Apple has confirmed that the final version of OS X El Capitan will be released to the public on Sept. 30.

According to the tech giant's official press release via BGR, the major OS X software update carries a variety of new features and performance enhancements.

El Capitan can run on several Mac laptops and desktops, including all models released later than 2009 and some from 2008 and 2007. However, a complete list of compatible Mac models has yet to be issued.

At any rate, Mac models running on OS X 10.10 Yosemite will most probably be compatible with El Capitan. The new operating system for Mac builds on the features and design of its predecessor while having refinements for built-in apps, windows management and Spotlight search.

Basing on tester feedback from Apple's OS X beta program, the company's senior vice president for software engineering Craig Federighi said that customers will "love their Macs even more with El Capitan."

"People love using their Macs, and one of the biggest reasons is the power and ease-of-use of OS X. El Capitan refines the Mac experience and improves performance in a lot of little ways that make a very big difference," said Federighi.

El Capitan contains third-party photo editing extensions, a new Attachments Browser for the "Notes" app, and a new system font known as "San Francisco", Mac Rumors reported.

Mac users only have to swipe their four fingers upward to prompt the "Mission Control" panel in El Capitan. The upgraded windows management tool will display app windows according to their placement on the desktop screen.

El Capitan also has a new "Split View" feature, a capability previously exclusive to iPads running on iOS 9. The feature allows Mac users to view two equally-sized full-screen apps at the same time.

Other innovations include a "Pinned Sites" option on Safari. The new tool makes it easier for Mac users to pin their favorite websites on the browser's tab bar. Furthermore, the El Capitan update fits Safari with a mute button that will silence all audio sources from the browser. The mute feature can also identify from which tab sounds are coming from.

El Capitan will upgrade the "Spotlight" search with more data sources, deeper overall functionality and more support for native languages such as Chinese and Japanese.

The new OS X also supports Metal, the Cupertino-based tech giant's application programming interface (API). The support for Metal improves the graphics performance of Mac models running on El Capitan, which means faster and smoother rendering of games, standard apps and pro apps.