Apple kills off OS X brand with relaunched operating system

Apple is ditching the OS X name for its Mac operating systems after 15 years and replacing it with a new name – macOS – and better cross-platform integration with iPhones.

The name change coincides with the reveal of Apple’s latest operating system, macOS Sierra. The new operating system brings a handful of new features, including two of Apple’s popular mobile applications to the desktop.

Siri, Apple's voice-operated personal assistant, is coming to macOS. As part of its search functionality, Siri for Mac allows users to search for files by specific attributes such as time and date.

Apple is opening Siri to third parties, allowing developers to integrate voice recognition software into their Mac and iOS apps.

Siri for Mac also allows users to drag and drop search results into documents and emails, pin search results into Notification Centre, adjust system preferences and search photos.

Apple's online transaction platform Apple Pay is also coming to Mac. Users can shop online using their encrypted Apple pay account without sharing credit card information. Users can verify payments with touch identification on an iPhone or Apple Watch.

Other new macOS Sierra features include:

• Shared desktop and documents across all devices, including Mac, iOS and PC. Users can access files through iCloud on mobile devices, or they will automatically be saved to the desktop and documents folder on other Mac devices.
• Universal Clipboard functionality lets users copy and paste files between Mac, iPhone and iPads using iCloud.
• Tabs for applications, bringing the same functionality from its Safari internet browser to apps. Apple said it would also support third-party apps.

Developers can get access to macOS Sierra today via the Apple Developer Program. Users can sign up for the beta now for a July release date. General availability is slated for Northern autumn.

The new features were announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference overnight. Along with macOS Sierra, the company also revealed its new mobile operating system iOS 10, a new watch operating system, watchOS3, and Siri availability for Apple TV.