OS X 10.10.3 Beta 1 with Photos App Released for Testing
Apple has released the first pre-release seed version of OS X 10.10.3 to developers. This particular beta version of Mac system software arrives as build 14D72i and seems to focus primarily on a new Photos app, which aims to replace iPhoto in OS X.
Mac Developers can download OS X 10.10.3 beta 1 from the developer center, or through Software Update in the App Store. Presumably, the 10.10.3 beta will carry over to OS X Public Beta users in the near future as well.
The full pre-release download is around 1GB in size and requires a reboot as usual. Be sure to make a backup before installing.
With Photos being the primary mention in this build, it’s unclear what other bugs and issues OS X 10.10.3 will eventually focus on as well. It’s possible that 10.10.3 will focus on networking issues again given that some users are continuing to experience wi-fi trouble with OS X 10.10.2. All other prior minor updates to OS X Yosemite have included various bug fixes and focuses on wi-fi, which have resolved troubles for some users, while persistent issues remain for others.
The release notes bundled with Photos for OS X 10.10.3 focus on features of the new picture management and editing app:
All new for OS X, Photos automatically organizes your photo library and helps you perfect your photos with comprehensive editing tools. You can also store your photos and videos in the cloud using iCloud Photo Library, and access them on all your devices.
Photos lets you:
– Browse your photos by time and location in Moments, Collections, and Years views.
– Navigate your library using convenient Photos, Shared, Albums, and Projects tabs
– Store all of your photos and videos in iCloud Photo Library in their original format and full resolution
– Access your photos and videos stored in iCloud Photo Library from your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iCloud.com with any web browser
– Perfect your photos with powerful and easy-to-use editing tools that optimize with a single click or slider, or allow precise adjustments with detailed controls
– Create professional-quality photo books with simplified bookmaking tools, new Apple-designed themes, and new square book formats
– Purchase prints in new square and panoramic sizes
The Photos app is highly functional and quite attractive, with a familiar iOS-like interface in most of the app:
There is also a very nice sleek dark black user interface visible when editing photos:
Overall Photos for Mac has many similarities to the Photos app in iOS on iPhone and iPad, but with additional functionality that is more appropriate for a desktop computing environment. Photos app for OS X will rely heavily on iCloud to function as intended, with syncing from iOS devices happening through iCloud, assuming that feature has been enabled. Users can learn more about Photos app at the Preview page on Apple.com.
Given that Photos app is currently in beta, users interested in trying it out with OS X 10.10.3 should absolutely back up their Macs and particularly their pictures before attempting to import them into the beta application. Beta software doesn’t always behave as intended, which is why it’s recommended for developers and advanced Mac users only.
The most recent public version of OS X Yosemite is 10.10.2. Apple says that Photos app will be released this spring, suggesting that OS X 10.10.3 will be released then too.
photos cons.
1. black UI only on editing not default;
2. better slideshows on iphoto;
3. forcing iCloud to consumers;
4. mac team is copying all iOS features (simplicity & creativity all out of the window).
The black UI should be an option everywhere in OS X, it’s much nicer than the bright white UI that is default. I can’t be the only one who thinks this!
Believe me, you’re not! Grrrrrrr!!!!!!
I have used iPhoto for years and have thousands of photos in folders named by content. I don’t really use the newer features like Faces, Places, etc. This sounds like more options for grouping which I probably won’t use. I hope the new iPhoto will keep my old system intact.
I am also hopeful that some of the remaining bugs in Yosemite are still being addressed.
I use both iPhoto and Aperture, though prefer Aperture. Any idea when this update will be released? You mentioned Spring (I assume that is spring in the US), so maybe in the next few months? Thanks.
Two thumbs way down,,,,I hope it runs better than it looks
Others think that it looks very good. Example: “that black UI is gorgeous”.
I’m using it now, and it’s wonderful !
I like the white them of Yosemite so I would definitely hope that if they had a universal dark theme I could choose to keep mine white.
As expected, sound like photos is just another case of apple dumming down a pro app (Apeture which is being dropped) just to suit it’s main market of iPhone users.
In my opinion it’s not a question of “dumbing down”, Mark. Apple is a commercial organisation, and the commercial drive is for increased harmonisation between IOS and OSX. I regret it as much as you, but it’s a fact of life. Personally I’m quite happy with moving files around between my iPad and iMac, and putting up with incompatabilities in my Pages and Numbers files. But the commercial trend whether you’re with Microsoft or Apple is for this harmonisation and, ultimately, common software.
Your right of course and if we are being honest it’s time we stopped thinking of Apple as a computer manufactor and serious software developer , and think of them as what they really have become, a phone maker, (iPad are just bigger phones with a bit of hardware missing) and seller of songs via iTunes
Except the fact that Apple’s Mac sales continue to grow at a rate far outpacing the industry—in fact, the ONLY computer manufacturer to show any growth at all.
Actually I think it may be more appropriate to say this is a reimagining of iPhoto to bring it into sync with iOS design and style.
iPhoto was never meant to be on the level of Aperture, which was meant to compete with Adobe’s Lightroom.
And to be frank, I don’t like the new Photos app on iOS. The changes they made seem less intuitive and not helpful for organizing my images. I don’t want Apple to organize them. I want ME to organize them.
Well I hope they do address wi-fi and the font smoothing / anti-aliasing bug, both make OS X Yosemite quite annoying.
I agree with Terry too, having the black UI all around would be amazing.
I’ve never been a big fan of iPhoto, but I do like Aperture. I’ll give this a shot when it’s final, my photos are probably the most precious thing I have on my computer, all else is floating in the great cloud or downloadable like apps.
By the way, that black UI is gorgeous and so much better than the washed out white UI of OS X Yosemite, I wish that is what the dark setting did for all of OS X!