OS X El Capitan is here, and while you’re waiting for that download to complete, you might as well get an overview of its new features. Let’s take a look at all the new stuff and a few of the things that’ve changed since OS X Yosemite.
Music by Podington Bear
Full Screen Mode, Split View, and Split View Adjustments
El Capitan features a revamped full screen mode for apps. This makes it a lot more viable to use for most of us. Alongside the new full screen mode comes split view, which allows you to run two apps side-by-side in full screen. You can easily change how much screen real estate each app takes up clicking and pulling the divider in the middle.
Mission Control Is Simplified
Mission Control gets a slight overall to make it easier to use. Now, when you launch Mission Control, your windows are organised and not grouped together in the cluttered mess they were in Yosemite.
Notes Can Now Make Checklists, Add Content from Other Apps, and More
Like iOS 9, the Notes app gets a big overhaul in El Capitan. You get much richer notes, including the ability to make checklists, and instantly add in attachments, or share info from other apps.
Spotlight Search Now Uses Natural Language
Spotlight gets a nice update in El Capitan. First off, you can now resize and move the Spotlight window just as you can with any app. More importantly, Spotlight’s search has been expanded. As in iOS 9, you can now search for context sensitive stuff using natural language. You can search for things like sports scores, rosters, or schedules. Beyond that, you can search your own system like this, skipping the complicated keywords needed before. For example, you can search from “pictures from September,” “emails from Whitson,” or “files created yesterday.”
Disk Utility Gets a New Look
Disk Utility hasn’t changed much since OS X Panther, but El Capitan finally brings along some stuff. You get more information about your disc, including encryption info and whether the new System Integrity Protection feature is enabled. SIP protects certain system processes from being tampered with even if someone has root access, which should help prevent problems with malware and other potential exploits.
Wiggle to Enlarge the Cursor
As dumb as this sounds, one of the features Apple actually talked about in the keynote with El Capitan is the new find your mouse wiggle. Wiggle your mouse and you’ll see the cursor enlarge. Silly, but handy for people with massive screens.
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