Getting started with Maps in OS X Mavericks (pictures)

With the debut of OS X 10.9 Mavericks, Apple's Maps app makes the jump from the smartphone to your laptop. Version 1.0 of the Maps application looks almost identical to the iOS 7 app, with a similar color palette and iconography.

Users who have filled their OS X address book with contacts will find them integrated into the new Maps application via a drop-down menu. Clicking a contact drops a pin on the map.

Clicking a button in the upper left corner lowers the virtual camera over the map, revealing a 3D view of the buildings in the surrounding area.

The streets, business icons, and 3D buildings can be overlaid with satellite imagery by switching to the Hybrid view. A third view called Satellite, removes street data, text, and icons for a clean, virtual view. The map can be zoomed, panned, and rotated with multi-touch inputs.

Clicking any of the icons representing businesses on the map or searching for a destination brings this animated box filled with more information about the business and complete with ratings and reviews from Yelp, photos, and more.

Walking and driving directions can be calculated between two destinations or from your current location by clicking the "Directions" button.

Clicking any step in the list of directions in the right column zooms the map in on a detailed view.

3D buildings, satellite data, and current traffic conditions are all viewable beneath the turn-by-turn directions calculated by the application.

Users can share the currently displayed trip or location to social networks or via email or Messages. This dropdown menu also allows users to quickly send their trip to an iOS device associated with their Apple ID.

On the associated iPhone, the destination appears as a notification on the lockscreen or in the notification center.

Swiping or tapping the notification will open the trip in the iOS 7 Maps app where the user can receive turn-by-turn directions for navigation.

Maps on the phone can, of course, be displayed with 3D building data and satellite data.

Back on the desktop and in the new Calendar app, each event that has a location associated with it will feature a small map inlay in its information pop-up. Calendar is also able to take advantage of Maps' routing algorithms to calculate driving and walking times between events to automatically build travel time onto the front of each new entry.