What I want to see in OSX 10.9 (Already)

[lightwizkid]

The day Mountain Lion came out, I installed it on my MBP (Mid-2009). And did it again on my significant other's Mini (Current). Instantly I found the new features to be helpful, and useful. However, unlike Lion, it feels a bit... Underdeveloped? There are somethings that I wish they had gone further with, that a OSX update would have expanded on in the past. Here are a few things that I wish would be updated with an iteration of Mountain Lion, but that we probably won't see until 10.9 (next year).

--Ability to set notifications within apps like finder. In other words, when I'm transferring 12 GB of data to a server, while working on other tasks, I want to be able click a "notify me" button.

--Airplay API/further Airplay integration. I use an app called PandaBar to access Pandora without Pandora's pesky Adobe powered app. Wouldn't it be nice to not have Airplay hidden? I want to activate Airplay in-app, rather it is a third-party app or iTunes, just like I do on my iOS devices.

--Expanding on that, I have a set of Bose speakers plugged in on the Mini, why shouldn't I be able to use the Mini as an Airplay receiver? Apple has repeatedly blocked third party apps that reverse engineered this ability. I found these apps marginally successful at best, annoyingly unresponsive at worst.

--Safari's new iOS inspired tab viewing is brilliant, but, like spaces, I need to be able to rearrange them to help my workflow.

--Ditch the popups and make it a notification that sticks. When my battery is at 10-percent and the popup interrupts what I am typing, its annoying. Make things like that notifications that I have to dismiss to see them slide back into my notification bar.

--Full-screen finder. Self explanatory.

--Muting when I start dictation.

--Call me a dreamer, but I'd like to see the return of dashboard. Much like your iOS notification center it could contain some very useful information. Allowing third party apps to put info in dashboard would be fantastic, integrating Apple apps (Reminders, iCal, Notes) would be even better.

--Custom gestures. Not everyone will use them but making them available for those of us that would is a touch users won't forget. -Bad pun, sorry.


SO, I could continue with my laundry list, but honestly I want to know what other users think. What feels half-baked in 10.8?

 

[nuckinfutz]

Good suggestions.

I'd like to see Airplay take a major step forward as well. It needs it to compete with DLNA and Sonos IMO.

I think Notifications are definitely a work in progress. Allowing for more granular control would be nice and I'd like to see some form of presence detect where the chimes follow me to the last device that accepted kb input.

 

[lightwizkid]

Good suggestions.

I'd like to see Airplay take a major step forward as well. It needs it to compete with DLNA and Sonos IMO.

I think Notifications are definitely a work in progress. Allowing for more granular control would be nice and I'd like to see some form of presence detect where the chimes follow me to the last device that accepted kb input.

Absolutely. Given the climate (with lawsuits et al), Apple has to show that they are competing AND innovating across the board.

 

[stchman]

I would be happy if Apple made Finder not suck.

Better archive management would be a plus as well.

 

[mpmchugh]

--Call me a dreamer, but I'd like to see the return of dashboard. Much like your iOS notification center it could contain some very useful information. Allowing third party apps to put info in dashboard would be fantastic, integrating Apple apps (Reminders, iCal, Notes) would be even better.

Uhm. The Dashboard is still there, as it's always been, so not sure what you're talking about:

http://www.apple.com/osx/apps/all.html#dashboard

They actually make some improvements in terms of widget browsing and organization as well. See the last item in this article:

http://www.macworld.com/article/1165496/ten_exciting_system_changes_in_mountain_lion.html

Apple's not done much with widgets of late, but 3rd parties have always been able to develop widgets as far as I know.

http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/?r=dbw

-mpm

 

[chaseychasem]

Based on the criticisms of 10.7 and 10.8 that I've read, better memory management should be a very high priority indeed.

 

[lexvo]

1) Scalable system fonts
Makes it easier to read menu's and such on large screens without having to lower the resolution

2) Possibility to move files with cmd-X and cmd-V in Finder
Yes I know there are third party solutions for this, but IMO it should come standard. Just like resizing a window on every side eventually came standard

 

[wikus]

I'd switch to 10.7 or 10.8 or 10.9 if any of those were as stable and as fast as Snow Leopard.

Until then, I'm sticking with 10.6.8