What new features and other enhancements will be included in the next major update to OS X, the operating system that runs on Apple Mac and MacBook computers? You are unlikely to have to wait long to find out, as Apple is expected to first formally show off OS X 10.11, as it will be known, at the next Worldwide Developers Conference in early June. While the world continues to wait, though, here is our low-down of many of the additions that seem likely to appear in this approaching update.
An evolution, not a revolution
Perhaps most important to emphasize from the start is that, with Apple having recently overhauled the operating system’s design with the release of OS X 10.10 Yosemite, it seems unlikely that Apple will make another similarly significant change with the next update.
The next version of OS X is, therefore, likely to be fundamentally similar to the current iteration, albeit with a number of subtle tweaks and new features to impress the crowds at WWDC 2015. Judging from recent rumors, Apple will highly prioritize bug fixes and improvements in optimization and security.
A new font and a new, tough security system
OS X 10.11 will, according to 9TO5Mac, use the San Francisco font. This is a font which Apple had previously developed especially for the Apple Watch to ensure that text could be more easily read on its small screen.
A more significant new feature which 9TO5Mac has also tipped for the OS X update is Rootless, a large security system that is intended to prevent malware and keep sensitive data secure by barring even administrators from access to particular protected files on the computer.
Playing the name game
For a long time, up until OS X 10.9 Mavericks, Apple would traditionally name an OS X update after a big cat. Future updates, however, are instead set to be named after significant landmarks in California – or “places that inspire us”, as Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, phrased it at WWDC 2013.
Before you start looking over the California area in Apple Maps, keep in mind that Apple has already registered a number of place names as trademarks. Our personal favorites of these names include Redwood, Diablo and Skyline. Still, what exact name OS X 10.11 will have remains, like many other details of the update, likely elusive until June 8, when Apple will hold its keynote event at this year’s WWDC.
