| Mac OSX Lion gets some of its features from iPad |
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By Salar Golestanian @ Thursday, February 24, 2011 :: 8:05 PM :: 748 Views :: 0 Comments ::  |
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As much as I am so unhappy with Apple beign so greedy recent weeks with the Apple Vs Publishers topic, yet I cannot stop admiring their consistency in looking out of the box. Today with the Announcement of Mac OSX lion, where for the first time instead a desktop OSX borrows ideas and functionalities from the new iPad and iOS like The new gestures, influenced by the iPhone and iPad, include rubber-band scrolling, which sees pages snap back like a rubber band, and double tap or pinch to zoom in and out.
Here are some examples I see at www.apple.com
Launchpad
Launchpad gives you instant access to your apps and basically replicates the grid of apps you see on the homescreen of the iPhone and iPad. As on those smaller devices, programs can be arranged into folders for easy access. There's nothing to stop you from just arranging your applications into folders now, of course -- the only real difference is that Launchpad does it all for you. And of course, when you install an application, there are no .dmg files or dragging into the Applications folder. Launchpad is launched with a new grabbing gesture on the keyboard.
Full-screen apps
On iPad, every app is displayed full screen, with no distractions. This is good so long you are not copy and pasting from one app to another. Apps fill the screen, getting rid of the pesky top toolbar. You can switch to another full-screen app or to the desktop by swiping across the trackpad with three fingers.
Mission Control
Mission Control is a powerful and handy new feature that provides you with a comprehensive look at what’s running on your Mac. It gives you a bird's-eye view of everything your Mac is running. Thumbnails of all your open apps are arranged together on one screen, with open windows neatly stacked on top of each other. It's essentially Apple's existing Exposé feature, but with a smarter layout.
Auto Save and Versions
Say good-bye to manual saving. Auto Save in Mac OS X Lion automatically saves your work. If you've ever lost work due to an unexpected loss of power or a cat walking right across CMD + Q -- and who hasn't? -- the auto save will be a welcome feature. If not, documents can be locked to prevent them from auto saving so you can experiment knowing none of your changes need be permanent. You can also revert to the state your document was in when you opened it, if you're not happy with the changes you've made.
If you want to go back to a previous version of your document, Versions gives you a cascading view of the document as it developed. It's like Time Machine, Apple's backup software, for individual documents. Versions are saved every hour and you can grab bits from old files into the current version.
Resume
If you’ve ever restarted your Mac/PC, you know what’s involved. First you save your work, then close all your apps, then spend valuable time setting everything up again. Lion remembers everything you have open so when you restart, it's all laid out waiting for you. That means you don't have to open your favourite apps every time you start up, or remember where you saved the document you were working on.
Mail 5
Just like Mail on iPad, Mail 5 in Mac OS X Lion features a new layout that takes advantage of the widescreen display on your Mac. The new version of Mail is another app to take cues from the iPhone, expanding the message on the right and keeping the inbox on the left. A new Mailbox bar gives you one-click access to your favourite folders across the top of the app.
Mail 5 also borrows some ideas from Google Mail, including an increased emphasis on search, and Conversations view. This groups together the emails you've exchanged with a particular contact, rather than listing all your messages separately. Unlike Gmail, Mail will keep conversations together even if the subject line changes.
AirDrop
With AirDrop in Mac OS X Lion, you can send files to anyone around you — wirelessly. This is a nifty little app to wirelessly zap files through the air to other Macs. Lion detects people using AirDrop nearby, adding photos if they're in your contacts. To transfer a file, simply drag it to someone's name. Once accepted, the file nips directly into the person's Downloads folder.
Mac Developers
Mac Developer Program members can download Mac OS X Lion Developer Preview now. Start developing your apps today so they’re ready for the Mac App Store when Lion ships this summer. |
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