Call us fanboys, but somehow, it’s always so exciting when Apple is about to release a new version of its iOS or OS X. Putting aside the iOS 8 fiasco, it always feels like you are getting a brand new device, despite changing nothing but the software. The Cupertino giant is about to release its new operating system and there are many reasons to get excited. OS X Yosemite is rumoured to debut to the public on October 16 (yet it still hasn’t been confirmed). Even Apple can’t afford two buggy releases in a row, so the rumoured debut date may get pushed back a bit, just to make sure everything is in check.
Design
The most significant change in the new OS X is of course its design. The new layout attempts to follow in the foot steps of the flat design that was first introduced in iOS 7. Some areas of Yosemite have been made more colourful, while others have been made less colourful. This has all been done to offer a clean, crisp and modern look. Basically, Apple has simplified the layout without losing any features. This is all very exciting, especially for users with retina screens, as the retina technology will be able to make the most of the new changes.
Connectivity
This is probably the most exciting of the new features. OS X Yosemite now has “hand-off”. What does this mean for you? Calls can now be answered right from your computer! When someone calls, you’ll get a notification on your laptop showing you the callers information. Simply click the notification to answer, and your mac becomes a speaker phone. How cool is that? It doesn’t stop there though. You can also decline a call from your mac or reply with a quick iMessage. As you probably excepted, this works both ways. You can also make calls from your mac. Imagine how convenient this feature could actually be. Say you lookup a restaurant on Safari, now you can simply click the phone number given on the site straight from your computer and call them to reserve a table. All this without so much as touching your phone. All you need for this magic to work is an iPhone with iOS 8, OS X Yosemite installed on your mac and for both devices to be connected to the same wifi network.
Spotlight
Another hugely useful feature that has been added is a very clever Spotlight. Simply hit cmd and space, and a beautiful window pops up and awaits your input. Spotlight doesn’t just search your mac, it allows looks at online sources to find the best answer. You can type in typical stuff such as names of documents you’re looking for, but Spotlight goes much further than that. You can type in unit conversions, such as currency, temperature and measurements, to name but a few, and Spotlight will give you the conversions instantly. Spotlight can also search Wikipedia if you need some more information on a given topic, or search for local businesses and services and combine the results with Apple Maps. All this is achieved without launching any further apps.
So what features are you most excited about?
