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We are keeping up with the Apple WWDC from our perch in New York, and the first major new update has been announced: Mac OS X Yosemite, the latest software for Apple's desktop and laptop computers.

SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi, gave us some key features on OS X Yosemite. The focus for OS X was clarity, usability and clear font type through the operating systems. 

Some of the major changes:

  • Window menus are now translucent (this will match the image background with your desktop photo.) It basically creates a custom color pallet for you. 
  • The dock also got a major makeover. Federighi was especially proud of the new Trash icon, "You wouldn't believe how much time we spent crafting a trashcan." To his credit, it's a pretty good looking trashcan. 
  • There's also a "dark mode." That will remove the translucency feature for dark gray toolbars. 
  • The notification center has been adjusted to give a "Today" view. 
  • The Calendar has been updated. 

Now, this is the most major feature in my opinion: Spotlight. It got a major makeover, and is far more useful now.

With a simple click and only two or three letters, you can launch full searches into just about anything. If you search a name, it will compile everything from that person: Emails, reminders, images, maps of locations suggested, events, contact information; even movie listings if you are discussing viewing a movie in an email together. That's incredibly convenient, though perhaps a little invasive in the opinion of some. Spotlight also made web searches much easier, the results can now pop up on the screen without opening a new tab or window. It can show Wikipedia results and general search results. 

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