Will OS X Yosemite Release Today?

Apple will be hosting their annual fall event later today to unveil what we think will be the iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3, and a Retina iMac. OS X Yosemite is also expected to be another talking point, but will Apple release the new operating system today?

OS X Yosemite was first announced back in June during Apple’s annual WWDC developers conference and it has spent the summer in beta form for developers to test out and report any bugs. The OS has seen multiple beta releases over the past few months and it’s really close to a final version, but some users may be wondering if we’ll actually see a final version release today or in a couple of weeks.

Read: OS X Yosemite Release Date Confirmed for Today

Unfortunately, it’s a tough call. Based on previous OS X releases, Apple has a pattern of releasing new OS X versions on the day of an event. For instance, OS X 10.9 Mavericks was released last year during the company’s iPad event, so why wouldn’t Apple do the same with OS X Yosemite?

For one thing, Apple released an official Golden Master version of OS X Mavericks a couple of days before its official public release. With OS X Yosemite, the company has yet to release an official GM. Up to this point, we’ve only seen a few Golden Master Candidates release. “Candidate” is a key word, as it doesn’t mean that an official Golden Master was released, but simply a version of OS X Yosemite that could be considered an official Golden Master once all the bugs are fixed.

We’ve have yet to see an official OS X Yosemite Golden Master release, which means that Apple may not publicly launch the new operating system today, but rather an official Golden Master release for developers to try out one last time, with a public launch of the final version coming 5-7 days later if we had to predict.

Of course, it’s also possible that Apple could just skip an official Golden Master release and publicly launch OS X Yosemite today during the company’s iPad event. However, some developers who have been trying out OS X Yosemite over the last few months say that even the Golden Master Candidates are still filled with bugs, so releasing a final version tomorrow could start another iOS 8.0.1 disaster to Apple users.

Read: How to Prepare for the OS X Yosemite Release Date

OS X 10.10 Yosemite was announced and unveiled back in early June during Apple’s annual WWDC developers conference where the company showed off a slew of features that users can expect out of the new operating system.

This new version of OS X comes with some pretty sweet features, including an all-new look and feel that finally puts OS X on par with iOS 7, thanks to the translucent windows and menus, as well as a flatter design overall, with redesigned icons that mimic iOS 7 icons, but still include some depth so that there’s still a bit of that classic OS X feel.

Furthermore, OS X 10.10 Yosemite also comes improvements made to Messages, including the ability to send and receive SMS text messages (rather than just iMessages), as well as make and receive phone calls as long as your iPhone is nearby and can connect to your Mac.

OS X Yosemite also includes Handoff, which is a feature of AirDrop that finally adds cross-platform support between iOS and OS X, allowing users to send files through AirDrop to either iOS or Mac computers.

One of the first things that Apple touted on stage with the new OS X 10.10 Yosemite was the look of the new icons. They’ve obviously been iOS-ified and include a flatter design that we’ve seen on the iPhone and iPad, but they still have a bit of depth in order to keep the design from going completely iOS.

Windows are also a lot flatter and less bubbly than we’ve seen with past versions of OS X, and navigation menus (as well as title bars of applications) are also a been transparent, similar to different elements in iOS 7, like bringing up Control Center.

New OS X Yosemite Design

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The biggest change in OS X Yosemite is the new look and design. Similar to the visual upgrade the iPhone and iPad received last year this free OS X update brings a new, but familiar look to your Mac.  Apple's new look for OS X Yosemite starts with redesigned buttons, windows and elements. You won't be lost when you open Yosemite, but you will notice a cleaner overall design. There are now translucent areas in some apps that show a blurred view of what's behind and the toolbars are now less cluttered and more useful. Apple also changes the OS X Yosemite dock and system fonts to make OS X Yosemite look better on a Retina display. Notification Center and Spotlight are also new, which we cover in more detail below.   The OS X Yosemite video above walks through the various changes to OS X Yosemite design.

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