Tech

Here’s all the new stuff that’s coming soon to your Mac

Jeff Dunn

2016-06-13T17:42:32Z

Apple on Monday unveiled the next iteration of the OS X operating system, Sierra, at its annual WWDC developers conference in San Francisco.

Here’s what your Mac can expect with the forthcoming update.

As expected, the company has officially dropped the “OS X” nomenclature, and will instead refer to the platform as “macOS” going forward.

At least from a branding standpoint, the move brings the OS more in line with other Apple ventures like iOS, watchOS, and tvOS.

This marks the second time Apple's changed the name of the software in recent years, as OS X was previously referred to as “Mac OS X” up until 2012’s OS X v10.8 “Mountain Lion” update.

In general, there's a greater focus on expanding Mac's integration with other Apple devices.

For instance, a new "Auto Unlock" feature lets you use an iPhone or Apple Watch to quickly unlock your Mac as you open it, bypassing the need to enter a password.

A "Universal Clipboard" feature, meanwhile, allows you to copy files from iOS devices and paste them onto Macs on a native level.

New "storage optimization" features in iCloud Drive will automatically stash older apps and files in the cloud, freeing up more space locally.

Think things like older emails, web caches, and long unused apps.

Apple says iCloud will now let you view desktop files on iOS devices, too.

If you have multiple macOS devices, it'll sync files between those as well.

There's also a new "Picture in Picture" mode, which works like it does on iPads.

That means you can minimize a video into a smaller window, then move that window over other apps, even when said apps are in fullscreen mode.

You'll also be able open multiple tabs in more native apps.

So you can open multiple windows in things like Pages and Maps, instead of just Safari. Certain third-party apps will be able to use them, too.

Apple Pay will be accessible on Macs through the web with Safari. You'll still need an iPhone or Apple Watch to authenticate purchases, however.

At least until Apple brings fingerprint scanners to Mac.

Also as expected, the new update brings Siri to the desktop.

Access to the digital assistant had long been requested by Mac fans, but now the OS has a formal competitor to Windows 10’s Cortana assistant.

At first blush, Siri appears to behave similarly to how it does on iOS.

It can activate stored music, search local files and folders, send iMessages, and answer the usual web-based queries. You can take results from those queries and paste them into Pages documents, and pin things like sports scores to the notification center.

You activate the assistant either by clicking its icon in the dock, activating a button at the top right corner of the screen, or hitting command and the space bar simultaneously.

It'll then appear in a small window in that corner, rather than taking up the whole screen as with iOS. The familiar wave-like graphic will appear to signal that it's listening.

The update is available to developers today, with a public beta in July, and a wide release in the fall.

Apple Software Tech