First Impressions Indicate Photos for OS X is a ‘Vast Improvement’ Over iPhoto

With the pre-release version of 10.10.3, Apple finally included a beta of its all new Photos app for OS X. Photos for Mac was first announced at WWDC 2014 and is a replacement for iPhoto and Aperture. Photos will also be shipped with all Macs and included in OS X Yosemite 10.10.3, so a separate download will not be required.

Apple has provided select media outlets with a preview of Photos for Mac so they can post their first impressions of the revamped software. We've rounded up some of their thoughts below...

Recode
Based on my experience so far, Photos for OS X looks to be a huge improvement over iPhoto in all aspects, even if it lacks some of the advanced tools that will appeal to Aperture users and professional photographers.


Wired
Advanced users, particularly those operating on 5K iMacs or Mac Pros, may be happier eventually switching to Adobe Lightroom—though most of them probably have done so already. But for most of us, particularly recent Mac converts and people who may not fancy themselves serious photographers, Photos is a welcomely humble way to approach image editing. It will be available free as part of an OS X Yosemite update this spring.

Mashable
For now though, we're impressed with what Apple has done with Photos. It's a brand new app that manages to be powerful and fast. It's editing options are great and the iCloud Photo Library integration actually works.

Engadget
It's all very impressive (and pretty), and generally a welcome upgrade from the aging iPhoto. For some people, the editing tools won't be enough to replace Photoshop, much less Lightroom, but for everyday users, it should fit the bill, and be easy to use, too. And hey, who can argue with a free app?

Wall Street Journal
Apple is a master among tech companies at creating an ecosystem that rewards people for buying and using more of its stuff. At a time when we have strong, growing options for storing and managing all our files online, Photos is the best reason I’ve seen yet to consider ponying up for iCloud storage.


Yahoo Tech
Even in its pre-public-beta version, Photos is fast, slick, and very easy to learn and navigate (partly because it’s so stripped down).If you’re happy with iPhoto and Aperture now, you should feel no hurry to switch over when Photos comes out this spring (as part of the free Yosemite10.10.3 update), unless you want that iCloud Photo Library feature. Which would be understandable.

The Verge
Even though the Photos app we used was not yet finished, we're quite impressed with what's here, and it's clear that this is a pretty giant leap forward over iPhoto.If what we've seen so far is anything to go on, Apple Photos offers a lot of potential, and it should make a lot of Mac users quite happy.

If you've been using the new Photos app for Mac, let us know what you think in the comments.