Apple revealed a new version of macOS at its Worldwide Developers Conference. The new operating system, macOS Ventura, includes a new Stage Manager tool and updates to Spotlight, Mail, Safari.
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Activated from the Control Center, the utility will automatically organize your open apps on the side of your screen while centering the one you’re working on. Users can also drag icons from the desktop to the sidelined app icons to import them quickly.
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Spotlight comes with new updates as well: It can now find images in your photo library, and, find text inside images, and pull up Shortcuts. Spotlight has also been added to the bottom of the iOS homescreen.
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Search in the Mail app has received tweaks, including more complete previews, instant suggestions, and typo corrections. Safari has a new tab sharing feature, which allows users to see what tabs their friends are viewing in real time, and now supports biometric “Passkeys” as replacements for traditional passwords across multiple supported platforms. (Apple, Google, and Microsoft all committed earlier this month to support passwordless sign-in across all of their mobile, desktop, and browser platforms.)
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The operating system also brings users the ability to “hand off” FaceTime calls between iPhones and Macs, allowing users to effectively use the iPhone’s (likely much beter) camera as a webcam in place of the one on their Apple computer. Continuity Camera includes support for Apple’s Center Stage and Portrait Mode.
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Apple also announced Metal 3, which will “unleash the full potential of Apple Silicon for years to come” per the keynote.
Apple has long had the goal of bringing macOS closer to its mobile counterparts, a process which this update continues. The past few macOS releases have ported iOS’s staple features (including Focus and Shortcuts), as well as design elements of its icons, windows, and menus over to the Mac. This overhaul will, presumably, continue to universalize the Apple enthusiast’s experience across devices, especially in tandem with new continuity-focused features like Universal Control.
