Skip to main content

The next version of OS X is called El Capitan, focuses on refining Yosemite

os x 10 11 news el capitan 6
Image used with permission by copyright holder
WWDC stands for Worldwide Developers Conference, and while the Apple’s keynote speech often includes a few product announcements, it usually focuses on operating system tweaks and behind-the-scenes upgrades. As expected, the next version of OS X, 10.11, took center stage.

Let’s start with the name. OS X 10.11 is called “El Capitan” after the famous rock formation inside Yosemite itself. We think the name sounds a bit awkward after Yosemite, but it continues the new tradition of naming OS X after locations inside California, and ultimately the name isn’t a big deal. It’s the new features that are most important.

Performance improvements

There were very few rumors about OS X 10.11 ahead of WWDC 2015, which led many to believe the operating system would focus heavily on performance improvements. That appears to be correct.

Apple is boasting a number of general improvements. Apps supposedly switch twice as quickly as in Yosemite, PDFs open four times quicker, and other apps launch about 1.4 times more quickly, in general. Some users complained that Yosemite, while feature-packed, slowed performance. El Capitan is taking steps to address those concerns.

el-capitan-5
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The other big announcement is Metal for Mac. To refresh your memory, Metal is the company’s low level graphics API. It was announced for iOS devices last year, but now it’ll be found on Macs, too. The company says rendering draw call performance can be improved by up to 50 percent when Metal is used, and rendering graphics requires up to 40 percent less CPU performance.

As always, these kinds of enhancements have to be seen to believe. We’re eager to see how El Capitan feels in practice.

Spotlight enhancements

Continuing the theme of refinement, Apple has announced some changes to Spotlight, which was dramatically re-designed for Yosemite. The search window is now a real window, rather than a static interface elements, and it can re-sized and moved like any other. That resolve user complaints that its location front-and-center was distracting.

el-capitan-4
Image used with permission by copyright holder

More significantly, Apple has put effort into making Spotlight smarter with context-sensitive search. If you want to search for documents from June, for example, there’s no longer a need to research and enter complicated Boolean operators. Instead, you can type “documents I worked on last June,” and Spotlight will automatically know what you mean.

Built-in app enhancements

Apple has also added some refinements to how its applications work together. In general, image, text and link elements can now be used between applications more easily. Dragging a link into notes, for example, now auto-generates a thumbnail with a summary description. Similarly, it’s possible to drag images from one app to another, or between different open windows of the same app.

elcapitan-2
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Some organization modifications have appeared, as well. Mail now has tabs, just like Safari. Speaking of the browser, Apple is adding “pinned sites” which appear on the left side of the browser’s tab line. These sites always appear and load when Safari starts. Finally, a new feature makes it easy for users to find tabs that are playing audio in the background, and mute them.

Windows management improvements

The last set of enhancements revolve around windows management. By far the most significant change is a new “snap” feature that lets users easily position a window on the left or right half of the display. In addition, Expose will let users pick which window takes up the remaining display space.

Windows users are no doubt raising an eyebrow at this point, as Microsoft added its own Windows snap feature in Vista, and with Windows 10 has improved it with very similar functionality. Still, it’s great to see OS X has finally improved this part of the operating system, which has lagged Windows for years.

el-capitan-3
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Another big change is the ability to drag windows between virtual desktops, or make entirely new virtual desktops. This again is rather similar to how Windows 10 works, but at a glance it appears that OS X’s implementation is a bit more intuitive.

Last, and certainly least, is cursor shake. Give that cursor a wiggle and it’ll magnify, making it easier to find. Not a big deal, but hey – it’s still nice to have!

A new font

Most people didn’t notice, but the Apple Watch launched a new font from Apple called San Francisco. The custom-designed font was created to provide excellent readability on a small, pixel-dense display while packing in as much text as possible. Apparently, Apple found the font a success, because it’s appearing in iOS 9 and OS X 10.11 as well, where it will replace Helvetica Neue.

Apple Watch Sport
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

This may seem somewhat odd, particularly for OS X, because the original font was designed for an entirely different type of device. But recent updates to the Mac’s operating system have brought its visual design in line with iOS, for better or worse. Cupertino’s designers clearly believe a unified look is desirable.

We’re sure the transition will be met with both criticism and praise, but it’s unlikely to make a difference for most users. San Francisco is similar to Helvetica Neue, and users lacking an eye for the finer details of fonts may not even notice the change.

Swift 2 goes Open Source

Swift, the programming language that Apple put together for both iOS and OS X, will be receiving an update later this year. As expected, the new version promises performance improvements and “whole modulate optimization,” a feature that the company did not describe in detail.

Most importantly, though, Swift will be going open source. In addition to Macs, iPhones and iPads, the language will be available on Linux later this year. That’s a rather significant change, as Apple has restricted development for its devices to Mac OS X in the past.

Editors' Recommendations

Matthew S. Smith
Matthew S. Smith is the former Lead Editor, Reviews at Digital Trends. He previously guided the Products Team, which dives…
Lenovo Legion Pro 5 gaming laptop with an RTX 4070 is $400 off
Cyberpunk 2077 on the Lenovo Legion Pro 5.

If you're planning to buy a new gaming laptop, we highly recommend looking for offers involving the Lenovo Legion Pro 5. There's one right now from Lenovo itself -- a $400 discount that pulls the machine's price down from $1,900 to $1,500. It's still not cheap, but we assure you that every penny spent on this gaming laptop will be worth it. You're going to have to hurry with your purchase if you don't want to miss out on getting the device at 21% off though, as its price may return to normal at any moment.

Why you should buy the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 gaming laptop
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is our top choice in our roundup of the best gaming laptops because of the fantastic value that it provides as a reasonably priced and well-built machine. It's powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX processor and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card, plus 32GB of RAM that's enough to run multiple applications like streaming software and web browsers while playing the best PC games at their highest settings, according to our guide on how much RAM do you need. With these specifications, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is also prepared to play the best upcoming PC games without any need for further upgrades.

Read more
Best 17-inch laptop deals: Big savings on big screen laptops
Alienware m17 R5 laptop sitting next to a headset.

17-inch laptops sit right at the top of the line for big screens on laptops. Far from being oddballs, however, they are made by the best laptop brands and many are included amongst our lists of the best laptops. Still though, this is not just a list of the best laptop deals, but bigger. Instead, we've found 17-inch laptop deals that show that you can go bigger (and possibly better) without going broke. Here are our favorite 17-inch laptop deals of the season.
ASUS 17.3-Inch Chromebook — $199, was $299

This is probably the cheapest 17-inch laptop (that you'll actually enjoy using) of the moment. It's also one of our lowest price favorites when it comes to Best Buy laptop deals. It's got 4GB of memory and 64GB of eMMC flash storage so it'll be perfect for browsing the net, watching YouTube on (it has a 1080p resolution), and getting a bit of work done without distractions. Bonuses include super-fast Wi-Fi 6 capabilities, an HD webcam with mic, and even a headphone/microphone combo jack.

Read more
Surface Laptop Go 3 vs. Surface Pro 7+: is it an upgrade?
Microsoft Surface Pro 7

The Surface Laptop Go 3 is Microsoft's new affordable Surface laptop, with upgraded hardware and long battery life making it a compelling option for budget laptop buyers in 2023. But for anyone considering an upgrade to a Surface device at around that $800 price, the Surface Pro 7+ still presents an attractive purchase, and it can flip into a tablet when you need it.

That brings to mind the age-old question, of whether newer is automatically better. In this case, it might not be. Let's take a look at the Surface Laptop Go 3 versus Surface Pro 7+, to find out.

Read more