Apple today announced OS X Yosemite and iOS 8 at WWDC as expected. The next generation iOS and OS X pack some interesting new features. And as expected, OS X Yosemite features a new flat design and better typography. And with iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, you’ll have most seamless experience as Apple tried to fill the gap between iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Talking about OS X Yosemite, it is a big update in terms of Interface. The update introduces flat icons, new design for finder, new font, and of course a new wallpaper. Not only this, it also has updated Safari, Mail and Messages. So, let’s have a look at the best introductions and features in OS X Yosemite.
New Flat Design
OS X Yosemite rocks a whole new design inspired by iOS 7’s flat design. Everything from dock icons to Notification Center has been redesigned and are made to match up with the flat interface. OS X Yosemite uses Helvetica instead of Lucida Grande.
Over the years, OS X has changed in many ways. But the principles that define it haven’t: power, simplicity, beauty. So when we set out to create OS X Yosemite, we wanted to make it more powerful and easier to use, while maintaining the elements essential to Mac. It’s the next natural step in the evolution of OS X. Not just because of how it looks. But because of what it empowers you to do.
The focus was to keep things simple yet powerful. Yosemite brings translucency in certain elements like toolbars for improving overall experience. With Translucent elements, you can see what’s behind the active window and when you scroll through the active window, it changes the accent of those elements according to the contents hidden behind them.
Safari
Apps like Safari, Mail and Messages are redesigned too. The new Safari features a compact and polished interface with focus on web surfing. All the things like Tabs, Bookmarks can be accessed through the buttons or Finder bar options. Now you can see all your Tabs in Safari at once with Tab View button. It displays all the tabs in minimalistic grid and you can close desired tabs right from the Tab View.
Messages, Calendar and other Apps
Mail, Maps, Messages, Calendar and other apps are clean and simple in OS X Yosemite. The all new dock features new icons for all the Apple apps and a translucent background. Though some icons look really nice, like the App Store and Finder icon, there are some icons that I think could be better.
Notification Center
The Notification Center in OS X Yosemite has dark background. It includes “Today” tab which lists all the important stuff based on timing. The other “Notification” tab lists the notifications.
Mac and iOS Connectivity
When you use a Mac or an iOS device, you’re able to do incredible things. And now when you use them together, you can do so much more. With OS X Yosemite and iOS 8, your devices recognize when they’re near each other, enabling new features that let them work together in even smarter ways. So the best devices now bring out the best in each other.
With iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, you’ll never have integration problems as Apple has come up with Continuity. Once you sign into iCloud on all your devices, you’ll find working on the same thing easier on any of your devices.
Handoff, SMS and Phone Calls
If you’re writing a mail on your iPhone, you can switch to your Mac or iPad and continue writing the same mail. When you switch, you’ll see a Handoff icon in the dock preceding the Finder icon, you just need to click that icon and it will open the app you were using on your iPhone or iPad the last time.
Also if you receive a Text or Call on your iPhone or iPad, you can reply to those Texts or Calls right from your Mac, a functionality similar to Dialogue app which lets you attend phone calls on your Mac. Whenever you’ll receive a Call, you’ll be shown a Notification Center notification on Mac with options to Accept and Decline the app, by clicking on Accept, you can answer the phone call right from your Mac. Not only this, after you have your iPhone or iPad paired with your Mac, OS X Yosemite allows you to call anyone right from your Mac. You can dial any of your contacts and talk to them from your Mac only, which works through your iPhone or iPad.
Instant Hotspot
In OS X 10.10, users can use phone’s internet connection on Mac using a feature called “Instant Hotspot”. Phone will automatically appear in the Menu bar along with Battery, Signal strength details if the devices are in range. For saving battery, it will automatically disconnect the network when you’re not using your Mac.
iCloud Drive
iCloud Drive is Apple’s storage service which allow you to store your normal files on iCloud. With iCloud Drive, you can see what’s being in sync on your iCloud account and you can also add desired files to your iCloud account.
iCloud Drive can be accessed from Finder only in OS X Yosemite and is like a normal folder but with syncing capabilities. All the files in iCloud Drive can be accessed on your iPhone or iPad too. You can also use it to view and edit your iCloud documents.
Airdrop
Airdrop in OS X Yosemite supports file transfer between iOS and Mac. So, Yosemite makes it very simple to share files between nearby devices.
Markup and Mail Drop
The new Mail app in Yosemite have two new features: Markup and Mail Drop. Markup allows users annotate images and PDFs before sending it through mail. You can add texts, captions and more on attached photos as well as PDFs.
Mail Drop deals with large attachments. With Mail Drop, you can attach files of about 5 gigs with your mails and these attachments will be saved on iCloud before it reaches the destination in case of any server related issues, so you will not have to attach files again and again.
New Spotlight
Spotlight has got a whole new design and functionality in Yosemite. Now when you click on the Spotlight icon on the Menu bar, it will open up the Spotlight search box right in the center of the screen. The New Spotlight is also smarter and quicker. You can use Spotlight to search for almost anything, and it not only shows local data but it also displays data corresponding to your search from the Web.
You can search for Files, Documents, Apps, Music, Movies, Webpages, Locations right from your desktop through Spotlight. It has Alfred like interface and it also shows inline preview for files like Documents, Apps, etc., which is really nice. It also includes currency and unit conversion.
Availability
OS X Yosemite beta is currently available for developers and will be available for public this fall. Although excited users can join the Apple Seed program in order to get the latest betas. So, if you really want to upgrade to OS X Yosemite and have above features, you just need to join Public Beta program through which you can download the latest and the greatest builds. And just like Mavericks, OS X Yosemite will be free for public.