OS X Mavericks Most Likely Arriving In October, Reports Claim, Perhaps Alongside Haswell MacBook Pros

Apple’s next-generation operating system for desktops, OS X Mavericks, is already in the hands of developers, but we likely won’t see version 10.9 make its way to consumer devices ahead of October. Some rumors had suggested Apple might ship the OS at its iPhone even next week, or another time during September, but both 9to5Mac and AllThingsD are now reporting late October for Mavericks’ arrival.

Sources speaking to both publications maintain that Apple had dedicated most of its resources to shipping iOS 7 in time for the launch of its new iPhone hardware next week, and therefore planned the arrival of Mavericks for late October. It’s worth noting that Apple previously said only that Mavericks would arrive this fall, and October still fits the bill, so this looks like it’s in keeping with the original timeframe.

Mavericks brings an enhanced Finder, better multimonitor support, a standalone iBooks application, and improved power management to OS X-powered Macs. Developers using the preview claim that the latest builds feel very stable, though some suggest the latest version is a slight step backwards over the previous release. Either way, some had interpreted its stability as a sign of impending release, but these latest reports suggest users will be waiting a bit longer.

A big possibility with Mavericks is that it will release alongside new Mac hardware, of which Apple is thought to have plenty forthcoming. There’s the Mac Pro, which is assembled in the U.S. and features a radical new design that uses external I/O for most of its expandability. Also in the works are new MacBook Pro devices, which will ship with Intel Haswell processors that, combined with Mavericks’ power-saving tricks, could make for machines with very impressive battery life. It stands to reason that Apple would introduce OS X Mavericks alongside new hardware to showcase it, though if you’ve picked up one of the latest Haswell-powered MacBook Airs, expect those to get a juice boost from 10.9 as well.