CHANGES FROM THE PREVIOUS OS X MAVERICKS-
there have been a host of changes on a serious note. The completely refined interface than the previous os. The mavericks was in many ways similar to its predecessor OS X . The interface and functionality were quite the same. here in the new Yosemite they have brought a whole new interface with a bunch of new features.
DESIGN-
we all had expected a new fresh look and thats what we got. The developers work has really worked in satisfying he old mac users. the new transluscency in the interface adds a whole new dimension to its look and feel, in many ways it has similarities like the mobile OS - iOS 8.
The minimal icons with the new colour pallete looks pleasing to me. The translucency gives a glimpse to the background. The new toolbars in its built in apps like Safari gives the new feel, a streamlined look. This has been a major update to it's user interface. The dock at the bottom of the screen has new icons, a refreshed look. New typography makes it richer.
NOTIFICATION PANEL-
The notification panel also has some new features which we may compare with iOS 8- The enabling of the widgets. There are a bunch of apps that give the widget support in the App Store. enables the user to take a look at the contents, events, reminders and many more things in a just a glance. Never been simpler i suppose.
SPOTLIGHT-
It keeps getting better here. The new Spotlight on the Mac gives the results faster. Unlike the previous one this will show you your content directly in front of you. Giving you information form its new sources like Wikipedia, news site, maps, iTunes and many more to go with.
The content gets previewed in a rich manner.
CONTINUITY-
THE FEATURE APPLE IS PROUD OF AND IT REALL SHOULD BE!
So here is the major new feature in this update. It features a way to connect your mac device with your iOS device. Seamlessly connecting it withe same wifi network and bluetooth you can now answer calls on your mac and iPad. The only prerequisite is to have iOS 8.1 on your iOS device and the OS X Yosemite. Sending SMS from a mac is also easy.
HANDOFF-
Handoff in the continuity section gives the user to shift between his Mac and iOS and "continue" with the data or content he was viewing or working on in his mac. You may start somewhere and finish somewhere!
You get all your content related to calendars, reminders ,pages, numbers, notes, email and other stuff popping up on your other device. Its like working in unison and having better results.
INSTANT HOTSPOT-
The Instant Hotspot feature now included in the update works all the time to see whether your mac is having a Wi-fi connection all the time or no! The mac automatically activates this feature when they are near each other .Using the hotspot is quite easy. simply select the network selection in the status bar and choose the iPhone to which you are connected to using continuity. it will show the wireless hotspot active in your phone and also shows the battery indicator next to it. So you may know when to connect your phone to a charger, And guess what, you don't even need to remove your device from the bag or case. It stays connected all the time to the mac when its near each other.
AIRDROP-
This was the feature i was in need of. Previously we could only send files via airdrop from mac to mac. But now even to the iOS devise. its perfect to send files via airdrop, select a file send using airdrop and the other user or device gets a notification of what and from whom they are receiving the file from. Just a few clicks and the file is away.
MAIL-
Mail gets many new features. Now we can send messages with attachment upto 5GB. We cam]n also make selections in the mail attachment now. na option to make a selection like the circle or square marking objects on the attachment. We can also add a callout to the images and PDFs. If you mac has trackpad and not the magic mouse you can input signatures using it.
FAMILY SHARING-
with this all apple devices with the same Apple id can have the purchased app. You pay once and get those apps on your devices automatically. You can also set restrictions to the app store for a user below 13 years of age to download apps or requiring higher maturity.
We can now say that this major update that apple has rolled out is really amazing in its functionality and new features promising the user no lag whatsoever. After using it for a few days i can say that this OS boots up faster than the predecessors.