except 10.5, which was pushed back due to the iPhone release.

    Who knows, maybe Apple is just timing this so it doesn't get lost in the September iPhone hoopla.
  • Reply 3 of 58
    blackbookblackbook Posts: 1,361member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by serpicolugnut View Post



    I have no inside knowledge, but this would surprise me. Mavericks has been quite stable since DP2, and DP7 (13A569) feels pretty much finished since DP5. I'm sure Apple would spend the next 6-7 weeks polishing it even further, but based on past release builds, this sounds dubious.



    10.8 - 12A269

    10.7 - 11A511

    10.6 - 10A432

    10.5 - 9A581

    10.4 - 8A428



    We've already exceeded the build cycles for every release except 10.5, which was pushed back due to the iPhone release.



    Who knows, maybe Apple is just timing this so it doesn't get lost in the September iPhone hoopla.

     

    But an October release means it'll likely be launched alongside the new iPads. So instead of getting lost in iPhone hoopla it'll get lost in the iPad frenzy!

     

    Anyway, I'm still hoping for iWorks 2013 for Mac and iPad to be unveiled unless we have to wait until next year for a new iWork?

  • Reply 4 of 58
    Just fix the loss of wifi / ethernet when the computer goes to sleep. Please Apple - concentrate on bug fixes, especially long lasting ones, in addition to the bells and whistles.
  • Reply 5 of 58

    So, I wonder if this allows for additional time to change the UI and adapt it to iOS7 and iCloud? Just wondering...

  • Reply 6 of 58
    blackbookblackbook Posts: 1,361member
    racingbull wrote: »
    So, I wonder if this allows for additional time to change the UI and adapt it to iOS7 and iCloud? Just wondering...

    Wait till OS XI. That'll likely be billed as the biggest update to OS X since inception.
  • Reply 7 of 58
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,717member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by serpicolugnut View Post



    Who knows, maybe Apple is just timing this so it doesn't get lost in the September iPhone hoopla.

     

    I seem to remember a point in the past where they released a new version of iOS and OS X at the same time and the resulting downloads caused their servers to fail.  So that would be another good reason to stagger the releases.

     

    But, I agree with the general sentiment that Mavericks has felt quite polished for a while now.  So late October is surprising unless there's some extra features they're holding back on.

  • Reply 8 of 58
    Take your time, Apple. Sync up the release with the Mac Pro announcement and make sure the bugs are out of both. Mavericks needs to not only be really stable, but it needs to have a long shelf life. I have a feeling the next OS, XI %u2013 will be a radical departure (combining iOS and the desktop even further) and many who are adverse to keeping up with the new OSs (work stations, editing suites, many designers, ect...) will rely on Mavericks for a while, so no need to rush it out.
  • Reply 9 of 58
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    Despite being announced in early June at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference, the next major Mac update, OS X 10.9 Mavericks, may not arrive until late October, according to a new report.

     

    image


    At the 47:27:00 mark

     

    Despite what the AppleInsider Staff knows, Fall begins on September 21st and ends on December 20th. And the month of 'October' is still a full 31 days between them.

     

    In addition, as sub headed on Apple's web site, iOS 7. Coming this Fall

  • Reply 10 of 58
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member

    When is the Mac Pro due out? :)

  • Reply 11 of 58

    The extra features they are waiting on are the new iMacs, MacBook Pros, and Mac Pro which will hopefully be announced at the same October event as the new iPads, earlier in October, with the Macs being shipped a short while later.

     

    Total conjecture, of course, but hey, my post count is low... :-/

     

    Edit: I mean to quote auxio who said: "So late October is surprising unless there's some extra features they're holding back on."

  • Reply 12 of 58
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    websnap wrote: »
    Take your time, Apple. Sync up the release with the Mac Pro announcement and make sure the bugs are out of both. Mavericks needs to not only be really stable, but it needs to have a long shelf life. I have a feeling the next OS, XI %u2013 will be a radical departure (combining iOS and the desktop even further) and many who are adverse to keeping up with the new OSs (work stations, editing suites, many designers, ect...) will rely on Mavericks for a while, so no need to rush it out.

    My guess Mac Pro / Mavricks event.
  • Reply 13 of 58
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by serpicolugnut View Post





    Who knows, maybe Apple is just timing this so it doesn't get lost in the September iPhone hoopla.

    I can't see there being a whole lot of hoopla over this iPhone release.  All we're getting is colored cases on last year's model, maybe an additional color on the flagship product, maybe a fingerprint reader, and (hopefully) bumps in the general specs.  It's not going to be a game changer this time around.

     

    They're probably facing production delays again on the new iMacs or MPBs, so they want the software release closer to the hardware bumps.

  • Reply 14 of 58
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RichL View Post

     

    When is the Mac Pro due out? :)


     

    Anytime after Mavericks and before December.



    While it won't get any "stage" time at the supposed October Event, I'd expect Apple to update us on the status, either announcing it for sale or pre-order.

  • Reply 15 of 58
    sporlosporlo Posts: 143member
    netcrawler wrote: »
    Just fix the loss of wifi / ethernet when the computer goes to sleep. Please Apple - concentrate on bug fixes, especially long lasting ones, in addition to the bells and whistles.
    That's not a bug, it's supposed to happen. When your Mac is sleeping, it doesn't do any work, hence the name "sleep."
    That's why they built Power Nap, to allow specific work to be done while asleep.
  • Reply 16 of 58
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member

    My main hope for OSX 10.9 is the new maps app.  

     

    If it's good enough, and if it's easy enough to report mistakes, it might make Apple both realise what absolute shite their data is as well as provide more input from users so it can be corrected.  It's been a full year already with no improvement in the basic (hilariously incorrect) data at all, at least in my city.  

  • Reply 17 of 58
    rcfarcfa Posts: 1,124member
    auxio wrote: »
    Who knows, maybe Apple is just timing this so it doesn't get lost in the September iPhone hoopla.

    I seem to remember a point in the past where they released a new version of iOS and OS X at the same time and the resulting downloads caused their servers to fail.  So that would be another good reason to stagger the releases.

    But, I agree with the general sentiment that Mavericks has felt quite polished for a while now.  So late October is surprising unless there's some extra features they're holding back on.

    Feel polished and be ready are two different things. I know of serious issues with certain types of drivers, and there's at least one truly obnoxious workflow related bug in Mail.app.
    iBooks is clearly just a work in progress at this stage with horrible media management etc.
    So they have enough work for a while if they don't want to have to rush point release updates after the release.

    Chances are, the release will be timed to coincide with some major Mac hardware releases, like new iMac, MacBook Pro, and the shipping of the Mac Pro, plus if a rumored 4k CinemaDisplay should materialize this fall, I'd expect these things to be bundled in one media event.

    For the upcoming event they'll likely focus on iPhone and iOS,and the Pandora killer Internet radio service.

    They could have a third event around iPad, AppleTV and some new video streaming service.

    That would fit Cooks comment about a "busy fall" and would spread out the news sufficiently to saturate and crowd out competiton in media coverage.
  • Reply 18 of 58
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RichL View Post

     

    When is the Mac Pro due out? :)


     

    At the 59:28:00 mark

     

    And Despite what anyone may say, this years ends on December 31st at 24:00:00.

  • Reply 19 of 58
    tundraboytundraboy Posts: 1,884member
    I suspect a little bit of misdirection going on, Apple adding some noise to all the leaks that have sprung.
  • Reply 20 of 58
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Westcoast8 View Post

     

     

    At the 59:28:00 mark

     

    And Despite what anyone may say, this years ends on December 31st at 24:00:00.


     

    There is no 24:00:00

    It is 23:59:59 and next 00:00:00

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