The new OS for Mac, dubbed as OS X Yosemite, features a new design concept, see-through toolbars and windows, improved icons, and enhanced integration possibilities with other Apple devices such as the iPad and the iPhone.
Hinted by the company in April, the OS X beta testing marks a radical change in Apple's development calendar. It parallels more with the practices of Microsoft and Google. With this program, developers are joined hand in hand by average Mac users in extending help to make their experience with OS X becomes more rewarding day by day.
The OS X Yosemite was formally announced in June at Apple's annual event dubbed as the WWDC developer conference. In line with this, the company revealed its short term goal to break the gap that exists between OS X and iOS.
As a way to prepare the OS X to its anticipated release in the fall season, Apple is allowing access to 1 million users of Mac to test the new Mac desktop OS version by signing up to its website. The free public access is aimed to pre-test the OS before it launches on a wider scale. This way, Apple would be able to assess the OS X's level of consumer value which may otherwise be limited if such access is restricted solely to developers. The main objective is to make the new version compatible with Apple's iOS which run in iPad and iPhone.
It should be noted that not all of the promised OS X Yosemite's features will be available to users who are participating in its beta-testing program. Most of the interconnectivity features rely heavily on the yet-to-be-released iOS 8 mobile OS which is scheduled in fall.
Still, there's a whole bunch of features that Mac users can enjoy when they hop in to the beta-testing bandwagon. These would fall in several categories such as design, Today view, Spotlight, privacy, and Mail app.
The design feature of the OS X makeover definitely makes it the industry's most beautiful desktop OS to date. Aesthetic details such as impressive translucent sidebars and see through wallpaper enable users to track easily those apps and pages that they have been working on.
Perhaps the most interesting feature is how the enhanced OS X supports the user's privacy. Apart from using the window on its regular mode, Mac users can open a separate window where they can browse things in private. This window does not keep the user's browsing history and it automatically deletes cookies and data from visited sites once it is closed. It also features the Google killer "DuckDuckGo" which is a search engine for users who are not keen on leaving traces of their personal information and search habits on the web.
