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Apple is gearing up to release the newest version of OS X. Called Yosemite, this version of OS X will debut this week in the form of a public beta. This fall, the new OS X will get a public launch. Whether you plan to sign up for the beta or wait until the official launch, the new OS X features are definitely drool-worthy.
1. Yosemite’s New Handoff Feature
You can see how Handoff and phone calls will work in Yosemite by watching the video above.
One of the features that will most appeal to busy professionals is Yosemite’s new Handoff feature. If you are running Yosemite on your computer and iOS on your mobile device, Handoff is intelligent enough to detect what action you are in the midst of doing, and then seamlessly pick up that action on your other device.
For example, you might be composing an email on your iPhone. As you sit down at your computer, Yosemite will allow you to continuing working on that email on your desktop, making use of the full keyboard.
Lifehacker notes that not all Mac computers will be able to support Handoff. You can read their simple guide on how to determine Handoff compatibility right here.
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2. Yosemite’s New Markup in Mail Feature
Check out the video above to see how Markup can save you a ton of time in Mail.
Mail has new Markup feature. Markup will let you draw or write on top of photos or documents. This allows you to mark up PDFs with notes, sign documents without printing, or just doodle something funny on a corner of a photo.
Moreover, Markup is “smart” enough to identify some drawings. In the event that you draw an arrow or a “word bubble” for text, Markup will take your clumsy drawing and polish it up a bit, making your notes look really professional and clean.
3. Yosemite’s New Spotlight Enhancements
Spotlight is arguably the fastest way to find files or folders on your Mac, but Yosemite is taking a good tool and making it even better. Spotlight now appears in center of screen when it launches. Simply type in a few characters to find news, movie trailers, Wikipedia info, maps, or just files on your computer.
You can now also search by app to find files, find movie times near you, or see media you can buy from Apple that’s related to your search topic. Spotlight is now much more of a global search engine, and feels much less limited than it used to.
4. iCloud Drive
Check out the video above to see five reasons to use iCloud Drive.
iCloud Drive lets you access docs in the cloud, and any changes you make will be synced across all your Mac products. In addition, iCloud Drive will also work with Windows computers running at least Windows 7. Access to some iCloud Drive services will be limited to 10 devices.
5. Notification Center With Customizable Widgets
Check out the video above from 9to5Mac offers an in-depth look at the new Notification Center and Spotlight in OS X Yosemite.
One of the features championed in the Globe and Mail‘s overview of Yosemite is the new, highly customizable notification center. The Globe and Mail writes that the new version of notification center could be “insanely useful”:
“In addition to the system and app notifications that the feature already supported in past versions of the operating system, Yosemite’s Notification Center will also allow users to pick and choose from a number of movable and removable application widgets such as a calculator, stock ticker, weather app and view of Calendar app events to use in the Notification pane.
Once Yosemite is released this fall, it’ll also be possible to download additional widgets from Apple’s Mac App Store.”
Want to learn more about OS X Yosemite? Check out our article about the new OS X announcement from WWDC.
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