Apple still needs testers for OS X Yosemite's second public beta, which is open to both developers and Mac owners who simply want a better idea of what to expect in the fall.
While OS X Yosemite's current beta period is open to the public, registration is still required for access to the operating system. An installation of OS X Mavericks remains the prerequisite for the Yosemite beta.
Inside of the latest version of OS X Yosemite, Mac users will find a revamped version of the Spolight tool and the newest iteration of iTunes. With OS X Yosemite's latest build, Spotlight searches take on a more prominent role and appearance.
"There's reason for the (forgive me) spotlight on Spotlight. It is a much more powerful search tool than it was in Mavericks or previous versions of OS X, largely thanks to a much wider pool it can source answers from," stated a Yosemite beta tester. "Spotlight now turns up results from your installed apps, Mail, Messages, your calendar, saved files, images, folders, your bookmarks and web history, dictionary, and even the web (through Bing), Maps, the App Store, and iTunes Store."
iTunes 12 received significant changes, with its redesigned user interface standing out as the most noticeable. Itunes' playlists were also reworked so that their windows may now appear next to a panel displaying the library.
Similar to Steam and Sony's family-sharing features, the new version of iTunes 12 allows up to six family members to share media without swapping credentials.
With all the changes revealed in the latest beta of OS X Yosemite, it still appeared to be much too soon to find new evidence about a desktop version of Siri. In early August, an Apple patent emerged with details on a personal assistant for desktop devices.
In the patent, Apple referred to the desktop assistant's potential to serve Mac users as a "third hand."
"Frequently, while the user is performing a primary task, he or she finds the need to perform one or more secondary tasks to support the continued performance and/or completion of the primary task," Apple stated in the patent. "In such scenarios, it is advantageous to use a digital assistant to perform the secondary task or operation that would assist the user's primary task or operation, while not significantly distracting the user's attention from with the user's primary task or operation."
The avenues Apple explored in the 92-page patent suggested that the tech company had a lot of details it needed to iron out before "desktop version of Siri" is ready for release.
