OS X 10.6 also built off of the previous OS (hence its name) with further enhancements such as faster disk ejecting, quicker Time Machine backup, faster boot and shut down times and faster OS installation. OS X Snow Leopard was significantly smaller that OS X Leapard and freed up to 7 GB of space; it also became Apple's first operating system to be Intel-only. It became the second-longest running Apple OS after Tiger and the last to need a physical disc after the introduction of the Mac App Store in the Snow Leopard 10.6.6 update.
Free Games For Mac Os X 10.7
OS X 10.7 brought many developments made in iOS, such as an easily navigable display of installed applications -- Launchpad -- and new thinner, gray scrollbars that disappeared when not used. OS X Lion also included support for the Mac App Store, introduced in OS 10.6.6. Other features included Resume, which allowed apps to reopen if closed, and Auto Save.
OS X 10.8 integrated Facebook and Twitter so users could set up and manage their accounts right in System Preferences. AirPlay Mirroring enabled easy sharing from a Mac to an Apple TV, and Game Center brought games from iOS to the Mac. Finally, Gatekeeper helped protect users from downloading and installing malicious software to their Macs by only permitting users to install apps from the Mac App Store and other identified developers. Users could download this update for a slimmer price at $19.99.
OS X El Capitan was announced at WWDC 2015. It enhanced the design and usability of OS X Yosemite with performance and security improvements. Features included Split View, which placed two full screen apps side by side; a streamlined Mission Control, which made it easier to see all open windows in one place; a smarter Spotlight that delivered results for weather, sports, stock, web, video and transit directions and can deliver information using natural language; a refreshed Maps app that included public transit information for some U.S. cities; Metal, a new graphics core technology that gave games and apps almost direct access to the Mac's graphics processor for better performance; in-app Multi-Touch gesture support; and system-wide performance improvements for further responsiveness and efficiency when using apps.
With macOS 10 (Catalina), Apple is making a push to draw gamers to the company's desktops with Apple Arcade, a game subscription service that costs $4.99 a month. Apple also is rolling out new desktop versions of several of entertainment apps: Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple TV to help users find the content they want to listen to or watch. For workplace Mac users, Catalina adds a new feature called Sidecar that's designed to extend the Mac desktop to the iPad. With Sidecar enabled, the tablet becomes an input device (using Apple Pencil). And with new Voice Control features, Apple is turning to Siri to allow users to operate their Macs with voice alone. For developers, Apple introduces Mac Catalyst, which allows them to build macOS versions of iPad apps. And for the security-conscious, Apple has made a number of under-the-hood improvements, including a read-only system volume to help prevent data loss; Gatekeeper to limit the possibility of malware and dangerous app downloads; and Activation Lock, which allows a user to erase a Mac if it is lost or stolen. macOS Mojave will be available in the Fall for free. It drops support for 2010-12 Mac Pro models and now requires 4GB of RAM.
macOS 12 (Monterey) offers a variety of changes aimed at making it easier for Mac users to connect online and stay focused on what they're doing on the desktop. Safari gets an overhaul that moves tabs high in the browser window, effectively combining tabs, the toolbar, and the search field, and allows users to create tab groups that can be shared. Monterey also gets Shortcuts, which helps users automate tasks and is integrated throughout the OS. FaceTime gets a slew of new features, including Voice Isolation (to make it easier to hear people on a video call) and Wide Spectrum (so callers can hear everything, not just a person's voice); SharePlay, so multiple people in different locations can collaborate on work, or even watch the same movie and chat about it in real-time; blurred backgrounds; and a new grid view. And with the rollout of Universal Control, users can work with a single mouse and keyboard and move between a Mac and and an iPad seamlessly, no setup required. Apple also previewed iCloud+ features focused on better security and privacy and Live Text, which uses machine learning to detect information in pictures such as phone numbers and addresses that can be used in other apps. Monterey arrives in the Fall as a free upgrade. It drops support for older Macs made before late 2014 (though it works on the 2013 Mac Pro).
Never one to shy away from dramatic hyperbole, Steve Jobs declared ours a "post-PC world" about this time last year, acknowledging a move away from personal computers as smartphones and tablets become even more ubiquitous. And while Jobs might happily look on as iPhones and iPads become our primarily tie to the outside world, the question remains: what happens to the PC during this grand transition? To a large extent, the answer lies in the OS, which brings us to OS X Lion. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to post-PC computing. In typically grandiose fashion, the company has declared OS X 10.7 "the world's most advanced desktop operating system," touting the addition of over 250 new features. The list is pretty uneven on the game-changing scale, with updates running the gamut from Airdrop (file-sharing over WiFi) to a full-screen version of the bundled chess game. If there's one thing tying it all together, though, it's something that Jobs touched on when he first unveiled the OS back in October: the unmistakable influence of iOS. Now it's true, we already got a taste of that with gesture-based trackpads and the Mac App Store, but those were merely glimpses of things to come. Apple borrows so heavily from iOS that at times, cycling through features makes the whole thing feel like you're merely operating an iPad with a keyboard attached. There are plenty of welcome additions here, including aesthetic tweaks and attention to mounting privacy concerns. Like Snow Leopard before it, however, Lion is hardly an explosive upgrade. And like Snow Leopard, it comes in at a reasonable $29 (or a decidedly more pricey $69 as an upcoming flash drive install), making it a worthy upgrade for current Mac owners. But does a boatload of evolutionary features add up to a revolutionary upgrade? Let's find out.%Gallery-128790%
If you're looking for iOS's influence, look no further than the installation process. It's available as a disc-free download through the Mac App Store, making even the delivery method one of the larger changes here. For the uninitiated, the whole process requires just a few clicks to go from buying something to installing it on your system. Once you download Lion, the installation is a painless process that should only last 10 to 15 minutes. Things were a bit less smooth when installing the operating system on a more well-worn MacBook. That time around, the installation process took closer to 25 minutes and required an extra manual restart to get things up and running more smoothly.
Aesthetically, not all that much has changed between Snow Leopard and Lion -- the notification buttons now default to a rectangular shape, progress bars are a bit flatter in appearance, and scroll bars are now dark gray lines that disappear when not in use. Those bars -- yet another feature borrowed from iOS -- are in keeping with Apple's goal of maximizing real estate in Lion, which also includes the ability to run Apple apps at full-screen (we're sure this will extend to third-party programs as well). It's a not-so-subtle reminder of one of the ways the desktop continues to trump its mobile counterparts: there's just more space to work with. Even better, there's no limit to how many full-screen apps you can have open, and you can swipe to the right with three fingers to do something else without actually exiting that program you were using at full-screen. We, at least, can certainly see ourselves using this option frequently, particularly during those times when we're working on our MacBook, pining for our multi-monitor office setup. Working at full-screen doesn't free up a ton of formerly unused space, but somehow even that little bit matters. To do this, click on the diagonal arrows in the top left-hand corner of a program, and notice the toolbar at the top go invisible. Mousing over the top of the screen will cause it to reappear. Apple borrowed some animations from iOS as well, such as the familiar "rubber band" bounce that snaps a page back into frame when you've scrolled to the end. The feature is present in Apple's proprietary applications, and honestly, we missed it when we switched to some third-party apps like Firefox. Additions like this are small indeed, but they definitely add to the overall experience. Meanwhile, Windows opened in the Finder boast a new "All My Files" option atop the left-hand column where you can find system disks in Snow Leopard. Thanks to this change, you get a quick way of locating files on the fly, breaking your system's content down by categories (e.g., images, movies, and documents). As far as arranging files and folders, you'll also find an option for listing it all according to category, just as you can already organize by, say, date created.
Apple has kept OS X 10.7 Lion and OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion available for customers who have machines limited to the older software, but until recently, Apple was charging $19.99 to get download codes for the updates.
The $19.99 fee dates back to when Apple used to charge for Mac updates. Apple began making Mac updates free with the launch of OS X 10.9 Mavericks, which also marked the shift from big cat names to California landmark names. 2ff7e9595c
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