The newest working system for Mac PCs is macOS 15 Sequoia, unveiled by Apple at its 2024 Worldwide Developer Conference. This cheat sheet explores necessary new capabilities in addition to necessities for the brand new working system.
Sequoia has neat quality-of-life adjustments for work, comparable to the way in which dragging a window to the sting of the display screen will robotically put it in a tile folded to the aspect so you may see the entire window. Continuity, a characteristic that permits sharing between gadgets, is getting much more seamless with the power to regulate an iPhone from a Mac, together with interacting with apps.
The largest change is that macOS 15 will include Apple Intelligence, which brings generative AI capabilities comparable to e-mail summarisation all through tentpole Mac purposes like Mail and Pages.
What’s macOS 15 Sequoia?
macOS 15 Sequoia is the newest working system for Macs, introduced on June 10, 2024 at WWDC. The identify Sequoia continues Apple’s pattern of naming its OS after areas in California, with earlier iterations named Sonoma, Ventura, Monterey and Massive Sur. Sequoia is a nationwide park within the Sierra Nevada mountain vary.
It’s the first Mac working system to assist Apple Intelligence, the corporate’s proprietary synthetic intelligence platform. AI options embody audio transcription in Notes, Good Reply in Mail and a extra clever Siri that may perceive pure language prompts.
Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice chairman of software program engineering, stated in a press release: “The all-star mixture of the facility of Apple silicon and the legendary ease of use of macOS have made the Mac extra succesful than ever. At present, we’re excited to take macOS to new heights with macOS Sequoia, an enormous launch that elevates productiveness and intelligence.
“macOS Sequoia ushers in Apple Intelligence, unlocking unimaginable new options that can be a recreation changer for engaged on Mac. And with extra methods to assist customers effortlessly get issues completed, new Continuity options like iPhone Mirroring, main updates to Safari, and a number of latest video games, we expect Mac customers are going to like it.”
What are the primary options of macOS 15 Sequoia?
Apple Intelligence options
Writing Instruments
Whenever you spotlight a bit of textual content on Sequoia and proper click on, you can be introduced with a lot of AI Writing Instruments:
- Proofread will undergo the textual content and make options on grammar and spelling.
- Rewrite will rewrite the whole part in both a pleasant, skilled or concise type.
- You can even click on Abstract or Key Factors to extract the primary takeaways of the textual content.
Writing Instruments can be obtainable all over the place you may write, together with Mail, Notes, Pages and third-party apps. In Mail, emails within the Inbox can have AI-generated summaries as previews quite than a abstract of the topic line or first sentence. When typing a reply, macOS Sequoia gives you quite a few Good Reply choices generated utilizing the unique e-mail’s content material.
Notes
Notes now comes with audio transcription and summarisation utilizing Apple Intelligence. This implies the app can activate the Mac microphone throughout a gathering, and it’ll generate a transcription and abstract of the dialogue in actual time. Notes will even robotically resolve any calculations typed right into a Notice.
Picture Playground
Picture Playground is an AI picture producing software included on macOS 15. It’s a devoted app and constructed into native apps like Messages and Pages so AI photographs will be created and used inside them. macOS will recommend prompts based mostly on the context of the open app, or you may enter your personal.
Siri
Siri has been augmented with Apple Intelligence. New capabilities embody on-screen consciousness, in-app actions, textual content instructions and a greater understanding of pure language instructions. It additionally has a brand new look, showing as a glowing mild bar that wraps across the sides of the display screen and pulsates to point it’s listening.
You may learn in regards to the AI options in additional element in TechRepublic’s Siri cheat sheet.
ChatGPT and Personal Cloud Compute
Whereas Apple Intelligence runs on {hardware} constructed into the Mac, for some features, the extent of compute it supplies is not going to be enough; subsequently, macOS 15 provides the power to hook up with ChatGPT with out leaving an app. ChatGPT can be utilized to achieve real-time info that can not be accessed on the gadget in addition to for extra highly effective textual content and picture technology.
SEE: ChatGPT Cheat Sheet: A Complete Guide for 2024
However ChatGPT will not be the one choice for Mac customers to entry extra computational sources. Extra intensive requests will be routed via Personal Cloud Compute, Apple’s new cloud intelligence system, which sends it to exterior Apple servers. The info transferred throughout this course of will not be saved or made accessible to Apple, making certain privateness.
Different options
iPhone Mirroring
iPhone Mirroring is a characteristic that permits customers to completely entry and work together with their iPhone from their Mac. The cellphone’s wallpaper and icons seem as a window on the PC display screen, so customers can view notifications, open apps and carry out duties on it utilizing the Mac’s controls. The iPhone stays locked, whereas iPhone Mirroring is happening to maintain it personal.
Safari
Apple has made a lot of upgrades to Safari as a part of the macOS 15 replace. A button within the deal with bar will now present web page Highlights when clicked, comparable to a abstract of the web page’s content material, instructions through Maps or hyperlinks for additional info.
The Reader software bought a makeover, providing a extra streamlined view of the content material being learn. There are new customisation choices for colors and fonts, and desk of contents and abstract seem in a sidebar for longer articles.
If a video seems on an internet web page, Safari enlarges it and brings it front-and-centre, or places it right into a smaller pop up when the consumer adjustments the window.
Window Tiling
If a consumer has a number of home windows open on the desktop and drags one in all them to the sting of the display screen, macOS Sequoia will robotically transfer and resize them so they’re in an intuitive tiled association that maximises visibility.
Video conferencing
When utilizing video conferencing apps like Zoom or FaceTime, macOS Sequoia will present the presenter a picture of what precisely can be seen to different assembly attendees once they share their display screen earlier than truly sharing it. They will additionally use built-in or customized backgrounds throughout a video name.
Passwords app
Changing Keychain, Passwords is a brand new app for the Mac that securely shops all of the consumer’s credentials. Its contents syncs between Apple gadgets utilizing iCloud with end-to-end encryption, and Home windows gadgets with the iCloud for Home windows app.
SEE: Best Password Managers for Mac
Calculator and Calendar
The Calculator app on macOS Sequoia will now retailer a historical past of earlier calculations and might carry out unit conversions. Full expressions, together with parentheses, trigonometry and different operations, will be considered earlier than hitting equals.
Calendar in macOS 15 reveals occasions and duties put into Reminders and has an up to date, extra easy-to-read Month View.
Which gadgets assist macOS 15 Sequoia?
macOS Sequoia is suitable with the next gadgets:
- iMac – 2019 and later.
- Mac Studio – 2022.
- Mac mini – 2018 and later.
- Mac Professional – 2019 and later.
- iMac Professional – 2017 and later.
- MacBook Air – 2020 and later.
- MacBook Professional – 2018 and later.
Apple Intelligence and its related options will solely operate on gadgets with an Apple M-series chip inside, so M1 or newer. Any Mac older than 2020 utilizing an Intel chip is not going to have this functionality.
SEE: New M3 Chip Family, MacBook Pro Line & iMacs
Due to this fact, Apple Intelligence will run on the next gadgets:
- MacBook Professional – 2021 or later, and 2020 13-inch M1 model.
- MacBook Air – 2022 or later, and 2020 M1 model.
- iMac – 2021 or later.
- Mac mini – 2020 or later.
- Mac Studio – 2022 or later.
- Mac Professional – 2023.
When is the discharge date for macOS 15 Sequoia?
A beta model of macOS Sequoia will be downloaded by builders via the Apple Developer Program or by the general public via the Apple Beta Software Program.
The ultimate model can be launched as a free software program replace to all house owners of suitable Macs in autumn 2024. Apple Intelligence can be included with the discharge on gadgets with an M-Collection chip.
obtain and set up macOS 15 Sequoia
Members of the Developer Program can obtain the working system by following these steps:
- Open System Settings on a suitable Mac and signal into an Apple ID that’s registered for the Developer Program.
- Navigate to Basic, after which Software program Replace.
- Guarantee Beta Updates is about to On; whether it is Off, click on the i and choose macOS Sequoia Developer Beta within the Beta Updates dropdown menu.
- A macOS 15 Beta banner ought to now seem within the Software program Replace tab. Click on Improve Now to obtain and set up.
Equally, as of July 15, normal Apple customers with relevant gadgets can obtain the macOS 15 beta in one of two ways. If in case you have macOS 13.4 Ventura or later, you may go to System Settings > Basic > Software program Replace. Choose the data (i) button subsequent to “Beta updates” and select macOS 15. You have to an Apple Developer profile to do that. If in case you have macOS 13.3 Ventura or earlier, you may obtain the macOS Developer Beta Entry Utility and comply with its directions to set it up. After doing so, you’ll see obtainable betas underneath Software program Replace.
As it is a beta model of the software program, chances are you’ll encounter bugs and points which you can report back to Apple. Bear in mind to again up your Mac earlier than updating to make sure you can restore your system if needed.
Not able to make the transition to Sequoia, but? Discover TechRepublic’s cheat sheets for macOS 14 Sonoma and macOS 13 Ventura.