{"id":62242,"date":"2015-09-30T19:24:32","date_gmt":"2015-09-30T11:24:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=62242"},"modified":"2016-05-31T10:29:30","modified_gmt":"2016-05-31T14:29:30","slug":"6-noteworthy-features-in-mac-system-update-wednesday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2015\/09\/30\/6-noteworthy-features-in-mac-system-update-wednesday\/","title":{"rendered":"6 noteworthy features in Mac system update Wednesday"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\u201cEl<\/a>
\u201cEl Capitan\u201d won\u2019t offer dramatic changes, but rather refinements and enhancements to the current Mac system, called Yosemite. (Screengrab from Apple’s website<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NEW YORK \u2013 The name of Apple\u2019s new Mac operating system says a lot about what to expect.<\/p>\n

\u201cEl Capitan\u201d won\u2019t offer dramatic changes, but rather refinements and enhancements to the current Mac system, called Yosemite. In real life, El Capitan is a rock formation in Yosemite National Park. It\u2019s as though the new Mac system isn’t big enough to leave Yosemite.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, it\u2019s an upgrade worth having after it\u2019s out Wednesday, especially as it\u2019s free. Though you\u2019re not getting a lot of new functionality, El Capitan is packed with goodies that will shave off seconds here and there. Those seconds will add up.<\/p>\n

Just back up your system before upgrading, and make sure any apps you use frequently will work with the new system. Sometimes, it takes app makers weeks or months to catch up, especially for non-Apple apps.<\/p>\n

Once you get El Capitan, here are six features worth checking out:<\/p>\n

Pinning websites<\/strong><\/p>\n

A pin is like a bookmark on Apple\u2019s Safari browser, except the website you\u2019re pinning is always open and refreshing in the background. If you visit another website and come back, pins remember where you left off \u2013 as long as you don\u2019t close the browser.<\/p>\n

You might say this sounds like browser tabs. A key difference is when you click on an external link and leave a pinned site, the browser opens a new tab, so you don\u2019t lose your place on the pinned site. With tabs, the new site sometimes replaces the site you were on.<\/p>\n

Muting audio<\/strong><\/p>\n

As websites get aggressive at delivering video ads and content, audio might play automatically. This gets annoying if you\u2019re watching video in another window. Safari now has a speaker icon to instantly mute all audio playing in the browser, without affecting audio elsewhere. With the computer\u2019s mute button, it\u2019s all or nothing.<\/p>\n

If the video you\u2019re watching is playing in the same browser, the audio for that will mute, too. It works better when playing video in a stand-alone app, such as iTunes. Or you can install a separate browser, such as Google\u2019s Chrome, and play your Netflix or Hulu video there.<\/p>\n

Split screens and spaces<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Mac has long let you run multiple apps in separate windows, but you\u2019ve been limited to one app when it\u2019s in full-screen mode. This changes with El Capitan\u2019s Split View, a feature Microsoft has had since Window 8\u2019s release in 2012. Although you can come close to split screens by resizing two windows and placing them side by side, you now just need to press and hold the green button on the top left of an app’s window.<\/p>\n

The introduction of split screens also uncovers a little-known feature called Spaces. If your desktop feels cluttered, you can spread your apps out in groups, or Spaces. One Space might be for your productivity apps, such as spreadsheets. Another might be for goofing off. If you\u2019re on a laptop, it\u2019s easy to switch by swiping three fingers on the touchpad left or right. That\u2019s perfect for when your boss suddenly walks by.<\/p>\n

Better notes<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Notes app has traditionally been little more than a word-processing app. Now, it\u2019s possible to drag in photos, add map locations and create checklists. It\u2019s also easier to sift through Web links and attachments you\u2019ve added. The Notes app on iPhones and iPads got a comparable update, and your notes sync across Apple devices. You can also access them on Windows computers through icloud.com. Android users are out of luck.<\/p>\n

Smarter search<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can search for old documents using natural language, such as \u201cfind me spreadsheets from March 2013.\u201d The search tool also retrieves more types of information, including weather and stock quotes.<\/p>\n

Shaky cursor<\/strong><\/p>\n

No doubt you\u2019ve had times you\u2019ve needed to select text or move a window, but you have no idea where the cursor went. Now, just move the mouse back and forth rapidly, or swipe your finger back and forth on the touchpad if it’s a laptop. The cursor turns into a giant arrow for better visibility.<\/p>\n

It might remind you of those giant foam fingers at parades and sports arenas. Freaky, but useful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK \u2013 The name of Apple\u2019s new Mac operating system says a lot about what to expect. \u201cEl Capitan\u201d …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":62243,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[35],"class_list":["post-62242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-original","mauthors-anick-jesdanun","mauthors-the-associated-press"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62242\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}