When Apple first announced OS X Yosemite last year, one of the apps that it showed off was "Photos," intended to be a replacement for Apple's iPhoto.
Apple recently unveiled information about the new app, releasing it to developers and bringing a number of changes from iPhoto. It is more refined and should be much easier to use.
In fact, Photos even has some of the DNA that made up Aperture, with some of the people who work on Aperture, Apple's pro photography offering, also working on Photos.
Photos was largely designed to be a cross-platform app, meaning that the desktop version of the app will have a very similar look and feel of the mobile version. It was the same team that built both the desktop and the mobile version of the app.
Not only that, but users will also be able to much more easily sync their photos across multiple platforms by using the iCloud Photo Library, which essentially means that users will store their photos in cloud storage, to be accessed on any of their devices. This also allows users to upload photos from anywhere, which is extremely important in today's world, where users take photos on their iPhone's, iPad's and so on.
The desktop version, however, is designed to really take advantage of the screen space on the Mac's screen. Not only that, but users will get much better editing tools and features that are aimed at taking advantage of the processing power behind the new generation of Mac computers.
The focus on editing also gives the new Photos app much more use. No longer is the app simply a photo library app, but now it allows users to perform basic editing tasks. Now, of course this won't be enough for the professional photographer, but for those who aren't pros and don't need advanced editing tools, the editing tools available in the app will be perfect.
Photos represents a shift away from Apple's previous thoughts on software. In the past, Apple has focused on offering distinct experiences for multiple different platforms. Photos, however, shows that Apple now wants a uniform experience and design no matter which platform users want to access it on.
The most striking difference between iPhoto and Photos is the new design. The app is very classy, very simple and easy to take in.
The final version of the app is expected within the next few months, with Apple saying that it will be released "this spring."
