Apple officially releases its widely anticipated new Mac OS

Oct 16, 2014 18:42 GMT  ·  By

Apple has released OS X Yosemite, “the latest major release of the world’s most advanced desktop operating system,” as a free upgrade for all Mac users with a 2007 or newer system.

Yosemite is the first OS X upgrade in years to feature a fresh new look as well as notable features that clearly make the OS stand out from the competition.

Ready your Mac and yourself for all this new stuff

In addition to the new look, Yosemite brings Continuity features that make it easy to start an activity on the Mac and finish it on iOS (and vice versa), a redesigned Spotlight search with instant web access and results from Wikipedia, updated versions of Safari, Mail, Messages, and iTunes, as well as a new Today view. Continuity will require iOS 8.1 (available Monday).

“OS X Yosemite is the most advanced version of OS X we’ve ever built, with a brand new design, amazing Continuity features and powerful versions of the apps you use every day,” says Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “OS X Yosemite ushers in the future of computing, where your Apple devices all work together seamlessly and magically. It’s something only Apple can do, and it’s available today.”

Translucency throughout

One of the most striking things in Yosemite is the translucency used throughout the OS to give you a better sense of where you are and what you’re doing. At times, it feels like you’re working with sheets of glass. The color palette is similar (if not identical) to that in iOS, and the new toolbars make more room for your content.

Instant Hotspot is another cool thing in Yosemite. It lets you use your iPhone’s hotspot and connect to the web. AirDrop now works between Mac and iOS, while SMS messages now automatically appear in Messages on your Mac (if you set it that way). Same goes with phone calls.

Apple has confirmed that “OS X Yosemite is available as a free upgrade today from the Mac App Store. Yosemite supports all Macs introduced in 2009 or later, and some models introduced in 2007 and 2008.”

The company directs customers to apple.com/osx/howtoupgrad for a complete list of system requirements and compatible Macs, but the link was not working at the time of this writing. Download OS X Yosemite via the supplied link, or visit the Mac App Store on your Mac and search for it there.

OS X Server 4.0 is the server version of Yosemite and it will require an OS X 10.10 installation. The Server OS sells for $19.99 / €17.99 in the Mac App Store and is also available as of today.

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