Overview OS X El Capitan

The latest OS X El Capitan, announced at WWDC 2015, already available for download. We followed its development since the first beta and ready to tell you about all the changes and new operating system, which you will use on your Mac in the coming year.

As usual at the beginning - a few words about the release of the title. Moving away from the tradition of cat names, Apple continues new tradition of naming their desktop OS in honor of notable places California. Following the popular beach Mavericks and Yosemite National Park, the company has immortalized in the name of OS X the name of the highest mountain of the latter. When you see the standard wallpaper OS X 10.11, you will understand why: she is stunningly beautiful.

Design

Do not expect any radical changes in the design of OS X El Capitan. Apple has made a revolution in the previous Major Upgrade, here only "brushed" and without that beautiful interface with a new font san Francisco. From now on all Apple-devices use a single system font. The headset is so good that perfectly readable both on the small display of Apple Watch, and the iMac 5K giant screen.

The rest - except for small, barely noticeable changes such as the level of transparency in the dock - all remained the same. And, most likely, it will be another couple of years.

Productivity and performance

Here's what stood first item in the list of improvements that Apple engineers have received, starting to work on OS X El Capitan. Great attention is paid to the effectiveness of the applications and the OS itself. Quick start programs, more convenience in working with multiple windows, intelligent search of documents and data, instant response system, smooth animation interface and effective use of graphics performance in demanding applications such as games.

Split View

Unlike the iPad, for Mac it was always possible to run multiple applications simultaneously. But now it has become even easier! OS X El Capitan allows you to translate any of the applications running on one desktop in Split View mode, sharing screen space in the two programs. It works like this:

Clicking on the "green button" - and voila: two windows in the right scale in front of your eyes, without external stimuli, distractions from work. The new feature will be very popular on the Mac with wide screen display - at least 15 inches. On my 13-inch MacBook Air is, as you see, is almost useless.

Updated Mission Control

The changes affected the interface and Mission Control, it has become easier and cleaner, or something. List of desktops at the top of the screen fell and now occupies a minimum of space, giving it a miniature application. When the mouse cursor is activated increase, so you can see the names of desktops and throw them or another application. It is running the whole thing very smoothly and causes only positive emotions.

smart Spotlight

Spotlight nice wiser not only in iOS, but also in the new OS X. Now he understands "natural" language, allowing the use of queries like "Message from Alexander," "all the photos in a week," and so on. More features, of course, using the English localization: there are weather, stock quotes, scores, but also on the Russian something you can also look for. The same applies to search in Mail, and Finder. From little things - Spotlight window can be moved anywhere on the screen, although it seems to me that the best way it feels in the middle.

Metal

The promised technology Metal still come to OS X and successfully works in the benefit of users. Thanks to it, the application and the operating system may use a graphics subsystem Mac more efficiently. This affects the rendering, work-intensive applications, games, and, of course, on the interface drawing. Launching applications, switching between them, opening documents - all this takes place significantly faster.

updated applications

No less interesting to us, and you are the new features embedded applications. There are also quite a lot of useful innovations that facilitate daily work on a Mac.

Safari

Most of the new features was Safari, and it can not but rejoice, because working on a Mac, most of the time we spend in the browser. The most important of the innovations - this is probably the fixed tab. Yes, they have long been in Chrome and other browsers, but Apple's, as usual, has invented them again. Tabs can be docked and undock a simple gesture (swipe three fingers), and they work in the background and are displayed on all windows - whether new or already open. It's damn convenient!

If you have an Apple TV, you will definitely appreciate a new feature that allows you to stream video from web sites. Zest that is sent with the content itself, not the entire desktop.

Those who do not have Apple TV, too, will find something to enjoy. In OS X El Capitan Safari learned to calculate the tabs that plays audio, and mute them. This works for all of the tabs, as well as for certain. No longer have to search manually on which of two or three dozen tabs open that is playing.

From little things we can mention smart status bar, which when you hover on the link in the pop-up shows its socket at the bottom of the window. Previously, if you remember, there was a continuous string hanging constantly and eats screen space.

I can not keep silent about changing the "hot keys" bookmarks. I often use shortcuts ⌘1-⌘9 to open favorite websites, now has to be added to the combination of still and key ⌥. By myself I will say that it's easy to remember, but will have to train the muscle memory.

Mail

With each update Mail becomes more and more beautiful. This time, there was so familiar to us by gestures iOS control: using swipe, you can quickly delete or mark messages. In addition, the app has learned to determine the context in messages. It works as in iOS 9: If the message has a date or contact, you are prompted to add an event to the calendar.

In full screen mode, or draft an open letter can whisk down to see the folder "Inbox", or drag and drop files from the other posts. Also, there are tabs after folding letters to all new drafts will open in tabs.

Notes

Your note is no longer limited to text: for any recording you can add a photo, video, link, or card. All investments at the same are sorted in a browser, where they are easy to find. Due to the expansion, in the "Notes" you can quickly and easily send any content from other applications. There are more formatting options, and interactive lists allow you to mark tasks, conduct a simple to-do lists, and more.

Maps, Photos

Nice updates are waiting for those who have already had their photo archives in the standard application "Photo". Now, in addition to the new management and sorting functions allow you to add and geo-signer, new processing tools. If installed on your Mac photo editors support the extension, filters, textures and other tools of them will be available directly in the "Photo".

Innovations "Maps", unfortunately, are not encouraging. Apple's own mapping service too slowly accumulates functionality and now it appeared routes public transport, but only for the 20 largest cities in the world, among which, as you understand, there is no native to us. Routes can be on the Mac, and then send in the iPhone just a couple of clicks.

One more thing ...

The small things lies all the charm of Apple and OS X El Capitan our favorite company has prepared a couple of these. Both belong to the cursor. First, change the animation download - not a beach ball more like a candy in the form of a flat looks fascinating. Secondly, now, if you lose the cursor among the open windows and applications, it can be in a jiffy find, just move your finger across the trackpad - from this "shake" it will increase in size and you have it exactly notice.

Impressions of use, stability, bugs

I installed OS X El Capitan on your MacBook Air in 2015, as soon as there was a first beta for developers. It was far from ideal in terms of stability, but with each cumulative update system keeps getting better and better. GM-pre-release version works very fast, subjective Yosemite little faster, although I can say that I have it slowed down.

New Mission Control, Split View and interface systems in general are rendered smoothly, jerking and "plugging" I do not watch at. All standard applications as well as third parties, even those that are not yet optimized for the OS X 10.11, are stable, do not take off. Photoshop, Pixelmator, CleanMyMac, iStat Menus, Bartender and almost all of the programs that I use on a daily basis, great "friends" with the new OS X.

As for autonomy, here a full order. Yosemite on my Air calmly worked 10-15 hours depending on the load. "Captain" shows approximately the same result: when a similar workload, I guaranteed to have enough charge for all day. If in the figures, somewhere from 10 to 13 hours.

From idle and irritating can only remember constantly tupyaschy AirDrop, but he and Yosemite I, frankly, did not differ uninterruptible (although there have been moments of enlightenment). Now it is necessary to send screenshots via mail or Dropbox - AirDrop on my iPhone 5s does not want to connect. However, it is running a beta version of iOS 9.1, but most likely, it's not her.

results

This year, Apple has just got a great upgrade OS X. System prettier, visible "Underbonnet" improve, and the company still held a long-awaited work on the bugs. I can recommend OS X El Capitan to install as the main system for anyone with more or less modern Mac. The difference with Yosemite is, and it is noticeable!