We recently covered a story where we explained why Apple isn’t afraid of cannibalising its own products and the all-new Photos app is just another example of that. However, this time they have killed two of their powerful applications in favour of simplicity and making Mac apps work better with iOS devices. Earlier today, for the first time Apple made the new Photos app available for download to developers as a part of first beta of OS X 10.10.3.

According to David Pogue, “Photos is fast, slick, and very easy to learn and navigate”. Photos for Mac looks very similar to Photos for iOS. The new app will feature layout just like on an iPhone and iPad. With iCloud for Photos users will be able to store their entire photo library to the cloud and have them available across all Apple devices. Editing features like adjusting light, colour and more work just like on iOS and for the first time your edits will also be synced across iOS devices.

Every year we see Apple reducing the boundaries between OS X and iOS by re-writing existing apps and by enabling new capabilities. With Yosemite Apple introduced Continuity and Handoff that allows the user to switch between devices as if they are same but, just different in form factor.

Photos for OS X Yosemite is expected to be made available for download “this spring”.

The live streaming of the launch event will be available on Apple’s website and Apple TV. The live stream didn’t go so well during the iPhone event however, we hope that this time the company is well prepared to handle it.

Media invites were sent out by Apple last week which carried a tag line “It’s been way too long.” While it obviously doesn’t give much hint as to what the company will be unveiling, but it’s quite evident that the iPad lineup will be refreshed for the holiday season. Some are speculating that “been way too long” could be referring to iMacs finally getting Retina Display technology. Apple’s entire product lineup features the high resolution displays except the desktop computer.

We can expect an update on OS X Yosemite release date and it could be made available later this week. We can’t rule out that Apple TV could also be refreshed today. It’s been quite a long while since it has seen any major update.

iPad Air 2 could finally get TouchID making it easier for users to access secure information with the touch of their finger. NFC could also be included to facilitate ApplePay functionality.

A new processor, A8X will bring improved CPU and GPU performance and RAM could be bumped to 2 GB. It is unclear if the new processor will offer improved battery performance on the new iPad Air 2.

It may be hard to believe, but a lot of users do use tablets to take pictures and videos. The new iPad Air 2 is rumoured to feature 8-megapixel camera. We could also see Retina HD displays as iOS 8.1 code did reveal 3x graphics.

iPad mini 3 just like iPad 2 Air is rumoured to feature A8X processor, TouchID, and improved cameras.

What are your expectations from the event? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

The company unveiled its new mobile operating system during the world wide developers conference earlier this year. This release doesn’t just include a number of user facing features but also opens hundreds of new API’s for third-party developers.

With iOS 8 users will experience a completely new Messages app that borrows a number of features from Whatsapp, new Messages app now includes audio messages, instant photo messages (Snapchat?), mute conversation and more. Typing on the new iOS has also been enhanced as Apple introduces QuickType which intelligently recommends words as you type and overtime it learns and adapts to your writing style. QuickType in iOS 8 doesn’t just learn your writing style but also remembers how you communicate with different people.

Apple has heard the requests of its customers and finally introducing iCloud Drive, a central location to find all your documents from Mac, PC or iOS. Did this make you think of Dropbox? Access any of your file from any device connected to iCloud without having to worry about its version. However, it’s worth noting that it is advisable to not opt in for iCloud Drive when setting up your iOS 8 device until OS X Yosemite is available for download. Files stored in iCloud Drive will only work with iOS 8 devices and OS X Yosemite.

Handoff in iOS 8 allows you to continue working on your choice of device while picking up from where you left off, but this will also require OS X Yosemite.

Third-party apps greatly benefit from this update as Apple has finally allowed developer access to Touch ID, Camera API, PhotoKit, HealthKit,  HomeKit and CloudKit.

The update is now available for download over-thir-air for compatible devices.

Have you upgraded your devices already? What do you think about the new update? Let us know your experience in the comments below.

I bought the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro with 512GB SSD, 2.5GHz i7 quad-core processor and 16GB RAM on August 15th, the day it was launched in India. This is my second Mac the first was a 27-inch mid 2010 iMac. I recently published the story behind me switching from an iMac to MacBook Pro, if you’re interested you can find it here.

It’s been almost 10 days since I’ve been using the new Retina MacBook Pro and this review will be focusing on real-world use, general observations and experiences. If you’re looking for a more technical review focusing on speed tests and tech specs, you may want to visit AnandTech for the most comprehensive hardware reviews.

Over the last 10 days my workflow has drastically changed. I was using a windows laptop before I purchased the iMac, and over the last 4 years working on a large 27-inch screen made me feel that going back to a laptop would be a challenge. However, I was prepared for the tradeoff between modern computing speed and screen space.

As I started working on the new Retina MacBook Pro I was pleasantly surprised with the fact that I was being more efficient in my workflow and obviously could get the work done much faster than ever before. Before I get into the details about how the MacBook Pro changed my workflow I should talk about how I work.

A typical day would see me browsing through hundreds of webpages, lots of email, working on Pages, creating presentations on Keynote,  producing wireframes for apps, web design etc. With the luxury of 27 inch screen I mostly had everything open on a single desktop area. This allowed me to always have a bird’s eye view of everything that was open and gave me a feeling of being in control over everything. I rarely ever used ‘Spaces’ (creating multiple desktop spaces in OS X) as I just liked everything at one space. Even though this allowed me to view more at once, it could easily be too distracting at times.

With the MacBook Pro going from 27-inch to 15.4 inch screen required me to adjust the way I worked. From having lots of windows open at once I instantly switched to a more organised workflow by creating multiple spaces. Also, using full screen apps now made more sense, having mail open full screen on a 27 inch screen is not the same as it being open full screen on 15.4 inch screen. Full screen apps such as Mail, Pages or Safari make more sense on laptop when compared to a desktop. So, even though now I would see less at once but this increased my focus on the task at hand. Over the last 10 days I’ve noticed that having less to view at once actually made more sense and one could be more productive this way. It’s worth mentioning that I do miss the large screen space when it comes to wire framing apps, websites or editing a movie, but retina display surely makes up for that.

The first thing I ever noticed about the new MacBook Pro was its flawless high-resolution screen. The text is crisp, photos look stunning and it’s a complete visual treat. It suddenly makes you wonder why on Earth would you ever work on anything that does not have a retina screen. So, it was love at first sight with the new screen.

Once you come to terms with how excellent the screen is you start noticing that everything is just swift. Thanks to the SSD launching applications, booting-up, waking from sleep, reading & writing data is very fast. I can’t stress enough on how ‘fast’ especially if you’re moving from HDD to SSD for the first time on a computing machine. I would never turn off the iMac as it would take about 3-4 minutes to boot-up and that often felt like a lot. Apple’s iOS devices ‘always on’ usage behaviour has certainly changed the way we expect the way modern computers should work. MacBook Pro takes only a few seconds (less than 15) to boot-up so turning it off when not using it can help you save some energy. Although, there are no major benefits of turning off your computer when not using it, however occasionally it will make it more responsive as it will clear the RAM being hogged by kernel tasks.

The next aspect about the Retina MacBook Pro that I want to highlight is 16GB RAM. For the last four years I had been working with 4GB RAM on my iMac. For the modern-day browsing and general computing activities 4GB just isn’t enough although it does depend on how you use your computer. Since, I love having 15-25 tabs open in Safari when I’m researching on some topic having access to lots of RAM is a huge advantage.

I’ve put the new MacBook Pro under extreme work load by having lots of safari tabs open, playing SimCity, working on a Pages document, importing photos to iPhoto and even working on Final Cut Pro and Aperture, but the MacBook Pro just keeps taking it all and doesn’t lag one bit. I would refer to myself as a “power” user, so working on a portable machine that can take all that load is extremely satisfying.

I was a bit concerned about the battery life of my new Retina MacBook Pro. I had considered holding off my purchase for another year in anticipation of Intel’s Broadwell chips that are expected to be much more power efficient. However, so far the battery life on the MacBook Pro has been very reasonable. Keeping the screen brightness low and keyboard backlight off while not activating the dedicated graphics chip the MacBook Pro has exceeded Apple’s battery guidelines. Switching from iMac to a MacBook Pro also gave me the freedom from being tied to my desk. This freedom to work from anywhere without sacrificing on power or battery is a huge benefit.

The last aspect I want to cover is the overall build quality. Apple’s Retina MacBook Pro is undoubtedly the best looking machine you can buy in the market. The unibody construction feels extremely solid and it doesn’t feel that heavy when compared with the older generation models.

When working for long durations the system does heat up and sometimes it can get a bit uncomfortable. The fans have rarely kicked in at full speed during normal use. In my daily use the fans kicked in at full speed only while playing SimCity as the game requires the use of dedicated graphics card.

The Retina MacBook Pro might be costly but it scores highly in all aspects you can think of. However, it may still not meet everyone’s requirement. If you’re into high-end gaming and love running games at highest graphics settings then this may not be for you. If you prefer having more than 1TB storage then you’d have to look elsewhere. Upgrading the machine after purchasing is not possible; 16GB RAM will always remain 16GB. The device has been rated low in repairability. If you want to play DVD’s you would need to buy a SuperDrive.

Other benefits of a MacBook Pro include iCloud, access to some of the best softwares from the Mac App Store, less susceptible to malware, extremely responsive multi-touch trackpad and the best customer support service.

Apple’s Retina MacBook Pro is the gold standard in laptops and OS X Yosemite will only put it further in the lead. If you’ve waited all this while to switch to the MacBook Pro lineup there was never a better time than today.

Apple today announced an all new version of upcoming software update for OS X 10.10 called OS X Yosemite. The new version of the update will be available for users this Fall however, Apple has opened its Beta Program for the first one million users who sign up to receive the beta version of OS X Yosemite.

Users can test-drive the features Apple announced today at the WWDC 2014 keynote event by downloading the beta version of OS X Yosemite and help Apple by providing feedback. This is the first time Apple has encouraged non-developers to test-drive an upcoming software update at such large scale.

Apple today unveiled the future of OS X, the new version called Yosemite features a completely new design, a number of new features and many enhancements. The company has refined almost every aspect of the OS including spotlight, mail, safari, messages and more. There are some exciting new features that Apple is introducing for the first time like iCloud drive, Handoff, Instant Hotspot, and receiving phone calls and sending SMS from your Mac.

It appears that the company set out on an aggressive mission with OS X Yosemite to blur the boundaries between iOS and OS X devices. With the upcoming update Apple’s ecosystem of devices and software will be more connected than it has ever been.

AirDrop will now work between OS X and iOS. You can access the files you began creating on your iOS using a third party app and carry on with the work on your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air. Your Mac will now be more aware of the proximity of your iOS devices and will let you complete actions using any device rather than having to unlock your iPhone.

The fact that now you can make calls from your Mac while your iPhone is charging or send SMS using the Messages app will increase productivity and make your workflow much easier.

OS X Yosemite Beta Download will be available shortly after you sign up for the beta program here. A stable version of the software will be available via the Mac App Store for free later this fall.

Apple will kick off its WWDC keynote event at 10:00 AM Pacific Time at Moscone West convention center in San Francisco today. Live video streaming of the WWDC keynote event will be available on Apple’s website and Apple TV. Live streaming requires Safari 4 or later on OS X v10.6 or later; Safari on iOS 4.2 or later. Streaming via Apple TV requires second- or third-generation Apple TV with software 5.0.2 or later.

At this years keynote event we will see Apple introduce iOS 8 and OS X 10.10. iOS 8 is expected to focus on health and fitness with new Healthbook app, revamp iTunes Radio service with a standalone app and bring other improvements. Apple has shown interest in wearables and the CEO Tim Cook has referred to the wrist as an area of interest.

With Healthbook app Apple could be preparing for the introduction of new smart watch hardware later this year. iPhone 5S shipped with a dedicated M7 coprocessor designed specifically to measure motion data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass. This allows the device to know when you’re walking, running, or even driving. Many third party apps available in the App Store have used the available developer API’s to enhance their fitness apps. It seems obvious that Apple would like to build a dedicated service and enter into the fitness category to pave way for its smart watch device.

OS X 10.10 expected to be called OS X 10.10 Yosemite is rumoured to revamp the user interface and bring even more compatibility with iOS features. Apple made OS X Mavericks a free update for all users and the company is expected to follow the same free “pricing” model for this years update.

Apple recently announced that they acquired Beats Music and Beats Electronics for $3 Billion the announcement coming in just before WWDC gives some evidence of music related announcements during the live keynote event. Declining sales of iTunes music downloads and customers increasing adoption of streaming music service could result in Apple making iTunes Radio a standalone app and announce upcoming improvements to its streaming service.

In recent past Apple has focused on announcing only software updates during WWDC, however some rumours have pointed towards introduction of new Mac mini, iMac refresh and 8GB iPhone 5S. It is highly likely that Apple could update the hardware lineup with minor refreshes and not announce any new hardware during WWDC live keynote event.

Live video streaming of Apple’s WWDC keynote event will be available here and later a video podcast will available for download through iTunes. What are your expectations from this years event? Are you expecting any new hardware? Let us know what you think in the comments below.