shownotes_20131020

Do you have the right stuff?
  Check the system requirements
    We never know for sure until Apple announce it, but the "Gold Master" was pushed to developers and here's what it requires:
      The general rule will likely be almost any Mac that can run OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion should be able to run Mavericks.
      The key is that you have a 64-bit Intel processor and a 64-bit implementation of the EFI firmware, and an "advanced" GPU.
      Specifically:
        iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
        MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
        MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
        Xserve (Early 2009)
        MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
        Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
        Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
      OS X Mavericks will run on a machine with just 2GB of RAM, but you'll likely want at least 4GB and more if you have it.
    2 GB of RAM
    At least 8GB of available space to do the upgrade. A clean install of OS X Mavericks takes up a bit less than 10 GB of drive space.
      So you likely will want at least 10GB and probably more.
    Mac OS X 10.6.8 or greater installed
  How to check your specs
    Click the 'Apple' menu and choose 'About this Mac'
      Then click the 'More info…' button
      Check version, processor, and memory
      Use the tabs to jump to the different sections
    MacTracker is another great app for getting specs
    While 2 GB is the minimum for RAM, consider an upgrade to at least 4GB
      4 GB upgrade kits starting around $45-60 USD depending on model.
      Crucial
      Other World Computing
    Probably want more headroom than 8GB of space for install, 20GB would be a lot more comfortable.
      OWC is a good place too if you need a new hard drive
Prepare the deck for launch
  Free up disk space
    Do a review of your Applications folder, Preference Panes, menubar items, login items, etc.
    Do you really need all that crud?
    Finding large files
      Use Spotlight
        In Finder select your drive from the 'Devices'
        Choose File-->Find from the menu (Command+F)
        Next to 'Search:' select the drive instead of 'This Mac'
        From the search parameters drop down choose 'Other;' and then find and select 'Size' and click OK
        Set the options to 'Size' 'Greater than' and then set the value to find the larger files (say 100 - 500 MB or greater)
        Select an item and check the path at the bottom of the window to see it's location (View-->Show Path Bar)
      PathFinder
      Daisy Disk
      Omni DiskSweeper
      Grand Perspective
      WhatSize
    Other places to look
      ~/Documents, are there things in here you could archive and clean off. Move to a NAS drive, external drives, or put onto a USB disk, or burn to DVDs. Don't forget to make multiple copies or archives and keep one set off-site for really important files.
      ~/Downloads and ~/Library/ Mail Downloads
      /Library, /Library/Application Support, ~/Library, and ~/Library/Application Support, look for folder names matching applications you no longer have installed, and delete them.
    For cleaning up apps, you might consider a uninstall utility
      AppZapper is one of my favorites
      CleanApp
      CleanMyMac2
      Hazel
  Update your stuff
    Run software update on your current system and make sure your OS and Apple apps are up to date
      Launch the "App Store" from the Applications folder
      Go to the "Updates" tab and choose "Update All"
    Update your 3rd party apps, etc.
    Updating your Apps
      I have a copy of AppFresh that seems to still work and can show 'Last Used'.
    RoaringApps has a community updated list and they are starting to add OS X Mavericks apps.
      This time around if you've been running Mountain Lion then you should probably be OK with most of your apps.
  Check and prep your drive
    Run Disk Utility and make sure there are no errors
    Could also use 3rd party tools to check
      Drive Genius
      Tech Tool Pro
    If there are issues detected with your drive
      See if you repair them
      For more serious issues you could try a tool like Disk Warrior
      Consider maybe replacing the drive. Not a bad idea if the drive is more than 3 years old.
        Note that most drive fail at either end of their life, so a new drive can also fail. That's why we backup.
    I also like to run maintenance like clearing the cache, rotating log files, etc.
      Cocktail
      Onyx
  Backup, backup, backup
    You should have at lest one (likely two) full backups of your current set-up.
      You'll probably want at least one of those to be bootable.
      Time Machine counts
      Super Duper
      Carbon Copy Cloner
    Verify your backup
      Can you boot from it?
      Can you copy and read files off it.
      Confirm you can restore files form your Time Machine
  Disable whole disk encryption
    If you use File Vault or other whole disk encryption you'll want to turn it off before upgrading.
    You can turn it back on after you've installed the OS X Mavericks upgrade.
  Bring home your new kitty
    Purchased via the Mac App Store
      If pricing stays the same as Mountain Lion expect: $19.99 USD (10 computers). Additional $19.99 for OS X Server Utilities.
      Must have at least Snow Leopard installed.
      The download will be 4GB, so be prepared if you are on a slow connection
        May want to borrow a faster connection, get on public wi-fi to do the download.
Other things to know
  Key new features
    iBooks is finally on the desktop
      it's own app
      Buy and download books
      Sync's with iBooks in the cloud.
      Supports iBooks Author titles
      Open multiple books at once
    Maps for OS X
      Supports Flyovers
      Local searching with Yelp info and reviews
      Built into Mail, Contacts, and Calendar
      Send to iOS feature
    Calendar has been completely redesigned
    iCloud Keychain
      It's expected that will be updated on iOS 7 when Mavericks is released.
    Better multiple display support
      Full screen apps on different screens
      Menubar and dock on both screens
      AirPlay display, not just mirroring
    Notifications
      Interactive, you can respond to an email, iMessage, or FaceTime call from the notification
      Web notifications
      Lock screen notification summary
    Finder tabs and tags
      Search by tags
      Create smart folders
      Tags work in apps and in iCloud
    Advanced enhancements
      Timer Coalescing groups low-level operations together, creating tiny periods of idle time that allow your CPU to enter a low-power state more often.
      App Nap, when not the focus conserves battery life by slowing the app down. Safari has a 'Power Save' that does the same thing, but for background tabs.
      Compressed memory, allows you to do more with less RAM. Still the more the better.
      Basically mavericks should run quicker and offer better battery life on most systems.