OS X 10.10 Yosemite release date: when will Yosemite be released?Apple has promised that we can expect to see OS X 10.10 Yosemite released in the autumn.While no official date has been given, the preview code has been through several releases and a "golden master candidate" has now been released to developers. According to The Verge, this could indicate the new operating system is close to launch, as "golden master" is normally the version sent out to users via the updater in the Mac App Store. However, the "candidate" part of the name indicate indicates there's still a few bugs to fix.Couple that with strong rumours that the iPad Air 2 will make its debut on 21 October and it’s not difficult to picture Tim Cook launching both at once - especially since Yosemite is more closely tied into iOS 8 than any previous version of the operating system, as we'll discuss below.

Apple also likes to stir up excitement about its launches, and the arrival of a new iPad may not be as exciting as it once was – as declining sales figures suggest – so doubling up the event would make also sense from a marketing point of view.OS X 10.10 Yosemite price: how much will it cost to upgrade to Yosemite?In the past, Apple has offered the latest version of OS X to existing users for a small charge. The current version of the operating system (10.9 Mavericks), however, was a free update for all users of Snow Leopard or later running compatible hardware.iMac (Mid 2007 or later); MacBook (13-inch Aluminium, Late 200 , (13-inch, Early 2009 or later); MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid-2009 or later), (15-inch, Mid/Late 2007 or later), (17-inch, Late 2007 or later); MacBook Air (Late 2008 or later); Mac Mini (Early 2009 or later); Mac Pro (Early 2008 or later); Xserve (Early 2009).

If you want to make full use of the Continuity feature (detailed below) you will need a Mac that supports Bluetooth LE. These are:iMac (Late 2012 or later); MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or later); MacBook Pro with Retina display (all models); MacBook Air (Mid 2011 or later); Mac Mini (Mid 2011 or later); Mac Pro (Late 2013 or later).If you were fearing that OS X 10.10 would bring big controversial changes to the Mac OS, as Microsoft's Windows 8 did, then you needn’t worry. As usual, Apple has kept the core of the operating system the same, and merely added a few new bells and whistles. In this case the bells and whistles include a new colour scheme, a revamp of the Notification Centre and greater integration of iCloud, with the introduction of iCloud Drive. Apple has also added new capabilities to Mail, Finder and Spotlight, and has introduced "Handoff" – which comes under the umbrella of the new Continuity features, which we'll discuss below.

Perhaps the most exciting new feature of OS X 10.10 Yosemite is what Apple is calling "Continuity”, a system that lets all of your Apple devices work more closely together.What this means in practical terms is that you can begin a task such as writing an email or a document on an iOS 8 device, and then switch to your Mac (or to another mobile device), seamlessly picking up where you left off, with the devices automatically knowing when they're in the vicinity of one another. Apple is calling this feature Handoff: it works with SMS and MMS services and even enables you to make and receive voicecalls on your Mac.Another new Continuity feature is Instant Hotspot, which "makes using your iPhone’s hotspot as easy as connecting to a Wi-Fi network.”
The Notification Centre sees big changes in this latest version. What’s specifically different is that there's a new iOS-like style for the "Today" view, which according to Apple offers you "a quick look at everything you need to know with widgets for Calendar, Weather, Stocks, Reminders, World Clock and social networks.” Apple has confirmed that you can also download fresh widgets from the App Store to customise the Notification Centre further.

Spotlight meanwhile has moved to the front and centre of the new desktop, bringing in search results from Wikipedia, Maps, Bing, the App Store, the iTunes Store, the iBooks Store, top websites and news sources.iCloud Drive is another significant feature that's fully integrated with Finder. Users of Dropbox will find this offering familiar, as it offers cloud storage for your files and folders across desktop and mobile clients; a client is also promised for Windows, to enable file synchronisation across platforms. Apple hasn't said whether this service will be available on Android, but we suspect it won't as Apple hasn't previously released any software for Google's rival OS.The iCloud service will be free with 5GB of storage, beyond which Apple will offer multiple tiers of extra storage for a monthly or annual fee.

Apple has also updated its Mail service to include Mail Drop, which integrates with iCloud Drive. The new feature lets you send attachments of up to 5GB directly from Mail by uploading the files to iCloud. To other Apple Mail users, the files will appear as normal attachments, while users of other email clients will be provided with a download link to Apple’s iCloud Drive servers.Motion Computing was designing and building Windows tablets long before the Surface was even a twinkle in Microsoft’s eye. The latest addition to the family, the R12, eschews the distinctive Speak & Spell physique of Motion Computing's F5 and C5 tablets for a more traditional-looking design. It’s no bog-standard tablet, however. Combining a 12.5in touchscreen with a ruggedised, splash-proof body and capable Intel Core hardware, the R12 is designed to survive everywhere from the boardroom to a building site.

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While other Windows tablets such as Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 trade on their light weight and slender good looks, the R12 is a much burlier proposition. Grippy, dimpled rubber covers the back and sides, and curls around at the front to provide a protective lip. Motion Computing has covered the R12’s 12.5in Full HD display with a layer of Gorilla Glass 3 for good measure, but the rubber frame means that you can place the tablet face down on even rough surfaces without worrying about the display getting scratched.The chassis is merely semi-ruggedised, so it’s nowhere near as overbuilt as the Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1 – but it’s still IP54-rated, which means it’s largely dust-proof and protected against splashes of water from any angle. It feels super-sturdy, too, even when subjected to brutal twisting and flexing motions. The downside is bulk: at 1.34kg on its own and 1.74kg with the charger, it’s a considerably heftier character than the 800g Surface Pro 3.

The R12 has an entirely different personality to most Windows tablets, however, with tons of features and connectivity options. There’s a good-sized passive stylus for starters and, unlike the Surface Pro 3, this docks flush into the tablet’s body. For added security it’s tethered to the body of the R12 with a rubber bungee. Add the optional Companion Keyboard, and the R12 also attempts to double as a hybrid laptop. The keyboard is held in a caddy that clamps magnetically to the back of the tablet, and folding the caddy outwards sees it double as a fixed-position stand. Neatly, the miniature Bluetooth keyboard charges directly from the R12’s internal battery, but it isn’t the last word in ergonomic comfort. The rubber backing stops it sliding around on a desk, and there’s a decent amount of travel and responsiveness to the keys, but it’s small and cramped. It’s also very tricky to use on your lap.Pop open the sealed flaps on the tablet’s right-hand flank and there’s a good selection of ports and slots. The R12 has a full-sized HDMI output and USB 3 ports, an SD card reader and a 3.5mm headset jack. There’s even a modicum of security, with TPM 1.2 support and a fingerprint reader on the R12’s edge. Motion Computing has also squeezed in a decent 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash, and a front-facing 2-megapixel sensor for good measure.

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Inside, wireless networking includes 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4 as standard, while 4G is an optional upgrade. If that doesn’t hit the mark, it’s also possible to add a serial port, RFID reader or barcode scanner via the SlateMate expansion module: this screws into a narrow panel on the tablet’s rear and juts several centimetres proud of the bottom edge. Even the 43Wh, 2,900mAh battery is removable, something of a rarity for most tablets.Up front, the R12’s 12.5in Full HD display puts in a solid performance. The accuracy and range of colour doesn’t seem to have been a priority – the IPS panel covers a mere 66.5% of the sRGB gamut, and colours look a little washed out as a result – but brightness and contrast are right on target. Outdoor readability is a possibility thanks to the combination of Motion’s View Anywhere anti-glare coating and an LED backlight which reaches a maximum brightness of 431cd/m². The 791:1 contrast ratio is respectable, and viewing angles are superb, with colours remaining stable and onscreen content legible from every direction.

It’s no surprise to find Intel’s Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs powering the whole show. Our review model used the faster 1.7GHz Core i7-4610Y processor and, combined with 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD, this proved more than capable of slicing through day-to-day tasks. As the CPU is a member of Intel’s more power-efficient Y-class family of CPUs, it gives away a little in raw performance, but it’s no slouch. It pulled 3% ahead of the 1.9GHz Core i5-4300U CPU in the Surface Pro 3 with a result of 0.64 in our Real World Benchmarks.Battery life isn’t quite as good. With the screen dimmed to 75cd/m² and Wi-Fi off, the R12 survived for 7hrs 12mins in our light-use battery test. That’s some way short of the Surface Pro 3, but the R12 has a trick up its armoured sleeve – that removable battery is hot-swappable. Carry a couple of spare batteries and it’s possible to keep the R12 going for a whole day of intensive usage.

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