Yosemite has adopted the design cues from iOS 7, meaning a brighter theme with a stronger focus on content. Installation is pretty straightforward and automated, once the initial legal pages are clicked through and accepted.įirst, Apple has changed the way OS X looks. Once you sign up - which is as easy as logging in with your AppleID - you're given a redemption code that can be used in the App Store. There are only a million beta slots allocated, so availability is limited.
If, after all this you still want to give Yosemite a try, you can sign up at Apple's website. Apple execs have stated that the public betas will not be updated as frequently as the developer builds, so don't expect bugs to be remedied right away. If you can run the software, the question then becomes: Should you? The answer is up to you, but remember - I can't stress this enough - this is a beta.
MacBook Pro from mid-2009, any MacBook Air from 2008, any Mac Mini from 2009, any Mac Pro from 2008, and (if you have one) any Xserve from 2009. Yosemite runs pretty much on any Mac that can run Mavericks - that includes any iMac from mid-2007, any MacBook from late 2008, any 15-in.
Still interested in testing the software? You'll need to have Mavericks installed (which is a free upgrade you can download from Apple's App Store). If you choose to proceed, make sure to back up your data beforehand.
Don't install Yosemite on computers that you rely on because, by definition, beta software is at best unreliable.
"The Summer of Bugs" is what I like to call the period between WWDC and Apple's fall software and hardware releases. Expect that there will be bugs, some minor and maybe some major. Instead, I'll be looking at the major additions since last year's release of OS X 10.9 (Mavericks), and detailing how the features are implemented.īefore we start, let me be clear: Yosemite is beta. Since this isn't a final release, I haven't written a formal review, nor will I be discussing speed, stability or battery life. Wi-Fi performance is reportedly improved on Mac hardware and an issue causing some Bluetooth devices to disconnect is addressed in the new operating system software.I installed the beta build on a 2012 Mac mini, and have been running the developer builds since their first release in June on a 2012 MacBook Pro. Safari also gets some security enhancements, which are welcome, and Apple says it addressed some wireless radio issues. I'm not a big emoji user, so this isn't a personal selling point to me.
The functionality is likely enough for most people although any professional or pro-sumer photographer will be left wanting much more.Īlso in the OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 update are Apple's new diversified emoji complete with skin tones. The editing tools are instead more akin to what you have on iOS, keeping the process simple and intuitive. Your images, for example, are shown in various views that iOS users will be familiar with: albums, years and collections.Īpple's release notes suggest that you can edit photos with powerful tools in the software, but my own experience shows that Aperture users who rely on filters or edits to selective areas may be a little disappointed. There's no mistaking the iOS influence on Photos for OS X the overall look and feel is nearly identical. If you have this hardware (or better) then you're good to go.
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