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OS X Yosemite
Version of the macOS operating system
Osx-yosemite-logo.png
OS X Yosemite Desktop.png
The default desktop of OS X Yosemite
Developer Apple Inc.
OS family
Source model Closed, with open source components
General
availability
October 16, 2014; 9 years ago (2014-10-16)
Latest release 10.10.5 (Build 14F2511) / July 19, 2017; 6 years ago (2017-07-19)
Repository
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Update method Mac App Store
Platforms x86-64
Kernel type Hybrid (XNU)
License APSL and Apple EULA
Preceded by OS X Mavericks
Succeeded by OS X El Capitan
Tagline Every bit as powerful as it looks.
Support status
Obsolete, unsupported as of August 2017. iTunes is no longer being updated, but is able to download driver updates to sync to newer devices.


OS X Yosemite (/jˈsɛmɪti/ YOH-sem-IT-ee; version 10.10) is the eleventh major release of macOS, Apple Inc.'s desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers.

OS X Yosemite was announced and released to developers on June 2, 2014, at WWDC 2014 and released to public beta testers on July 24, 2014. Yosemite was released to consumers on October 16, 2014. Following the Northern California landmark-based naming scheme introduced with OS X Mavericks, Yosemite is named after the national park.

System requirements

All Macintosh computers capable of running OS X Mountain Lion (v10.8.x) are able to run Yosemite as the two operating systems have the same requirements. However, to take full advantage of the Handoff feature, additional minimum system requirements include a Mac with Bluetooth LE (Bluetooth 4.0). As with Mavericks and Mountain Lion, 2 GB of RAM, 8 GB of available storage, and Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or later are required.

These are the models that are compatible with OS X Yosemite:

  • iMac (Mid 2007 to Mid 2015)
  • MacBook (Late 2008 to Mid 2010)
  • 12-inch MacBook (2015)
  • MacBook Air (Late 2008 to Early 2015)
  • MacBook Pro (Mid 2007 to Mid 2015)
  • Mac Mini (Early 2009 to Late 2014)
  • Mac Pro (Early 2008 to Late 2013)
  • Xserve (Early 2009)

These are the models that support new features such as Handoff, Instant Hotspot as well as AirDrop between Mac computers and iOS devices:

Features

Default wallpaper

The default desktop wallpaper is an image of Half Dome.

Design

Yosemite introduced a major overhaul of OS X's user interface, emphasizing flat graphic design over skeuomorphism, following the aesthetic introduced with iOS 7. It is the first major redesign of the OS X user interface since 10.5 Leopard. Other changes include thinner fonts and blurred translucency effects. Some icons have been changed to correspond with those of iOS 7 and iOS 8. Yosemite maintains the OS X desktop metaphor.

Other design changes include new icons, light and dark color schemes, and the replacement of Lucida Grande with Helvetica Neue as the default system typeface. Yosemite is the only macOS version to use Helvetica Neue as the default typeface, as in El Capitan it was again changed, this time to Apple's own, newly-designed San Francisco typeface. In Yosemite, the Dock is a 2D translucent rectangular strip instead of a skeuomorphic glass shelf, reminiscent of the Dock design used in early versions of OS X through Tiger and in iOS since iOS 7.

Continuity

Many of Yosemite's new features focus on the theme of "continuity", increasing its integration with other Apple platforms and services such as iOS and iCloud. The Handoff functionality allows the operating system to integrate with iOS 8 devices over Bluetooth LE and Wi-Fi; users can place and answer phone calls using their iPhone as a conduit, send and receive text messages, activate personal hotspots, or load items being worked on in a mobile app (such as Mail drafts or Numbers spreadsheets) directly into their desktop equivalent.

Notification Center

Notification Center features a new "Today" view, similar to that in iOS. The Today view can display information and updates from various sources, along with widgets. The widgets in the Today view are similar to those of iOS 8.

Photos

As of OS X 10.10.3, Photos replaces both iPhoto and Aperture. It uses iCloud Photo Library to upload all the user's photos across their devices.

Other

Spotlight is a more prominent part of the operating system; it now displays its search box in the center of the screen and can include results from online sources, including Bing, Maps, and Wikipedia. Stock applications such as Safari and Mail have been updated. In particular, many security features have been added to Safari, such as a custom history clearing option that lets users clear history, cookies, and other data from the previous hour, day, or two days. In addition, Apple added DuckDuckGo to its search offerings, a non-tracking search engine that doesn’t store users’ data. Safari allows you to remotely close tabs from an iOS device. Safari now supports browsing in private browsing mode with certain windows (as opposed to all the windows having to be either in or out of private browsing).

The green "zoom" button on windows now has a different function in applications that support full-screen mode. Instead of simply enlarging the window, the button now enters full-screen mode, eliminating the full-screen button at the top-right corner of windows that has been present since Mac OS X Lion. However, holding the Option key (⌥) while clicking the zoom button or double-clicking on the window chrome continues to invoke the original behavior.

JavaScript for Automation (JXA) is the new system-wide support for scripting with JavaScript, built upon JavaScriptCore and the Open Scripting Architecture. It features an Objective-C bridge which enables entire Cocoa applications to be programmed in JavaScript.

Along with other framework changes, CloudKit was integrated in this release. CloudKit functions as a Mobile Backend as a Service (MBaaS) and is one method for app developers to integrate access to Apple’s iCloud servers into their apps.

There is a "dark mode" in System Preferences which makes the Dock and menu bar darker.

Beta testing

Apple initiated a new public beta program for OS X, a practice not seen with its operating systems since 2000's US$29.95 Mac OS X Public Beta, which had preceded the release of Mac OS X v10.0. Yosemite is part of the OS X Beta Seed Program, a public program that allows the first 1 million users to download and test the Yosemite beta at no charge. Beta testers are required to acknowledge the potential risks involved with prerelease software, and sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). The program began releasing Public Betas on July 24, 2014. Six public betas of Yosemite were released.

Release history

Version Build Date Darwin version Release notes Standalone download
10.10 14A389 October 16, 2014 14.0 Original Mac App Store release N/A
10.10.1 14B25 November 17, 2014 About the OS X Yosemite v10.10.1 Update OS X Yosemite 10.10.1 Individual update
10.10.2 14C109 January 27, 2015 14.1 About the OS X Yosemite v10.10.2 Update OS X Yosemite 10.10.2 Individual update
OS X Yosemite 10.10.2 Combo update
14C1510 March 9, 2015 About Security Update 2015-002 Yosemite Security Update 2015-002 Yosemite
14C2043 Forked build for the Early 2015 MacBook Air Security Update 2015-002 Yosemite (Early 2015 Mac)
14C1514 March 19, 2015 About Security Update 2015-003 Yosemite Security Update 2015-003 Yosemite
14C2513 Security Update 2015-003 Yosemite (Early 2015 Mac)
10.10.3 14D131 April 8, 2015 14.3 About the OS X Yosemite v10.10.3 Update OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 Individual update
OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 Combo update
14D136 April 16, 2015 Supplemental Update
Fixes issue with video driver issue that may prevent Mac from starting up when running certain apps that capture video
OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 Supplemental Update 1.0
10.10.4 14E46 June 30, 2015 14.4 About the OS X Yosemite v10.10.4 Update OS X Yosemite 10.10.4 Individual update

OS X Yosemite 10.10.4 Combo update

10.10.5 14F27 August 13, 2015 14.5 About the OS X Yosemite v10.10.5 Update OS X Yosemite 10.10.5 Individual update
OS X Yosemite 10.10.5 Combo update
14F1021 October 21, 2015 About the security content of Security Update 2015-004 Yosemite Security Update 2015-004 Yosemite
14F1505 November 12, 2015 About the security content of Security Update 2015-005 Yosemite Included in Security Update 2015-006 Yosemite
14F1509 December 11, 2015 About the security content of Security Update 2015-006 Yosemite Security Update 2015-006 Yosemite
14F1605 January 19, 2016 About the security content of Security Update 2016-001 Yosemite Security Update 2016-001 Yosemite
14F1713 March 21, 2016 About the security content of Security Update 2016-002 Yosemite Security Update 2016-002 Yosemite
14F1808 May 18, 2016 About the security content of Security Update 2016-003 Yosemite Security Update 2016-003 Yosemite
14F1909 July 18, 2016 About the security content of Security Update 2016-004 Yosemite Security Update 2016-004 Yosemite
14F1912 September 1, 2016 About the security content of Security Update 2016-005 Yosemite Included in Security Update 2016-006 Yosemite
14F2009 October 24, 2016 About the security content of Security Update 2016-006 Yosemite Security Update 2016-006 Yosemite
14F2109 December 13, 2016 About the security content of Security Update 2016-007 Yosemite Security Update 2016-007 Yosemite
14F2315 March 27, 2017 About the security content of Security Update 2017-001 Yosemite Security Update 2017-001 Yosemite
14F2411 May 15, 2017 About the security content of Security Update 2017-002 Yosemite Security Update 2017-002 Yosemite
14F2511 July 19, 2017 About the security content of Security Update 2017-003 Yosemite Security Update 2017-003 Yosemite

Timeline of Mac operating systems

Timeline of Mac operating systems
ARM architecture family X86 PowerPC 68k MacBook Air (Apple silicon) iMac Pro Retina MacBook Pro MacBook Air Apple–Intel architecture Power Mac G5 Power Mac G4 iMac G3 Power Macintosh Macintosh Quadra Macintosh Portable Macintosh SE/30 Macintosh II Macintosh Plus Macintosh 128K macOS Ventura macOS Monterey macOS Big Sur macOS Catalina macOS Mojave macOS High Sierra macOS Sierra OS X El Capitan OS X Yosemite OS X Mavericks OS X Mountain Lion Mac OS X Lion Mac OS X Snow Leopard Mac OS X Leopard Mac OS X Tiger Mac OS X Panther Mac OS X 10.2 Mac OS X 10.1 Mac OS X 10.0 Mac OS X Public Beta Mac OS X Server 1.0 A/UX A/UX A/UX MacWorks XL MacWorks XL Sun Remarketing MacWorks XL Mac OS 9 Mac OS 9 Mac OS 9 Mac OS 8 Mac OS 8 Mac OS 8 Mac OS 8 System 7 System 7 System 7 System 7 System 6 Classic Mac OS Classic Mac OS Classic Mac OS Classic Mac OS System 1 Finder (software) Finder (software) Finder (software) Finder (software) Finder (software) Finder (software) Finder (software)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: OS X Yosemite para niños

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