Every September, Apple holds a press conference to get us excited about the newest gadgets that are certain to suck your wallets dry. And every September, almost as an afterthought, something else is mentioned–something that is actually free!

The latest version of Mac OS.

You, of course, need to own a Mac computer (such as MacBook, Mac Mini or iMac) to get it, but Apple keeps updates absolutely free.

When Mac updates it’s OS, it tends to follow the formula as iOS: there are lots of changes, but a lot of them are not very obvious. The purpose of this book is twofold: one, to help you understand all the biggest features; two, to help you if you’ve never used a Mac before.

This book is intended for people who want to get started quickly. For that reason, it’s not as comprehensive as other guides. If you want to know about some feature buried deep under the hood that you’ll never use, then there are other books for you–I’m sure they’ll make good doorstops when you finish. If you just want a simple guide that tells you what you need to know, so you can use your computer already, then this book is for you. If you’re new to Mac–perhaps switching over from Windows, then this book will help you figure out all the similarities and differences; because so many people come to Mac from Windows, this book is written in a way to help with that transition.

I purposely have done my best to make this handbook a little more casual and fun then what you expect from most Mac OS manuals. Mac OS is an operating system, and any guide you read should be an equally fun read.

Each chapter starts with bullet points on what will be covered, so if something you already know, you can skip right ahead; if you only need to know how to use new features, the book is also formatted in a way that these stand out.

Are you ready to start enjoying the new Mac OS? Then let’s get started!