Codec Definition A codec (short for "coder-decoder" or "compressor-decompressor") is a software or hardware tool that compresses and decompresses digital media files, such as audio and video. Codecs are essential for encoding and decoding data for storage, transmission, and playback, allowing for efficient management of multimedia content. Key Aspects of Codecs Functionality: Encoding: When creating a digital media file, a codec compresses the original audio or video data to redu...

While the word "virtual" is typically overused in the computer world, it is aptly placed in the phrase "virtual reality." According to the American Heritage Dictionary, virtual means "existing or resulting in essence or effect though not in actual fact, form, or name." It can also mean "created, simulated, or carried on by means of a computer or computer network." Therefore, virtual reality is best described as an illusion of reality created by a computer system. A person may enter a world of...

iCloud is an online service provided by Apple. It provides an email account, online storage, and backup services. It also allows you to share data between devices, such as Macs, iPhones, and iPads. Below is a list of features included with iCloud: Mail – an email account that can be automatically configured on Apple devices and accessed via Apple's webmail interface; iCloud email addresses end with mac.com, me.com, or icloud.com. Contacts – your address book is stored in the cloud and...

Yosemite is the name of Apple's eleventh version of OS X, released on October 16, 2014. It follows Mavericks (OS X 10.9) and is also called OS X 10.10. While it is normal for each new version of OS X to include slight modifications to the user interface, Yosemite presented the most drastic change in several years. The interface includes many translucent elements, in which objects are semi-transparent. It includes a more "flat" design than earlier versions of OS X with new icons and window sty...

Lion is another name for Mac OS X 10.7, the eighth version of Apple's desktop operating system. It was released on July 20, 2011, almost two years after Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and preceded the release of Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. Lion was the first version of Mac OS X to be released on the Mac App Store and was not sold on a DVD like previous versions of the operating system. Mac OS X 10.7 Lion was one of the most substantial updates to Mac OS X and included more than 250 new features....

Snow Leopard is another name for Mac OS X 10.6, which was released on August 26, 2009. It followed Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and preceded the release of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. Unlike Leopard, Mac OS X Snow Leopard did not include hundreds of new features. Instead, the update was primarily designed to improve the performance and efficiency of Mac OS X. Snow Leopard was the first Mac operating system to require an Intel-based Mac, which means it cannot be used on older Macintosh computers. However, by...

El Capitan is the 12th version of Apple OS X, also known as OS X 10.11. It was released on September 30, 2015 and succeeded OS X 10.10 Yosemite. It was followed by OS X 10.12 Sierra. OS X 10.11 was not a significant update to Apple's operating system, but it included a number of performance updates. It was the first version to include "Metal," a graphics technology developed by Apple that accelerates Core Animation and Core Graphics processing. Metal makes full use of the CPU and GPU, boost s...

Mountain Lion is another name for Mac OS X 10.8, the ninth version of Apple's desktop operating system. It was released on July 25, 2012, almost exactly one year after Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. Like Snow Leopard, Mountain Lion was not a major update to the Mac OS. Instead, it was primarily a performance update and included a small number of enhancements to further integrate Mac OS X with iOS, Apple's mobile operating system. Unlike previous versions of Mac OS X, Apple officially labeled Mountain Li...

Leopard is another name for Mac OS X 10.5, which was released on October 26, 2007. It followed Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and preceded the release of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Mac OS X Leopard was one of the most significant updates to Mac OS X, with over 300 new features. Some of the most notable additions include Time Machine (an automated backup solution), Spaces (a virtual desktop environment), and Quick Look (a feature that allows many file types to be viewed directly in the Finder by pressin...

Sierra, also known as macOS 10.12, is the 13th version of OS X, released on September 20, 2016. It followed El Capitan (OS X 10.11) and is preceded by macOS High Sierra. Sierra was the first version of OS X that Apple officially labeled "macOS" instead of OS X. Like other incremental releases of Apple's desktop operating system, Sierra built on previous versions, incorporating the same user interface and adding several new features. Notably, Sierra was designed to work more seamlessly with ot...