Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Introduction
If Apple Mail is your email client of choice under OS X 10.9 Mavericks or iOS 7, as it is for me,
this topic will help you get more out of it. You'll understand the app better, learn useful tricks
and techniques, and even become a more effective correspondent. I hope and expect that by
the time you finish this topic, you'll be a much happier Mail user than when you started.
I say this to start on a positive note, because it turns out that lots of Mail users are rather un-
happy right now, particularly on the Mac. Since the release of Mavericks, I've heard a great
many complaints about Apple Mail. By and large, what these unhappy people want to know
isn't how to do simple things like send a message or save an attachment. They're mostly won-
dering how to avoid, fix, or work around the rather astonishing number of problems in Mail.
The day before this topic was scheduled for publication, Apple released OS X 10.9.2, which
fixed a number of the most serious bugs in Mail. I was delighted that I could remove several
criticisms from this topic. (If you haven't yet updated to 10.9.2, you can do so by choosing
Apple ? > Software Update—and I recommend updating right away!) Although I haven't yet
had time for comprehensive testing of the new version, my initial impression is that it's much
better than before, although not without a few lingering issues that are sure to frustrate some
users.
As much as I'd like to, I can't offer solutions to all of Mail's problems. However, I can at least
identify the major trouble spots, which may enable you to avoid them. I can guide you to fixes
when they do exist. And I can tell you what I've done to make Mail work for me as well as it can
under the circumstances. (Of course, this topic isn't
only
about dealing with Mail problems.
Far from it; I also help you get more out of Mail, enhance your email workflow, and much
more.)
In the early days of Mavericks, when Mail was truly awful, people asked me why I didn't just
switch to another Mac email client. Believe me, I thought about it, and I tried quite a few al-
ternatives. The thing is,
even at its worst,
I still liked Apple Mail the best. Given the way I've
customized my settings, and the third-party plug-ins I've added, I haven't found another app
that gives me all the capabilities I've come to depend on in Mail. It's like that favorite pair of
jeans that you still wear despite the odd tear or stain. And, now that Apple has corrected many
of its shortcomings, I like it even better.
As for the iOS 7 version of Mail, the story is even more encouraging. Mail under iOS 7, while
not perfect, is remarkably good—albeit significantly different from its predecessor. The biggest
issue with iOS Mail is that it still lacks many of the useful features found in the OS X version,
