OS X Yosemite

Photos for Mac won’t be dumbed down, says Apple

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 1, 2014

Apple's surprise announcement that it will cease development of its Aperture app in favor of Photos for OS X Yosemite has left watchers scratching their head. There's also the problem of prosumers and iPhone photography enthusiasts, many of whom have grown dependent on Aperture workflows.

The problem is even more pronounced given concerns that any feature-parity between Photos on iOS 8 and the upcoming Photos for OS X Yosemite Macs would inevitably lead to significant dumbing down compared to Aperture's feature set.

Case in point: the iWork for iCloud effect.

Anyway, Apple has now official confirmed via a written statement that Photos for Mac will include certain pro-grade features such as photo editing, image search and third-party effects and plugins...

Apple to stop development of Aperture in favor of Photos on OS X Yosemite

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated February 13, 2018

Apple has confirmed that it will no longer be developing its professional photo editing software Aperture when OS X Yosemite is released later this year. The company is shifting focus to the new Photos app that it previewed at the WWDC keynote, which effectively replaces both iPhoto and Aperture on previous versions of OS X. The app is set to launch early next year…

How to enable Yosemite’s somewhat functional dark mode

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 17, 2014

There were lots of oohs and aahs in response to Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi showing off a new dark UI mode in OS X Yosemite at WWDC two weeks ago. It basically alters the appearance of the menus, sliders, buttons, windows and other UI elements.

The gorgeously subdued look is inspired by the dark appearance of Apple's pro software such as Aperture and Final Cut Pro. In fact, I like it so much that I enthusiastically tweeted right after the keynote that I was very much looking forward to using it on a permanent basis come this Fall.

However, dark mode was notably absent from the first beta of OS X 10.10 and is nowhere to be found in the just-released Beta 2. For a good reason, too, as it's unfinished and very much work in progress so not really ready for prime time yet.

If you're a type of person who can't wait to see it in action, you can enable Yosemite's dark UI using just a simple Terminal command...

Yosemite’s Handoff feature may not be compatible with all Macs

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Handoff, arguably the coolest feature of the upcoming OS X 10.10 Yosemite, may not be available to all Mac users. In case you're not familiar with Handoff, it's part of Continuity, a new feature designed for seamless transitioning between iOS devices and Macs.

"Now your Mac knows the last thing you were doing on your iOS device and vice versa," Apple's Yosemite webpage explains. "So you can start something on one device and instantly pick it up on another."

As noted by a German blog, Handoff relying on short-range Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity is a strong indication that you'll need a relatively new Mac model in order to take advantage of the feature...

Apple posts video of “The New Look of OS X Yosemite”

Sébastien Page ∙ June 9, 2014

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ7kqwbqeiI

If you've already watched the WWDC 2014 keynote, then you won't see anything new here, but for those of you who haven't, Apple just published the Yosemite design video it showed last week. Titled "The New Look of OS X Yosemite," this short video puts the spotlight on Yosemite's new buttons, font type, icons, use of translucency, as well various other visual elements of OS X Yosemite.

How to install OS X 10.10 Yosemite beta on a separate partition

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 26, 2019

When Yosemite was first announced with all of its awesome features, I exclaimed on iDB's group chat session that I would be installing the OS as soon as it was available for download. Sebastien quickly rebuffed my excitement and told me how unreasonable it was to install a beta OS on my main machine, and especially so while I'm out of the country. After being a bit disappointed (that wasn't what I wanted to hear at all...I mean, SMS texting on OS X!) I eventually came to the realization that he was right.

But then, I remembered that I didn't need to settle. I could easily create a partition on my Mac and keep Yosemite completely separate from my main (and stable) Mavericks install. It had been a while since I had last messed around with disk partitioning in OS X, but it didn't take long before I was installing the Yosemite beta on the same Mac where my primary Mavericks install lays its head down at night.

The benefits are multi-faceted. Number one, you get to try out Apple's new OS right now. Number two, you don't have to worry about buggy beta software cramping your style; after all, you're still running your main OS on the a separate partition. Number three, it can be done quickly, and with little to no downsides (as long as you have the disk space to spare). Check inside for our full tutorial that shows you how to install OS X 10.10 Yosemite on a separate partition on your primary Mac.

Can your Mac run OS X Yosemite? Find out here

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

With Monday's announcement of OS X Yosemite now off our backs, many people are wondering whether the next major revision to Apple's desktop operating system will run on their Macs. There's some good news and bad news.

The good news is, Yosemite doesn't impose steeper requirements in terms of the minimum hardware needed for a productive and hassle-free experience, simply because Yosemite is much like Mavericks in this regard. The bad news is, some older Mac models will inevitably be left behind, call it the price of progress.

Will your Mac be able to run Yosemite? Read on...

Let’s Talk iOS 031: WWDC 2014 recap

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Episode 31: Sebastien and Cody discuss WWDC 2014's keynote along with all of the new information released. Topics include iOS 8, OS X Yosemite, and all of the major features revealed for both new highly anticipated operating systems.

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OS X Yosemite adds HTML5 video support for Netflix

Cody Lee ∙ June 3, 2014

During the OS X Yosemite portion of its WWDC keynote yesterday, Apple announced a handful of improvements for Safari. Among them was HTML5 video support for Netflix, which according to Apple, will add an extra two hours of video watching on a single battery charge.

Netflix confirmed the news today, saying that its engineers have been "working closely with Apple" to allow Safari to use the Premium Video Extensions. This enables browsers play streaming videos without the need for overweight plug-in programs like Microsoft's Silverlight...

Safari adds DuckDuckGo support in iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite

Joe Rossignol ∙ June 3, 2014

Safari just got a lot more private in iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite. The web browser on iPhone, iPad and Mac now includes the private search engine DuckDuckGo that users can set as default. For Mac users, this goes alongside an all-new private browsing option that functions like incognito mode on Chrome. DuckDuckGo is a search engine that doesn't track you, allowing you to browse the web knowing that your privacy is intact…

iOS 8 AirPlay broadcasts to Apple TV without Wi-Fi

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 3, 2014

Apple's current implementation of AirPlay, its media streaming technology, requires a Mac or iOS device to be on the same Wi-Fi network as an AirPlay receiver, which in most scenarios is the Apple TV. While seamless, AirPlay in its current form makes it impossible to use in places where you don't have access to a local Wi-Fi network.

Feeling your pain, Apple in iOS 8 has implemented zero-configuration peer-to-peer networking between AirPlay devices. This lets you broadcast whatever content from an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad to your Apple TV, even if these devices are not on the same local network...