macOS Sequoia launches on September 16. With out Apple Intelligence, this upcoming working system replace for the Mac is mild on options, with one exception: iPhone Mirroring. Right here’s every thing you could find out about macOS Sequoia.

iPhone Mirroring adjustments every thing

Picture supply: José Adorno for BGR

After an unexciting macOS Sonoma replace, macOS Sequoia shines with a single function: iPhone Mirroring. This Continuity function permits customers to totally entry and interact with their iPhones proper from their Mac. They will swipe between pages on their House Display, launch and browse any of their favourite apps, and extra.

With that, it’s simpler than ever to entry Instagram from the Mac, utilizing the app that can seemingly by no means come to macOS or iPadOS. As well as, the keyboard, trackpad, and mouse on Mac additionally let customers work together with their iPhones, and audio even comes by whereas the telephone stays locked, so no one else can entry or see what the consumer is doing.

What impresses me probably the most is that, though macOS’s huge options are normally delayed, Apple will ship iPhone Mirroring on day one. This can be a large win for customers, regardless that the flexibility to tug and drop between iPhone and Mac is slated for later this yr.

Safari has huge updates, however I gave up on the browser

These are three important options accessible for Safari on macOS Sequoia:

Highlights: A better technique to uncover data on the internet, equivalent to instructions, summaries, or fast hyperlinks to be taught extra about folks, music, films, and TV exhibits;
Reader: A redesigned Reader contains much more methods to take pleasure in articles with out distractions, that includes a streamlined view of the article a consumer is studying, a abstract, and a desk of contents for longer articles;
Video detection: When Safari detects a video on the web page, Viewer helps customers put it entrance and middle whereas nonetheless giving them full entry to system playback controls, together with Image in Image.

As a long-time Apple consumer, I’ve at all times used Safari as my important browser – and it nonetheless is on iPhone and iPad. Nevertheless, it’s not possible to make use of on the Mac. I’m a journalist; I write about tech information. Generally, I would like to put in writing longer articles, such because the iOS 18 guide. If I attempt to open that web page and scroll rapidly to the underside, Safari stops loading phrases and pictures, and the web page goes clean. If I do the same on Microsoft Edge, the experience is fluid.

Oddly, an M2 Max Mac Studio with 32GB of RAM isn’t sufficient for shopping on Safari. With that in thoughts, I don’t perceive why Apple retains including options to its browser if it might probably’t load a web page correctly. Apple claims Safari is unimaginable at managing RAM and is far more environment friendly than Chrome, however at what value? And the way? On this division, I want macOS Sequoia, being mild on options, would repair previous bugs. Possibly subsequent yr.

In spite of everything this time, previous bugs haven’t been squashed

Since I’m speaking about Safari’s points, I can’t assist however convey up the opposite issues macOS carries over from software program replace to software program replace. For instance, it’s so irritating that Messages nonetheless don’t sync correctly. Even when I delete a number of messages on my iPhone, once I’m going to start out a dialog with somebody on the Mac, all these messages are nonetheless there. Extra apparently, the shortage of sync generally brings these messages again to my iPhone. So irritating.

Alongside the identical traces, neglect about opening the Podcasts app on the Mac in the event you don’t accomplish that recurrently as a result of it would mess together with your synced episodes in your iPhone and Apple Watch. Lastly, I nonetheless have one different subject with macOS inside the Notes app. If I begin a numbered record and paste one thing there, it turns right into a bullet record. So annoying.

Okay, shifting on.

Window Tiling and different helpful enhancements

macOS Sequoia helps you keep organized with new methods to rearrange home windows into the structure that works greatest for you. While you drag a window to the sting of the display, macOS Sequoia mechanically suggests a tiled place on the desktop.

With new video conferencing instruments, macOS Sequoia provides a new presenter preview that makes it simpler to current. It lets customers see what they’re about to share earlier than they share it and works with apps like FaceTime and Zoom.

Apple additionally introduced the Passwords app to macOS. Whereas it’s good to have, a minimum of for me, I entry my passwords extra usually on iOS and iPadOS than on Mac.

What about Apple Intelligence?

Apple Intelligence shall be a giant a part of macOS Sequoia as soon as it arrives with macOS 15.1 in October. Nevertheless, it’s not a part of the primary launch of the working system replace. Moreover, probably the most attention-grabbing options gained’t arrive till later this yr.

These are a number of the most anticipated Apple Intelligence options of macOS Sequoia. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t name them groundbreaking experiences that can change how folks work together with their Macs:

Writing Instruments: Proofread your textual content, rewrite totally different variations till the tone and wording are proper, and summarize the chosen textual content with a faucet.
Precedence notifications: They seem on the high of the stack, letting you realize what to concentrate to at a look. Notifications are summarized, so you’ll be able to scan them quicker.
Precedence messages in Mail: Elevate time-sensitive messages to the highest of your inbox, like an invite that has a deadline quickly or a check-in reminder to your flight this afternoon.
E-mail summarization: Faucet to disclose a abstract of a protracted e mail within the Mail app and lower to the chase.
Document and transcribe calls within the Notes app: Hit document within the Notes or Telephone apps to seize audio recordings and transcripts. Apple Intelligence generates summaries of your transcripts, so you’ll be able to see crucial data at a look.
Cut back interruptions: An all-new Focus Mode understands the content material of your notifications and exhibits you those that may want quick consideration, like a textual content about choosing up your baby from daycare later as we speak.
Good Reply in Mail: Shortly draft an e mail response with all the best particulars. Apple Intelligence can establish the query you have been requested in an e mail and provide related picks to incorporate in your response.

macOS Sequoia’s different enhancements

Messages obtained main updates equivalent to all-new textual content results, emojis, and sticker Tapbacks, in addition to the flexibility to schedule messages to be despatched later.
Apple Maps introduces much more methods to discover the world, together with curated hikes and customized strolling routes. Starting this fall, customers can browse hundreds of hikes throughout all 63 nationwide parks in the USA, filtered by size, elevation, and route kind, and save them to make use of whereas offline.
An up to date Calculator app lets customers see earlier calculations in a historical past view and see their expressions as they kind.
Calendar exhibits occasions and duties from Reminders, making it simple to see, edit, or full duties all through the day. An up to date Month View makes it simpler to see occasions and reminders for a complete month at a look.

Machine compatibility

As Apple focuses on fashions with its personal silicon, right here’s the record of macOS Sequoia compatible Macs:

2019 iMac and later
2017 iMac Professional
2020 MacBook Air and later
2018 MacBook Professional and later
2019 Mac Professional and later
2018 Mac mini and later
2022 Mac Studio and later

macOS Sequoia evaluation wrap-up

Apple Studio Display Main macOS 15 guide

As you’ll be able to see, macOS Sequoia is yet one more replace mild on options. iPhone Mirroring is superb. Moreover that, there isn’t a lot to see right here. Apple didn’t enhance the steadiness and battery of MacBooks because it used to do with earlier software program updates, both (regardless that the MacBook batteries are nice!).

For me, Apple missed its likelihood to do a macOS Excessive Sierra-like replace, specializing in fixing bugs, enhancing efficiency, and simply making macOS a extra nice expertise. It’s been 4 years for the reason that transition to Apple Silicon began, and almost all of the Macs Apple sells use its customized processor.

It’s time to let go of the Intel days and give attention to a greater, brighter future the place macOS continues to combine with iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS. Possibly subsequent yr.