Hollinder - OS X Yosemite: For Seniors 2015

Copyright 2014 Conceptual Kin gs.

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This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Introduction

The OS X Yosemite operating system is the eleventh release of the OS X operating system that is used on Apple Incs desktop computers.

This updated OS was released on June 2014 for beta testing and released to consumers in October 2014. This release made it particularly inter esting for senior citizens as the various capabilities can help them to achieve their tasks effortlessly.

There are many apps and integrated functions that allow the senior citizen users to be able to navigate and help themselves to achieve their needs. Many of the functions have been improved to allow them to do things seamlessly without having to understand much about the inner workings .

When it comes to seniors, getting things done should be easy, simple and straight to the point. The OS X Yosemite has been successful in being useful to the older generation.

This b ook will seek to explore the different features of the OS X Yosemite that will apply to seniors to efficiently fulfil their needs.

1. Continuity

The OS X Yosemite is a powerful operating s ystem that offers continuity to seniors. They can start doing something on one device and continue it on a next one. Sometimes at that age , they may forget something they have started so when they go on the new device they will see that they had previously started something. It allows them to finish whatever they were doing on the new device and once it is saved it will go across all Apple devices.

Messages

The messaging features of the OS allows easy communication options which makes it easy for them to respond to texts, email messages, skype chats etc. If they are engaged in something else they can mute the conversation to address it at a later time. They can also give messaging priorities to specific contacts so they can show above everything else on the screen.

Larger Fonts

The user interf ace can be adjusted to make the text larger and more legible. The words on the screen will have to be larger for some seniors so they can read everything on the screen clearly. A main part of the design of the OS X Yosemite is to adjust the settings as desired thus making a better overall experience.

Applications

The dock on the interface will contain all the apps the senior will like to use. All their favorite apps will be in a central area where they can easily find them. Also the icons for the apps will help them to identify the use of the applications.

Intuitive Controls

There are smarter controls that will make navigation easier for the senior. Menus and buttons have attractive designs with a colourful experience that can increase the efficiency. The design of the OS allows them to find the different areas quite easily.

Structure

For most seniors that have been used to Apple Operating Systems, they will not be lost in the OS X Yosemite. It retains most of the organized structure that were available in earlier systems. Some applications have been enhanced to be faster and more efficient, one example of this is the calendar which can keep the senior organized.

Interface

The content that is on the screen can be organized in a comprehensive way to allow everything to be visible. It has a translucent setting that allows the senior to see through some windows to see what is behind the active window. This allows them to have multiple windows open without getting confused with what is active.

Design

The design is an improved version that has been simplified especially for seniors. It is a no frills design which allows them to go exactly where they need to accomplish what they need to. While being sophisticated enough to earn kudos, it is still modern and simply enough for a senior to understand.

Apple Devices

One of the great things about the OS X Yosemite is that is allows smooth interaction with other iOS 8 devices. This allows the senior to keep their devices coordinated without much effort on their part to maintain each device. Therefore, it keeps technology quite simple for them to set it and forget it.

Impaired Seniors

For impaired seniors, there are applications that help with voice accessibility to read what is currently on the screen. Maybe the senior would like to catch up on a good book but do not have the eyes to sit and read it all day, they can use the voice option to have the book read to them and they can still enjoy the book without much hassle.

Communication Technology

With improved communication technology, the seniors can still achieve technological breakthroughs quite easily. With apps such as FaceT ime, the senior can easily start video or voice calls with their loved ones on their computer . With continuity they can start the call on their Mac Computer and finish it on their iPhone.

Display

The OS X Yosemite also has an improved display that allows clear and crisp viewing of the content that is on the screen. The la yout allows the senior to comfortably find their applications while providing easy access to the app store. They can search for and download whatever app lication they need to fulfil their needs.

Encryption

The OS X Yosemite offers great encryption standards that will keep the machine that the senior is using safe. When they are accessing confidential information such as their bank accounts, pensions etc.; they can be assure that their privacy will not be compromised.

Text Messaging

Some seniors use text messaging to communicate with their friends and loved ones. The texts that are sent to and from their iPhone can be viewed on their computer so they will not miss a message. They can start texting on their phone and complete the message on the computer quite seamlessly.

Updates

A senior citizen will have varied interests and will use their computer to explore those interests. There are apps that will keep them informed of any developments /updates in their area of interests such as news, movies, sports, websites and books.

Safari

Safari is an easy to use browser that should make accessing the internet fairly easy for the senior. It contains an updated display that is more user friendly towards accessing websites. It also conveniently stores browsing history in case the senior needs to access a previous website and does not remember the name of the site.

Hotspot

The OS X Yosemite will give seniors advanced features such as hotspots. They can seamlessly setup a hotspot which will allow them to create, access and maintain hotspots in their proximity. This can be a good feature to have especially when the senior has guests and they desire to access the internet.

Emailing

Emailing is also another easy function that is integrated into OS X Yosemite. It allows the senior to easily craft emails along with sending attachments if necessary. There may be various things that they will want to send via email and it will be easy for them to achieve this.

iCloud Drive

This cloud drive is a great feature that has been integrated into the OS X Yosemite. This is great for seniors as they can back up all their data and be guaranteed that it will not be lost. When saved here they can access their files across their devices by using a sync folder which will seamlessly sync hronize for them.

Contacts

Through syncing, the contacts that are in the seniors iPhone can be integrated and accessed on the computer as well. This is quite useful for seniors as they will not have to keep searching for the information but they can be assured they can access the information easily. Once a contact has been added on anyone of their devices they will get it on all of their iOS devices.