- OS X Yosemite Has a New Look, Plus Hundreds of New Features
- OS X Yosemite Will Evolve Over Time
- OS X Yosemite is a Free Update
- Final Thoughts?
OS X Yosemite is a Free Update
To insure that as many Mac users are able to take full advantage of what OS X Yosemite has to offer, Apple has made the update from OS X Snow Leopard, OS X Lion, OS X Mountain Lion, or OS X Mavericks available for free.
However, older Macs may not be able to run this latest operating system due to hardware limitations. For a complete listing of compatible Mac models, visit www.apple.com/osx/how-to-upgrade.
Beyond just having compatible hardware, your Mac needs to currently be running OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6.8 or later), have at least 2GB of memory, and 8GB of available storage space to install OS X Yosemite. And, even if your older Mac is able to run OS X Yosemite, it might not be compatible with all of its new features, like Handoff.
When you’re ready to upgrade your Mac to OS X Yosemite, it’s a good idea to create a backup of your system using Time Machine. Make sure your computer has Internet access, and then launch the Mac App Store app from the Dock, select OS X Yosemite, and then click on the Download button. Follow the on-screen prompts, and allow between 45 and 90 minutes for the update to download and be installed onto your computer.
Once OS X Yosemite is installed and running, there continue to be several ways to find and launch apps or access content. This can be done using Finder, Launchpad, the Spotlight Search feature, or from the Dock, for example. What you’ll discover is that your Mac will typically run faster, and if you’re using a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, for example, the battery life of your notebook computer will be extended, since the operating system allows Macs to run more efficiently.