So I stayed up late last night to install Yosemite on both my computers. First Yosemite impressions are of translucence EVERYWHERE and of supersaturated colors. The colors pop even to the point of distraction because so many other aspects of the user interface have been de-emphasized. Buttons and other controls have been simplified and flattened. Chrome/window dressing has been almost eliminated so that your content is front and center.
I guess the reasons for these changes are to emphasize content, maximize use of space, and reduce distractions. However I am not sure the goal has been realized. The colors on the dock are so bright they overcome most of the benefit of reducing districts elsewhere. I guess I will have to change the setting on my dock to be out of sight. It never bothered me before but now it does.
Other highlights for me:
- Mail seems to be working again. Hallelujah! I have struggled the last few years using Mail under Mountain Lion and Mavericks. My gmail account would constantly stall and hang. I would have to quit and restart mail multiple times a day to get it working again. I kept the activity window always in view. I would find mail on my phone that never showed up in my inbox on my Mac (I could find in my gmail archive folder). After 24-hours all seems well.
- Phone calls on my Mac. This is proving a little touchy. I tried to place a phone call on my Mac - and it kept reporting that my Mac and iPhone had to be on the same local network. After disconnecting and re-connecting my Mac and iPhone from my wi-fi network, it worked. Receiving a call while using my Mac comes through FaceTime. Fortunately, video is turned off by default unless specifically turned on. Watch out for mis-clicks. Also, when I got notified of an incoming call while using my Mac, I wanted to answer the call on my phone. I closed my MacBook to answer the call on my iPhone and by doing so, I disconnected the call. These are early days and I’m sure rough edges like these will show up and be addressed in updates.
- iCloud Drive. This can be a little anxious to set up initially, but worked perfectly. The warning that your iCloud data will be inaccessible once you upgrade unless your other devices are upgraded to iOS 8 or Yosemite is scary but it lists your all devices and I knew what to expect. The iCloud Drive was a little slow to access the first time - Finder just kept showing me a blank window or the files from the last selected folder when I tried to access iCloud Drive initially. Things finally synced up and all was well. Some indications of syncing would be helpful. Comparisons to Dropbox® will be plentiful and this is at least one place where Dropbox does a better job. iCloud Drive is a change of direction for Apple. Initially, Apple seemed intent on doing away with the file system for cloud based files and mobile applications. They have either retreated from this far-sighted strategy or have admitted defeat. Being Apple, means never having to explain.
Every new OS X, John Siracusa does a detailed and magnificent review for Ars Technica. The one for Yosemite can be found at: http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/10/os-x-10-10/
The new site Six Colors features the writing of columnist Jason Snell. I cannot recommend it strongly enough. His review can be found at: http://sixcolors.com/post/2014/10/os-x-yosemite-review/
