A Look At OS X Yosemite And iOS 8.1
by Brandon Chester on October 27, 2014 8:00 AM ESTNotification Center
Notification Center on OS X has been in a strange situation for a while now. While some features like Spotlight Search transitioned from OS X to iOS, Notification Center went the other way. It has never felt like it had much reason to exist, and it has lacked in features compared to its iOS counterpart. This was made even more evident when iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks rolled out. iOS received the new Today view with new widgets for apps like Calendar, Reminders, and Stocks, while on Mavericks the only change was the removal of the linen texture as Apple began to transition away from their old style of interface design.
With iOS 8 and Yosemite we receive parity between the abilities and design of the two versions. With the new Yosemite interface being modeled on that of iOS, Apple has been able to bring the new translucent design of Notification Center to OS X, along with the new support for Today view and widgets. Notification Center is one of the best examples of the use of translucency to convey what parts of the interface are on a higher vertical plane than others. While in previous versions of OS X Notification Center pushed the desktop to the left, in Yosemite it simply comes in overtop of the desktop and even the Dock.
Today view gives Notification Center a greater purpose than it previously had. The ability to add widgets allows it to become a hub for getting key information at a glance, or performing quick actions. It's actually even more functional than on iOS because Apple has provided widgets for apps like Calculator which do not have widgets on iOS. A weather widget with a full forecast is also available to make up for the fact that OS X has no standalone weather app.
Because I always keep the dock visible, I can see what applications I need to check based on the red badge. As a result, I still don't use the actual notifications tab of Notification Center very often. But I do use the Today view to check what events I have coming up, what the current weather conditions are, and to do quick calculations using the Calculator widget. Overall I would say that Apple has done a good job with making Notification Center feel useful, and although not every part of it fits into the way I use my computer, I can still find ways to make use of it.
Spotlight Search
Spotlight receives some great improvements in Yosemite. I said in my iOS 8 review that I had never really used Spotlight on iOS because it didn't feel like it offered convenience or features that made it worth using. Apple's improvements actually made me start using it. The same was true of Spotlight on OS X. I had never used it until Yosemite rolled out with the new capabilities that Apple had built in. Spotlight on OS X has an even greater number of improvements than the iOS version, and it starts with the UI. The field for entering your search has gone from a tiny input field in the top right corner of your display to a large window that appears right in the center. This may sound obtrusive initially, but it is done this way because once you begin typing the window expands to the one you see below.
Spotlight now adopts a dual pane design, and it makes it infinitely more powerful and useful than its previous form which was a list of results situated in the top right corner of the display. The left side gives results from Safari, files on your Mac, applications, etc. The right side acts as a preview for what you have selected. This is really useful when trying to find a document when you aren't quite sure of the name, but know what you wrote in it. Rather than having to open every single document that could possibly be the one you're looking for, you can have Spotlight find all the documents with those keywords and you can preview them right in the window without ever having to go into the app itself.
Spotlight can also do quick conversions now. This feature is especially handy, and it's notably absent in the iOS version of Spotlight which shows there's still work to do in creating parity between the features that Apple has on both of their operating systems.
Overall, Spotlight search on OS X has some solid improvements and it's a good feature. It can be hard to get in the habit of using it if you previously ignored it on older versions of OS X, but it's a useful tool to have and I encourage anyone who uses OS X to take a look at it. You may be pleasantly surprised.
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retrospooty - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
Oh, well good. You have one that isn't slow or crashing, well, sorry others have them that are. And no, not all iPhones are bending, the point is its so thin that it is structurally weak and is susceptible to be bent. http://www.oneofthenine.com/ - You going to defend that?Anyhow, you have mentioned that fact that I am in my early 40's like 4-5 times now. You mentioned you have been coming to Anandtech as long as I have, so unless you were here as a toddler , you must be gettting pretty close too... Not that age matters, but you keep mentioning it and keep coming back to reply, so as much of a loser as I must be to post here, you are more of one as you are here at the same site, defending a company AND tracking my age and post count on another related site.
KoolAidMan1 - Thursday, October 30, 2014 - link
It's not about the age, it's about you with over 10000 posts on DT and hundreds on Disqus devoted to almost entirely to defending Android and bashing iOS. I expect that from a teenage console warrior, not a grown man.Otherwise, most people have no problems with iOS. Almost nobody has bent iPhones, literally dozens out of tens of millions. Even if it was hundreds it would be statistically insignificant.
Stretching credibility in the name of fanboy desperation is sad for anyone, especially someone that is supposed to be "mature".
KoolAidMan1 - Thursday, October 30, 2014 - link
And to be clear, yes, 1000 bent iPhones (let's throw out a big number) out of tens of millions is bad.That percentage is TINY. Its nothing like actual tech disasters like the RROD or even laptop battery recalls. Get bent out of shape if you want though, your life seems to revolve around phone drama.
HKZ - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
It's you. Your reading skills aren't very good given the title of this article.KoolAidMan1 - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
He's a fanboy with over 10000 posts between DT and Disqus devoted to talking negatively about Apple.Reading comprehension isn't a factor with zealots like him, just spin
KoolAidMan1 - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
And obviously there are negative things to be said for Apple, same as any other company. For example, the Mac Mini and iPad Mini 3 updates are awful.The problem is that its hard to take anything he seriously when everything he says is negative, a conspiracy, and self-victimizing. He goes so far as to say Anand is a shill for Apple and that his current employment is proof of that.
Nothing he says can be taken seriously because it is constant. At least he doesn't seem bigoted, racist, or homophobic like some of his DT friends.
retrospooty - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
What is funny is the guy that is stalking that guy and hanging off his every word (and yet still gets it so wrong).LOL. What a doof.
KoolAidMan1 - Thursday, October 30, 2014 - link
How is it stalking? You are impossible to miss on DT. As for Disqus, it was the first return from Google.Two clicks to see that profile is "stalking", good one!
retrospooty - Thursday, October 30, 2014 - link
How is it stalking? You are tracking my post count, your last umpteen posts at DT were all about me. You posted on this article, only to me, and to others about me. You seem to be caught up with my age and occupation. Why dont you go troll someone else? why are you fixated on me? Or is it becasue I keep calling you on your 100% one sided biased ass, and shutting you down like I did again here and you are pissed? http://www.dailytech.com/Article.aspx?newsid=36545...Too bad trollboy. But back on topic, my 10000 posts at DT is over the entire history since day 1. FFS, most of it has nothing to do with Apple. Especially any OP's. Often you asshat Apple nutjobs that just cant STAND when anyone doesn't like anything about Apple get all butt hurt and go on and on, so that makes it seem like alot of posts, but its really just a few asshats, yourself included.
FYI, I also say alot of good things about Apple. They moved the whole industry forward in 2007, I love the hardware on iPad Air and Air 2. I love the hw quality in general until it got so thin its structurally weak... And on that subject, it IS weak. There my be only a few thousand people with the issue, but its a young product. the fact its that it is too weak to take much abuse.... All in the name of form over function.
Whatever. You are so stuck on stupid with Apple I cant even relate. Its a company, and you defnd it like its your mother being insulted. Get a grip.
Osamede - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Author said:"..... If you own a Samsung smartphone, you may be more inclined to buy a Samsung tablet due to the similar hardware design and user interface. But apart from any brand loyalty you feel, you don't really have any incentive to buy a Samsung laptop which runs Windows and doesn't integrate with your other device..."
Reality is:
http://www.samsung.com/uk/support/convergence/side...
http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/samsung-galaxy-tab-s-s...
I am shocked that standards of journalism and market insight are slipping so low, so fast
How long before this becomes yet another fanboy blog?