Back at WWDC 2014 in June, Apple unveiled the next free update to its desktop operating system, OS X 10.10 Yosemite. Designed to better integrate with iOS 8, the new OS is an important step forwards for the company. We've had the beta since launch to find out what it can offer, with the full version set to be released to the world soon.
OS X Yosemite release date
The golden master candidate version of OS X Yosemite has been released to everyone on the beta program. A gold master is usually the point at which the OS can be considered finished and ready for final release. Given that the word 'candidate' still appears in there, it would appear as though there are a few last little bugs and tweaks to be made to the system before it's ready for release, but we must be close now.
Current bets are on the OS being officially launched on the 21 October to coincide with the release of the iPad Air 2. It's possible that we'll see new Macbooks, Mac Mini and iMac, too. Of course, there's no official confirmation or hint from Apple, so we're going to have to wait a little bit longer to find out this time. In any case, with the current version of OS X 10.10 Yosemite at the stage it is now, expect the final version to hit within a few weeks.
OSX Yosemite new features
A lot of OS X Yosemite is about making it work better with iCloud and making the integration between it and iOS a lot tighter. As well as that, the OS has had an interface overhaul.
New interface
Windows are now slightly transparent, so that they show the colours of the window or desktop behind them. While this can be turned off, it's quite a subtle effect, making the OS look that little bit more modern.
Spotlight has been moved from its menu, now proudly appearing in the middle of the active display. It's a better place for it, and the larger window makes it easier to see and use. Of course, it still searches apps, online and documents in one go.
Pulled directly from iOS is the new Notification screen, which pops-out from the right-hand side of a display. This has the Today screen, which displays widgets from apps, such as the weather report and stocks, and upcoming appointments; and it has the Notification screen for alerts. Widgets on the Today screen can be customised; for example, you can add the calculator into this screen, or download new widgets from the app store. This replaces the old Dashboard screen, which was the screen to the left of the first desktop.
iPhone and iPad integration - Continuity
Just as with iOS 8, your Mac is now part of your Apple environment, letting devices share features and functions. Provided your Mac is on the same network as your iPhone, when a phone call comes in, your Mac will 'ring' and you can answer the phone call. You can also initiate a regular telephone call from your Mac, routing the call through your mobile. You'll be able to send SMS messages using a similar trick, although you're going to have to wait until iOS 8.1 is launched for that feature to be enabled.
iPhone and iPad integration - Handoff
Handoff is Apple's technology for sending a task from one device to another. For example, you can start writing an email on your iPhone, then finish writing it on your Mac. For this feature to work, you need to have Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) on your Mac and iOS device, and have Wi-Fi enabled. Bluetooth LE has been available on mobile since the iPhone 4S, and on the MacBook Pro and iMac since mid-2012, while the MacBook Air has included the hardware since 2011. Systems produced prior to this date do not include Bluetooth LE hardware, and will not work with Handoff.
iPhone and iPad integration - AirDrop
AirDrop, Apple's technology for sharing files, links, contacts and more, previously only worked iOS-to-iOS or OS X-to-OS X. Now, it can be used cross-system, so you can send stuff from your iPhone to your Mac.
iCloud Drive
With previous versions of the OS, you could save documents from certain applications into iCloud, but you could then only open the file in the same application. With iCloud Drive, you can now managed an access your storage through Finder and open any file saved in it in any application.
Photos
Apple's set to get rid of iPhoto, replacing it with Photos for OS X instead. This will be able to save all of your photos, including RAW files, to iCloud, letting you access them from any Apple device. Currently in a closed beta, we don't know when this feature will be enabled properly.
iCloud pricing
Given how many services are reliant on iCloud and the extra storage burden it will put on the service, Apple has dropped the prices of its storage plans. You still get 5GB storage for free, but can upgrade to 20GB for 79p per month and 200GB for £2.99 a month.
Apple has added Mail Drop to its mail client, which lets you send attachments up to 5GB in size using iCloud as storage. Other Apple users will see the attachment as normal, but people using other operating systems will just get a link to the file.
