Apple : In Depth: OS X 10.9: what we want to see from Apple's new Mac OS

In Depth: OS X 10.9: what we want to see from Apple's new Mac OS

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The previous major release of OS X, Mountain Lion, was largely a hit, boosting the system's feature set and security; however, it also mangled some iOS features into the mix that didn't work terribly well, such as iCloud documents, and a sub-standard full-screen mode.

Still, that didn't stop OS X Mountain Lion enjoying strong sales. According to Apple, more than three million people downloaded the OS during its first four days on sale, and it's pretty much topped the Mac App Store charts ever since.

OS X 10.9 release date

The eighth major release of OS X, Lion, arrived only a year after its predecessor, and the same was true with Mountain Lion. The expectation was therefore that we would see a preview build of OS X 10.9 in February or March and then a shipping date of July 2013.

However, pundit John Gruber claimed iOS 7 is "running behind" and engineers have been pulled from OS X 10.9 to work on that project.

On that basis, it's reasonable to expect the revision of Apple's desktop OS to be previewed at WWDC during the summer and the final release to appear later in the year, perhaps making its debut alongside a revised Mac Pro.

Whenever that final release arrives (and whatever it's called — after all, there aren't many cats left for Apple to use), we're looking forward to its new features and changes, and hope they'll include at least some of the following…

1. iBooks and Newsstand for OS X

OS X Mountain Lion was largely about bringing relevant features from iOS to the Mac, but Apple should go further. It's bizarre that both of Apple's major iOS apps for reading are not available on the Mac.

With OS X 10.9, Apple should release both iBooks and Newsstand for OS X, enabling you to read your favourite books and magazines on any Apple device, rather than restricting them to the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

OS X 10.9: what we want to see

2. Siri for OS X

Although Siri's not quite the revolutionary feature that was once promised, it nonetheless continues to improve. It's now finally useful outside of the USA, and once you've trained it to your voice, Siri can be used to rapidly speed up many tasks.

OS X already has plenty of built-in accessibility clout, and a number of different playback voices, and so it seems like a no-brainer to integrate Siri into the system.

3. Maps for OS X

When it first arrived on iOS, Apple Maps was rightly slammed, not least for its boneheaded assumptions when it came to directions. But the service continues to improve and is great for turn-by-turn.

On the Mac, it would be less useful, but we'd nonetheless like to see it, not least for researching and planning routes and journeys that could subsequently (along with favourite places) seamlessly sync to your iOS devices via iCloud.

OS X 10.9: what we want to see

4. A more usable Contacts app

People bang on about skeuomorphism in OS X, and also confuse it with texture-oriented graphic design, which isn't really the same thing. In many cases, these approaches also happen to be a matter of taste (Calendar's leather, for example), but in Contacts, Apple's created a usability disaster.

Half-way house between digital book and app, Contacts is just a mess. We hope whatever Jonathan Ive brings to the OS X 10.9 party in terms of human interface leadership, it includes a firm emphasis on usability and not merely a hankering for minimalism. (More attention to detail regarding bugs would also be nice — Game Center remains an ugly, unusable, broken mess on OS X and needs some serious help.)

OS X 10.9: what we want to see

5. An enhanced Finder

Finder remains a straightforward way to get at your files, and recent updates have improved inline previews. However, we'd still like to see changes. For power users, the addition of tabs would be great to cut down on clutter; and for everyone, an emphasis on speed and performance would be welcome.

Spotlight could also do with a kick up the bottom speed-wise, which would improve Finder window searches, the standalone Spotlight menu and any app it's integrated into (such as Mail).

6. A broken-up iTunes

On iOS, iTunes is just a shop. Individual apps take care of other things: Music and Videos for media playback, App Store for buying apps, Podcasts for playing podcasts, and so on.

The mess that is iTunes for OS X could benefit from a similar approach, although with the app also having to exist for Windows, we doubt this is a wish on our list that Apple will ever fulfil.

7. Better window management

Window management on Mac OS and OS X has always been weak and Windows zoomed past with Aero Snap and related features. Third-party utilities exist on OS X for managing windows, but Apple appears hostile towards them.

Really, it should enable you to more easily and rapidly place windows side-by-side and in other common layouts, rather than making you move/drag/move/drag like it's 1984.

OS X 10.9: what we want to see

8. Improved iCloud document management

Apple's iCloud still seems very much like a work-in-progress, with the company feeling its way regarding what the system can do. In terms of document management, it's great for people working on their own and who produce relatively few files.

For anyone else, it's problematic at best - OS X 10.9 really needs to improve filing, sharing and collaboration regarding this aspect of iCloud.

OS X 10.9: what we want to see

9. Interface improvements

It's possible to argue all day about the direction in which Apple's interface should head, but two major widespread problems are apparent that really need fixing. First, Apple's infatuation with desaturation needs to end - people use colour to navigate and spot things, and that's now a problem in some apps (notably Finder and iPhoto sidebars).

Secondly, the company must address scalability. What works on an iPad and just about works on a MacBook Air frequently looks ridiculous on an iMac, such as full-screen apps with acres of space, sickness-inducing animated transitions, and the Fisher-Price-style Launchpad.

10. More cross-device intelligence

Our final wish is that Apple's operating systems would be a little more intelligent when it comes to cross-device purchases. In some cases, Apple gets it right: buy a song and you can (optionally) have it sent to all your Apple kit; buy an app on your iPhone and it'll download in iTunes and be sent to your iPad.

Great. But why can't we browse the Mac App Store (which, after all, is simply a web browser wrapper) on an iPad, buy an app and have it waiting on a Mac the next time we use it? It's almost like Apple doesn't really want us using a Mac any more, once we're comfy with an iPad…

Buying Guide: Mac RAID drives: 6 reviewed and rated

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Backing up your data every now and again is not enough. Using an online back-up service such as Crash Plan or Mozy isn't enough (although off-site back-up should be part of your overall strategy).

If your internet connection goes down at the same time as your hard drive fails or you inadvertently wipe that important file, no online back-up will save you.

A scheduled local back-up routine is critical. And for that, you'll need a backup destination you can trust to look after your data. You could use any old hard drive, but in the unlikely event the drive fails just when you need to restore from it, you'll have a problem.

A mirrored RAID drive massively reduces that problem. These drives, which house multiple disks, copy your data in its entirety to more than one disk. In the case of the drives we have tested here, each has two disks and each disk has identical data. Thus, if one disk fails, your data is safely stored on the other.

What's more, on most of the drives on test, you can easily whip out the failed disk, pop in a new one, and the RAID array will re-build itself. That configuration is known as RAID 1.

The drives here can also be configured as RAID 0, which stripes data across the disks, allowing your Mac to copy data to two disks simultaneously and thus significantly speed up the process - though in this case if one drive fails, you lose the entire array.

In both systems however, the drive appears as a single volume in the Finder, to keep everything simple. We've put six RAID drives through their paces to find out which is best. Two of them can only be connected to a Mac with Thunderbolt, but the other four can be hooked up to any Mac with USB 2, and two of those support the latest, ultra-fast USB 3. The others can connect using FireWire 800.

We put each through our battery of tests and benchmarked each one for speed. And from the results, we'll tell you which one will do the best job of looking after your data.

Test one: Build quality

How robust are the units holding your data?

Buffalo

The primary purpose of the drives on test is to provide a destination for data back-up. That means you need to be able to trust that the chassis in which each is housed is robust.

While both the Buffalo and Western Digital drives have plastic cases, both look and feel tough enough to inspire confidence. But the LaCie, CRU-DataPort and G-Tech drives look and feel like they could survive fire, flood and a hefty earthquake and still keep your files safe.

There really is no substitute for a metal case when it comes to protecting a hard drive, and the brushed aluminium finish of the LaCie and G-Tech units means they manage to look stylish too.

Choosing between the four drives is as tough as the units themselves, but in this instance the LaCie drives' single weak spot, a plastic switch, is enough to squeeze it out. And while the CRU-DataPort unit looks like you could hit it with a hammer and the hammer would come off worst, it has plastic buttons and a screen, which could be vulnerable.

Test results

Test two: Ease of set-up

Is it really as simple as plug and play?

CRU

All the drives on test came configured as RAID 0, except for the CRU-DataPort, which was helpfully configured as RAID 1. Had we needed to change the configuration on that box, however, it would have proved much easier than any of the others, thanks to its hardware RAID controller, LCD and front-mounted buttons.

The only other drive on test that supported hardware configuration was the LaCie 2big Quadra. That has inset switches on the back and comes with a special tool that allows you to press them. However, it is a little fiddly, and you need to make sure you read the instructions particularly carefully beforehand.

Of the others, the WD and Buffalo have proprietary RAID management tools, while both the Thunderbolt drives rely on OS X's Disk Utility in order to change the RAID settings. That's okay, but Disk Utility is not the friendliest tool to use. LaCie provides some detailed instructions, whereas G-Tech simply points you to Apple's support website.

Test results

Test three: Extra features

Little extras can make all the difference

G-Tech

The Buffalo and LaCie 2big USB 3 both have USB 3 connectors. While only the most recent Macs support this version of USB, it offers significant speed improvements over USB 2 and FireWire 800.

Both LaCie drives also come with Intego Back Up Manager Pro, while the WD My Studio II has a proprietary set of software tools on CD. The My Book Studio II also has a useful capacity gauge on the front and offers USB 2, FireWire 800, and eSATA connectors.

The G-Tech G-Raid has the same connectors as the My Book Studio II and includes a FireWire 800 to FireWire 400 cable in the box, as well as a standard FireWire 800 cable; useful if you have an older Mac or want to daisy-chain older FireWire peripherals.

The CRU-DataPort also has a FireWire 800 to 400 cable, and includes a copy of ProSoft's Data Backup. LaCie deserve special praise for including a Thunderbolt cable in the box with its drive. There's no cable with the G-Tech G-Raid with Thunderbolt. A narrow win for the My Book Studio Pro II in this test.

Test results

Test four: The drives in use

How do the drives perform day-to-day?

Lacie

Once you've set up your RAID drive and scheduled backups, you should be able to forget it. But there are a couple of issues worth considering.

The first is heat generation. These drives may well be running 24/7 so reducing the amount of heat they produce is important. The My Book Studio is the only drive on test that doesn't have a fan, relying instead on a 'chimney' convection cooling system.

The Buffalo, CRU-DataPort and G-Tech units all have fans that blow air out the back. But the LaCie drives have fans and a chassis designed to dissipate heat, in the same way as a CPU heatsink does. Also, the Buffalo is very noisy in use.

The other issue is the ease with which a drive can be replaced; the point of RAID 1 is redundancy. The G-Tech doesn't offer that at all, and while the WD does, it's fiddly. The Buffalo is better, while both the LaCie and CRU-DataPort have lever-based systems for sliding drives out without opening the case. The CRU-DataPort offers extra security, allowing you to lock the bays.

Test results

The winner: Lacie 2Big Quadra 4TB

Lacie 2big

Choosing a back-up destination is one of those rare occasions when the differences in price between the drives on test is relatively unimportant. Will you care that you saved yourself £50 if the drive you buy fails when you need it most?

Nevertheless, the price of the CRU-DataPort drive compared to the other non-Thunderbolt drives is just too high to name it as winner. Likewise, neither Thunderbolt drive offers enough to justify the premium price.

Of the three that are left, two have plastic cases making them less robust than their metal-enclosed competitors. For that reason, along with the ease with which failed disks can be replaced, and the inclusion of USB 3 and FireWire 800, the LaCie 2big Quadra USB 3 is our winner this time around.

Final results

Yahuui Blog

Monday, May 6, 2013