OS X El Capitan available as a free update starting today

Apple announced that OS X El Capitan, the latest major release of the desktop operating system, will be available starting today as a free update for Mac users. El Capitan builds on the features and beautiful design of OS X Yosemite with updates to window management, built-in apps and Spotlight search, and performance improvements like launching and switching apps, opening PDFs and accessing email faster and more responsive. El Capitan will offer simpler and smarter ways to do the things with the Mac. With a single swipe, Mission Control arranges all your windows in a single layer so you can find the window you need even faster. When the desktop gets crowded, one can simply drag a window to the top of the screen to create a new Space and spread out your work. Also, the new Split View feature automatically positions two app windows side-by-side in full screen so you can work with both apps without distraction. Users can now use Spotlight to check stock prices, weather conditions and forecasts, sports scores, schedules and standings. You can also search with Spotlight to find a file using natural language and also, resize the Spotlight window to display more results or move it anywhere on the desktop. Safari now features Pinned Sites to keep your favourite websites open and active and a new mute button to quickly silence browser audio from any tab. Mail introduces Smart Suggestions, which recognises names or events in a Mail message and prompts you to add them to your contacts or calendar with a single click. In Photos, you can now edit locations, batch change descriptions, sort albums by date or title, and take editing to the next level with third-party editing extensions from your favourite developers. El Capitan also features an all-new Notes app that lets you drag and drop photos, PDFs, videos and other files into a note, and add content directly from other apps, such as Safari web links or Maps locations, using the Share menu. With iCloud, your notes stay in sync so you can create notes on one device and edit them or check off items on your other devices. It will also improve system performance across your Mac, making many of the things you do everyday faster and more responsive. Chinese keyboard input methods now offer regularly updated vocabulary lists and a smarter candidate window as well. “People love using their Macs, and one of the biggest reasons is the power and ease-of-use of OS X,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “El Capitan refines the Mac experience and improves performance in a lot of little ways that make a very big difference. Feedback from our OS X beta program has been incredibly positive and we think customers are going to love their Macs even more with El Capitan.”