Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Mavericks Edition

Appendix A. Installation

If your computer came with Mavericks already installed on it, you can skip this appendix—for now. But if you’re running an earlier version of the Mac OS and want to savor the Mavericks experience, this appendix describes how to install the new operating system on your Mac.

If you’re new in these parts, you may be in for quite a shock: You can’t buy Mavericks in a box or on a DVD. You’re supposed to download it from the Mac App Store.

There are some very attractive elements to the download-only system. For example, there’s no copy protection and no serial numbers to type in. There’s no cost to Apple for manufacturing or shipping, which may explain why Mavericks isn’t even $20 or $30, like its predecessors—it’s free.

Now there’s no disc to hunt down later, when you want to install OS X again (onto a new Mac, for example). And when you do need a copy again, you’ll download the latest version—10.9.3 or whatever it is—instead of having to install whatever updates have come out since you got your DVD.

(And what if you don’t have a fast Internet connection for downloading Mavericks? The world won’t come to an end; read on.)