Q: How to locally sync an iPhone with OS X Mavericks? iCloud is NOT an option.

If you're concerned about the thread topic, you are responding to the wrong person.  I answered a question directly as it was asked.

Simple question: "Can or can I not sync ... without iCloud?"

Simple answer: You can.

More complex answer: You will not be able to sync locally as has been pointed out throughout this thread. But you can do it with your own server.

For me it is an older mac mini. Installed OSX server which is not really expensive these days. You basically have to decide if you want to be able to sync only when you are on site or from wherever you are. In the second case you also need a dyndns account. Setting up the server requires a little knowledge about networks and DNS but the software pretty much does it all for you. Once the server is up and running you can activate calendar and contacts services and you're pretty much good to go.

I would think that you could also install the server software on your normal machine and go from there. But never tried.

And the server also comes with additional benefits such as a time machine service that allows you to backup easily over the network without the need for a time capsule.

"I would think that you could also install the server software on your normal machine and go from there. But never tried."

Yes! you can.  I run Mavericks Server on my MacBook Pro cure 2 duo 2.6GHz 4Gb 250Gb HDD. I also use this laptop for Photo editing, word-processing, Web building, e-mail and so on.   It was easy to setup, much easer than the "https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6311".

Once downloaded for Apple store you can (if you want) disconnect from the internet and set the server up total local.  It ask some basic questions and then starts.  Once that step is done all you have to do is enable the services you want.  

There are two things I have problems with.

1) Sync'ing Notes is not as easy as it used to be. 

2) I have not looked in to Sync'ing Bookmarks (I don't have a need for this)

Out of the 6 or so options I have tested the server option is the one that worked.  There was one that shows promise "syncMate" but it dose not work with Mavericks YEAT they say Version 5 will.

One advantage to running your own server is you can decide to have it on the internet and have your own cloud (but thats a much more advanced topic)

P.S. my dyslexer..... is more about the way I think but sometimes it affects my spelling more than others. But I have been working on this for the 35 years I have known about it.

less than 24hours with 10.9 hopefully rolling going back to lion!

Why not Mountain Lion?

Probably because they never owned Mountain Lion.

From what I can see, DMMHTSTA is nothing but a troll. With a user name like that, and the fact they they joined today and have posted nothing other than that one response, I can't see how they're anything else. Probably doesn't own either an iPhone or a Mac at all for that matter.

I gotta admit the evidence does seem pretty damning.

edit

Mountain Lion

Sorry I meant mountain lion

Nope. I have a macbook aluminum, a macbook pro, ipad had every iphone since the 3gs, and am currently looking for an ipad mini or ipad air,  i even converted most people in my family to OSX. However I am seriously considering getting an android tab instead and maybe looking and a galaxy phone as my next phone, there is a world outside apple lol. Mavericks was actually working pretty well but I'm moving to somewhere which may no Internet or a least be very unreliable. I shouldn't have to do a work around just to sync my contacts via usb. I am irritated that I have had to waste my time rolling back. I love apple products but I can definitely sense a decline in quality in the near future. Don't think I'll go back to windows though any time soon.

Tell Apple what you 'sense'.

FEEDBACK    http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html

Pete

DontMakeMeHaveToSwitchToAndroid wrote:

 

Don't think I'll go back to windows though any time soon.

Yet, you will go to Android?

So you're going to switch to a product that doesn't natively support local syncing of contacts and calendars because you're upset that Apple remove local sync services from OS X.

Brilliant logic!

He can always use icloud and smoothsync on Android - oh, or maybe not.

No need to apologise to me. Just seemed funny one would choose 10.7 over 10.8 that's all.