Spotlight

Spotlight is a search system available to Apple OSX. This is a system-wide utility with the capability to create an index of all the files contained. Spotlight is a desktop search feature that gives the user the chance to locate items contained on the computer with ease. This utility was first introduced by Apple during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference held in June 2004.

This app, first released in April 2005, is also capable of searching web pages, bookmarks, and web browser history. Users can further narrow down search parameters using the different file attributes (e.g. size, type, modification date, creation date). In addition, those who need to access the New Oxford American Dictionary for definitions can use this program.

Spotlight can easily find different item types such as applications, text documents, music, and photos. This search tool makes the job of searching local computers easy because it utilizes a wide range of criteria. Spotlight can find the files needed as quickly as the user can type. This utility will display folders, files, and applications that contain the search item. It will include documents, emails, calendars, and apps that are within the search criteria specified by the user. Results are presented by category. More results are displayed by Spotlight as the user types in more attributes.