Apple is releasing OS X Yosemite today, launching what is arguably the most significant update to the Mac's operating system in years. Yosemite, which will be made available for free in the Mac App Store, includes a total visual overhaul of OS X that introduces a simple and colorful style, much like what's found on iOS.
In fact, the reason Yosemite is so significant is that it really begins to bring the Mac and the iPhone together in a meaningful way. For one, you'll be able to start answering phone calls and sending and receiving text messages from your Mac. Apple demonstrated the phone call feature at an event today by ringing up Stephen Colbert, who held a brief conversation involving a lot of code words with software chief Craig Federighi.
But the big feature here is that you'll be able to easily move your work between your Mac, iPhone, and iPad, with each device prompting you to pick up where you left off on another: for instance, you might start writing an email on your phone and then move to your Mac, where you'll be able to finish the draft.
Like iOS, Apple has been moving toward delivering annual updates to OS X. That means that each update may only have a few notable features, but it's allowed the operating system to advance at a much more rapid pace. It's also helped advance Apple's goal of bringing parity between iOS and OS X, with the desktop OS' last several releases including comparable features such as apps for Notes and Reminders.
We'll have a review of Yosemite when it's released.
