Dear LH, I currently use Mac OS X Mountain Lion, but I tend to upgrade to new operating system versions as soon as they are released. I’m wondering if Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks will be able to run all of my Mountain Lion applications or if I will need to wait for these apps to be updated. I have searched online and cannot find an answer to this question. Please help! Thanks, Update Happy
Dear UH,
There’s no definitive answer to this question — while plenty of apps will continue to work without requiring an update, some will definitely need patching (security apps and OS utilities spring to mind) while others may require workarounds via tweaks to System Preferences and the like. Lots of apps will also provide an optional upgrade to take advantage of new Mavericks features, but it wont be compulsory.
This is one of the reasons Mavericks is available in beta but won’t be out until later in the year — it allows app developers time to ensure their apps are fully compatible. Subsequently, most of the apps that matter should work fine (in one way or another) when the new OS update finally rolls around. If you’re worried, bypass the preview and wait for the final commercial release.
For a taste of what Mac OS X 10.9 will provide, check out our guide to all the new features.
Cheers
Lifehacker
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