Apple Launches Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite: Here’s What’s New

Today at WWDC 2014, Apple’s developer conference where all the new software and updates make their début,unveiled their new version of Mac OS X, which will come to users with the name of Yosemite. The new OS comes with several updates over the last version, but the ones you’ll notice right off the back are the UI tweaks.

New and Improved UI

Some of the biggest updates that Apple included in their new operating system are the various graphical user interface tweaks. They know that their fans are very appreciative of these features, and how they improve productivity.
One of most visible updates that Yosemite brings to the table is the new dock, which has updated icons that are placed on a translucent bar. The translucent theme is also extended to the other windows of the operating system. This is similar to what Windows users know as the Aero Theme.
One feature that the new UI offers is what Apple calls Continuity, which changes the tint of the translucent menus and windows depending on the user’s desktop background. These adaptive windows seem like a very cool feature, but I don’t know how many users will be delighted by the fact that their UI appearance changes all the time they decide on a new background All in all, the new Mac OS 10 Yosemite is a step towards iOS in terms of user interface looks.
One last feature which, in my humble opinion takes the overall customizability of the operating system one step further is the newly introduced Dark Mode, which allows users to quickly and easily select a dark theme, suitable to use at night (or always if you ask me).

Updated Apps

 Notification Centre  – One of the most useful updates to the apps on Mac OS Yosemite is the improved Notification Centre which includes their Today View, which is very similar to Google Now, in the sense that it allows users to add widgets like weather, calendar, tasks and many other third party widgets, as well as pre-installed apps like the useful calculator. All of these can be accessed via the Notification Centre.

Unifying Search Bar – This feature tries to bring Apple users a feature which was also included in Windows 8 by Microsoft. The new search bar allows users to search local files, online resources like Wikipedia or Apple Maps in one fell swoop.
Updated Mail App – Apple updated their email app, which now addresses the problem of too large attachments which could not be sent due to restrictions from the email servers. Mail Drop is the feature, which basically does what GMail has been doing for some time now, in the sense that it sends attachments via Apple’s iColud service.
Safari – We were expecting a few Safari updates, and Apple delivered in this regard. They’ve improved the UI of Safari, making the general look of the user interface more clean by removing the favourites bar. This will now be visible when users click in the address bar via a drop-down menu. Other improvements which work on a deeper level are better JavaScript integration,  WebGL, indexedDB and last but not least, better energy efficiency which Apple claims to improve overall battery life for devices with up to 2 hours.
Calling App – This is pretty nice update which further blurs the line between your iOS device and your Mac OS ultrabook. The app allows users to answer, reject or initiate calls from their Mac SO devices with no need to have their iPhone anywhere near.
Handoff – Handoff is a new feature which Apple has introduced in Mac OS 10 Yosemite. The bottom line for this service is that it keeps track of what you do on any of your iDevices and allows you pick up an activity on any of the others. To give you an example: if you’re writing an email on your iPhone and you run out of juice, you can whip up your MacBook and open the mail app and keep typing.
In terms of price and availability, Apple will start pushing the update today,and you should expect it to be available worldwide this autumn. The good thing about the operating system is that you’ll be able to upgrade to Yosemite for free! Way to go Apple!
Overall, Apple has updated their operating system in various ways, making somewhat more productive and better looking. However, the truly innovative updates that Apple used to make are long gone. Mac OS X Yosemite brings features which were present in other environments for some time now. If this is all Apple can do, we’re not impressed.