After Apple’s “Wonderlust” event, the company quietly announced that macOS Sonoma would be available to the public starting Tuesday, September 26th. The update is now available for all supported Mac devices. If you’re considering updating, there are some exciting new features to look forward to.
Aerial Screensavers and New Lock Screen:
Aerial screensavers are not a new concept. In fact, it has been around for years, thanks to developers on GitHub. But, with macOS Sonoma, Apple has decided to bring its Apple TV Aerial screensavers to the Mac, with a twist.
You have a wide range of Aerial screensaver options to choose from, including Sonoma, Yosemite, Utah, and many more. Additionally, for those looking for some urban flair, there are stunning aerial views of Dubai, New York City, London, and Los Angeles to choose from. Each screensaver can also dynamically transition to a wallpaper once you log in or stop the screensaver. New Lock Screen: The new Lock Screen introduced with macOS Sonoma also matches the design language of iOS 17 and iPadOS 17.
Presenter Overlay:
macOS Sonoma brings a new video effect called “Presenter Overlay” which allows users to display themselves on top of the content that they are sharing. Reactions based on Hand Gestures have also been added to Sonoma, bringing reactions such as balloons, confetti, hearts, and more into the video itself.
Game Mode for Apple Silicon Macs:
Announced during their Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Apple is making huge strides in bringing gaming to the Mac. One such feature is called “Game Mode,” and is available on any Apple Silicon-equipped Mac.
“Game Mode automatically gives games top priority on the CPU and GPU of your Mac, lowering usage for background tasks. And it dramatically reduces latency with wireless accessories, like AirPods and your favorite controllers, for responsiveness you can feel,” says Apple.
Widgets:
Widgets from iPad and iPhone are now available on Mac thanks to macOS Sonoma. With the Widget Gallery, you can easily place any widget on your desktop for quick access to your Home accessories, calendar invites, and other essential widgets. Widgets can also fade into the background so you can focus on your work or game and are interactive.
Siri:
Users can simply say the term “Siri” instead of “Hey Siri” to invoke Siri on the Mac with macOS Sonoma, similar to iOS 17 and iPadOS 17.
Streamlined PDFs:
Similar to iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma also supports AutoFill in Forms and smart recipient recommendations.
Inline Keyboard Predictions:
macOS Sonoma will now display predictions inline as you type, so you can just click the space bar to go ahead with the predictions and finish the phrase or sentence.
Safari & Search Enhancements:
With macOS Sonoma, Safari will allow users to differentiate between work and personal spaces with profiles. “Keep your browsing separate for topics like Work and Personal with different profiles in Safari. Profiles help you separate your history, extensions, Tab Groups, cookies, and favorites. You can quickly switch between profiles as you browse,” says Apple.
Apple also made a big deal with introducing web apps to the Mac. You can make any webpage into its own web app and pin it directly to your dock. “Add any website to the Dock as a web app, right from the File menu. Launch a web app to get an app-like experience with a simplified toolbar. Access web apps the way you would any app and receive notifications,” says Apple.
Here are the devices supported by macOS Sonoma:
- MacBook Air (2018 and later)
- MacBook Pro (2018 and later)
- iMac (2019 and later)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- Mac mini (2018 and later)
- Mac Studio (2022 and later)
- Mac Pro (2019 and later)
Some of the features mentioned above are only limited to Apple Silicon Macs.
Conclusion
There’s tons of great new features coming with macOS Sonoma like Inline PDFs in Notes, enhanced Private Browsing, and Inline completions. Remember, always back up your data using Time Machine to an external drive before updating. Users can update now.
Will you be updating to macOS Sonoma? Let us know down in the comments or tweet/post to us at @appleosophy! Be sure to download the Appleosophy App from the App Store or visit our website to stay updated with the latest Apple News and Deals!
