The line between desktop and mobile platforms was blurred further when Yosemite, the latest version of Apple’s OS X operating system, made its debut today at the company’s WWDC 2014 conference for developers.
Developers can start accessing Yosemite today and a public beta version will be available this summer.
Yosemite featured a refreshed user interface with translucent panels and cleaner design than the OS X 10.9 Mavericks released just last year.
For instance, Windows, docks, FaceTime, contacts and reminders are now translucent making them look less intrusive. The redesign is also apparent in the toolbars, app icons as well the typography.
“It’s very Google Now-like, providing you an assortment of useful information at a glance, on the right hand side of the screen,” according to the an article on the technology publication Wired.
Related Articles on CDN
iCloud Drive
The upgrades to the OS appear mostly cosmetic, however, one of the biggest changes made by Apple is the addition of the iCloud Drive service. This new feature integrates files stored in a user’s iCloud account and automatically syncs the file across all of the user’s Mac and iOS devices and even Windows PCs
This Dropbox-like function brings mobile and desktop environments closer to each other.
MailDrop
Another new feature is MailDrop, according to a post in TheVerge.com. The feature in Apple’s Mail app lets users bypass attachment size restrictions on many email services and allows users to attach large files to emails with their iCloud accounts.
Using simple text and arrow overlays, users can now also edit attached images on Mail.
Safari
Significant changes were also made to the safari browser. The browser’s share menu was expanded to show people who have recently messaged a user. There is also a new tab that shows thumbnails of all open tabs. The overall effect is better search integration.
Safari now runs JavaScript faster than any other browser in the market, according to Apple.
Apple Messenger
Apple is also expanding it Messenger service to include traditional text. Phone calls can also be relayed from an iPhone to a Mac computer. Calls can be initiated from Macs which now serve double duty as speakerphones.
“Safari now runs JavaScript faster than any other browser in the market, according to Apple.” Uh huh. They all say that. First, fix the vulnerabilities in it before trying to improve things.
MailDrop is just copying what has been in Windows for the last 5 years. Windows Live mail saves attachments to OneDrive.