OS X Yosemite Public Beta 3.0 + iOS 8
Update #05
Just updated my iMac to version 3.0 of the Yosemite public beta and my iPhone 5 to iOS 8. No real issues to report in regards to version 3.0 of the public beta. It seems they have squashed a lot of the smaller bugs in the previous build so it runs pretty smooth now. Only real annoyance is that full-screening apps and videos (YouTube) with dual monitors is still pretty clunky. The iMac still gets confused as to which screen to enter fullscreen mode with.
I have not noticed many new obvious changes in version 3.0 other than the location privacy prompt you get in the notification centre in regards to the weather widget, and the change in the "Show All" button in the settings.
The biggest changes I think version 3.0 brought are tied into the iOS 8 & Yosemite integration:
Airdrop finally made useful!
When the Airdrop feature was announced at the launch of iOS 7, it showed so much promise! Airdrop was meant to be Apple's simple solution to effortless file sharing. In typical Apple fashion though, they decided to severely limit it's functionality to the point of uselessness. Up until now, it only worked between iOS devices.
Seems they have finally opened this feature up to work between iOS 8 and OS X (kind of). I have successfully been able to Airdrop a photo from Mac > iPhone.
I'm not sure if this feature was available before Yosemite, but when you press spacebar on a file to preview it there is a share sheet button on the top left corner. From there you can easily Airdrop it to your iOS devices. It can also be done with the share sheet button that is in the Finder bar.
It seems they have not enabled it to work from iPhone > Mac yet though as I cannot "see" my Mac on my iPhone in the share sheet. Still though, looks very promising!
Instagrammers / Photographers Rejoice!
Anyone who regularly needs to transfer photos to and from an iPhone will benefit from the new Airdrop compatibility.
Let's be honest. Apple's previous solution to managing your photos on your iPhone & iPad via iTunes sucked. It is more than a nightmare to have to selectively sync your photos, and come on, who uses iPhoto anyway...
My previous workflow of transferring files between devices was to use Dropbox and that used to jam my whole Internet connection up as I only have 0.5mb/s upload bandwidth.
Continuity (Cellular phone calls on all Apple devices)
This nifty feature allows you to make and receive (Cellular) phone calls on any of your iOS devices. It is very seamless and convenient.
Incoming cellular calls will ring on your iPhone for a few seconds and then your other Apple devices will sound off, allowing you the opportunity to answer the phone call on your iMac, Macbook or iPad.
Outgoing calls can be made on your iOS & OS X devices through the FaceTime app, through which it will route it as a Cellular call via your iPhone's Cellular connection.
I have a huge cellular cap of about $700 per month, which at best I only ever spend $100 of. This will definitely change that as I can easily make calls wherever I am without the inconvenience of holding my iPhone to my head. I think this is a glimpse at the future of computing.
Apple has already entered the SMS and Calls market with iMessages & VoLTE, and now with continuity signals the near-end of the traditional Telecom model. If they're wise, they better significantly shift their Telecom infrastructure into a Data supplying model and quick!
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