A Look At OS X Yosemite And iOS 8.1
by Brandon Chester on October 27, 2014 8:00 AM EST
Introduction
It has been a busy year for Apple, although one could argue it has been more of a busy few months. The yearly updates for most of Apple's products now occur in September and October, and as a result we've seen the release of a number of new products and services in a very short period of time. On the hardware side we have the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the iPad Air 2 and Mini 3, the iMac with Retina 5K display, and a preview of the upcoming Apple Watch. The software side has arguably been even more exciting with the release of iOS 8 and its first major update iOS 8.1, OS X Yosemite, and Apple Pay.
The theme this year appears to be integration and the power of a software and hardware ecosystem. Apple has always had some level of integration between iOS and OS X. As time went on, both operating systems began to share a core set of applications like Reminders, Calendar, and Notes. The iPad extended this even further by bringing the iWork and iLife suites to mobile. iCloud also played a key role in integrating both systems, by synchronizing documents and photos between all of a user's devices. However, the launch of iOS 7 with its visual and functional enhancements left many of the shared features and applications on OS X feeling left behind.
OS X Yosemite brings with it a massive visual overhaul, on a scale even greater than what we saw with iOS 7. This makes sense, as OS X is an operating system for desktops and laptops which makes it inherently more expansive and complex than iOS. Although OS X is not nearly as popular as iOS in terms of user base, the fact that the redesign changes some visual elements that have existed for over 14 years makes it quite a monumental moment in Apple's history. These changes finally unify the visual styles of both operating systems, which were once united but split with the launch of iOS 7.
The integration of these two operating systems goes far beyond a common type of visual design. OS X Yosemite and iOS 8.1 also include new features that allow them to work together in unprecedented ways. Features like Handoff blur the borders between the iPhone, the Mac, and the iPad by allowing you to continue work you began on one device on another. SMS and call forwarding takes communication abilities that were typically reserved for the iPhone and brings them to every device.
There's a lot to talk about, and it all begins at the aesthetic level with the new design of Yosemite.
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SirPerro - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
As a long term OSX power user and a long term Android power user I feel constantly dissapointed by OSX updates.I certainly understand Apple efforts to unify their experiences and make them consistent under the same ecosystem. That's good for their business.
Unfortunately I'm on a situation where OSX for me is more a handicap than something I'd like to pay for, and that's something which is reinforced on every single release.
I fear that after 13 years my current MacBook Pro from 2012 will be my last Apple product. I will not use a system which is focused to my grandma and obfuscates all the advanced features under complex bash commands in an effort to make them not available to the users. I will not buy a 2K laptop with soldered RAM and battery, let alone the stupid joke the new iMac is.
I'm sad, because OS X has been my main driver for some many years. But I'm not buying the Apple ecosystem, and apparently that's all that Apple wants to sell now.
tim851 - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
What advanced features are obfuscated in 10.10 that weren't in 10.8?And what kind of power user is afraid of bash?
SirPerro - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Multi monitor is painful, and basically all the controls other than raising/lowering brightess/volume and activating trackpad gestures are taken as "advance" features and completely obfuscatedI'm not afraid of bash in any way. But there are many things that should have a UI purely for convenience. Apple doesn't build that because they treat their consumers as if they were idiots.
"It simply works" ... "and if not, just go find the solution in stackoverflow because we're not providing that info to you"
blackcrayon - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
You're not going to disprove statements like "it simply works" by saying things like "multi monitor is painful". HOW exactly? As with Mavericks some people like it better if they turn off "Displays have separate spaces" in the Mission Control system preference. I personally like the new way better, so I'm wondering where the "pain" is.darwinosx - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
You are "bashing" a product you clearly know nothing about so I really doubt you are an experienced user as pretty much everything you said is wrong. Try Windows or Linux. Bye.techconc - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
When people make vague arguments and are not able to provide specifics, they come off as a troll. I'd like to think this isn't the case, but based on the comments provided, SirPerro is apparently just trolling. That's sad.If there is a specific issue, state your case and others will help you solve your problem. At this point, I doubt there is any such problem to speak of.
JimK85 - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
Here are some annoyances in OSX versus windows or Linux:1. Minimal Right-Click Context Menu. More clicking around to do things like simply creating a new folder
2. Wonky max/min window controls. Why cant I just maximize a window with "one" click
3. Far more extensive customization of task bars, toolbars in windows and linux versus the pretty dock and menus in OSX that are mostly "static".
4. Natively having the ability to rename multiple files with ease in windows is pretty handy.
5. Many apps in OSX cant do half screen windows...Why? In the windows/linux world any windowed app can be resized (this was a mistake Microsoft made with windows 8 which they are fixing in Win 10. )
I could go on but this isnt intended to be a bash OSX post. I'm sure we could list things about OSX that cant be done in windows or linux. I just find features I prefer are limited in OSX.
EnzoFX - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
1. Minimal? Apps can enhance right-click just as they do with Windows. Furthermore, what about shortcuts? I find OS X's shortcuts way more intuitive. I rarely use right-click because I can do most things with one click or a shortcut.2. Wonky? You clearly don't understand the intent of the "maximize" button, nevertheless if it's not for you, I can get that. But I wouldn't call it a con right away.
3. Uhm there are just as many apps that enhance the dock and menubar. I'd argue better ones over Win.
4. Renaming multiple files? Are you kidding me? OS X does this too you know.
I'm just gonna stop, you clearly haven't used the OS enough.
JimK85 - Sunday, November 2, 2014 - link
Some of these things are not native in OSX. You have to do it with a batch file or get an add on.osxandwindows - Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - link
I had all of this things sense OS X 10.6