The next version of OS X will be available tomorrow for you to try. The finished version of OS X Yosemite will launch some time this fall, but you can get a preview of all its new features tomorrow.
I’ve been playing around with a developer version of OS X Yosemite and found it to be a great improvement over OS X Mavericks. The interface looks more cohesive than ever, with tons of translucency around the operating system.
My favorite updated feature is Spotlight. You can now search for anything in Spotlight and it’ll give you an answer. Beyond looking for apps and files, Spotlight can now look up movie times and pulls information from Wikipedia.
The most interesting update in OS X Yosemite is Continuity, a new feature that makes it easier than ever to use multiple Apple devices. The feature detects when your iOS and OS X devices are on the same network, and lets you transition from using one to the other seamlessly. Unfortunately Continuity will not be available in the Yosemite beta. For more information about Continuity, check out Apple’s site.
iPhoto is getting the ax in OS X Yosemite, favoring the recently announced Photos app instead. I won’t miss iPhoto as it was always buggy and slow.
iTunes is also getting an upgrade. The changes are subtle but you can read more about it in my hands-on.
If you want to give OS X Yosemite a try before it’s released, sign up at Apple’s beta program page. Be warned: this is pre-release software so there are plenty of bugs. Don’t install this on your only Mac and always back up your data before installing.
The program is opened to the first million sign-ups so hurry before all the spots are taken.
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