Apple OS X El Capitan Release Date: Download Available [OS X 10.11 Review & Features]

Apple has released the new update to the OS X for mac, OS X El Capitan, on Sept. 30. Here's a short review.

Steer away for a moment from news that center on the new iPhone. Apple has released the final version of OS X El Capitan, which is version 10.11 of the Mac's operating system.

Ars Technica reports that the new update, although not the most exciting one, has come with some changes that makes it worth the upgrade. The changes include an improved Mission Control with a Split View mode for full screen apps, updates to Spotlight, the Metal graphics API, System Integrity Protection, and networking improvements, among others.

Those who would want to upgrade need to download it from the Mac App Store on a Mac that runs on at least OS X 10.6.8 or higher.

The Verge reports that although El Capitan doesn't include additions to any major features, it does, however, bring with it a number of important tweaks such as pinned tabs in Safari, public transit in Maps, as well as improvements to Notes and Mail. Additionally, there's the new San Francisco font which is used across the OS, to which iOS 9 users will be familiar with.

According to a review by the tech news outlet, the update is free, and will be popular given that Apple claimed that its predecessor had the "fastest adoption ever" of any OS.

iPad users will feel right at home as Split View has extended the full-screen feature to let users have two apps side by side. It also became discoverable.

Siri, the voice-activated assistant on the iOS, is not included in the update.

"Siri on iOS seems much more capable than Spotlight on the desktop," the review writes, "You can tell Siri to remind you to buy milk, and that reminder will appear in your apps on all of your devices, like magic. Type 'Remind me to buy milk' into Spotlight, and it will give you the email you sent yourself in 2011, like an animal."

Safari, Apple's built-in browser, has received updates too. It now has pinned tabs, which minimizes tabs and refreshes itself in the background.

Other tweaks include: transit directions in Maps, like the one in iOS; More Photos editing options via third-party extensions; New swipe gestures that can be used to archive messages in Mail; and Notes being given the most important update: the ability to format text, add links, photos, maps, and checklists. With that, Notes has become a lightweight competition to Evernote.

The update is available now. Have you upgraded yet? Download the OS X El Capitan here.