macOS Sequoia takes productivity and intelligence on Mac to new heights

Rhea-AI Summary

Apple has unveiled macOS Sequoia, the latest version of its desktop operating system, offering innovative features designed to enhance productivity and intelligence. Key features include iPhone Mirroring for seamless integration between Mac and iPhone, major updates to Safari for improved browsing, and a new Passwords app for better credential management. Gaming capabilities have also been bolstered with new immersive experiences and a lineup of anticipated titles.

Apple Intelligence, a generative AI system, is deeply integrated into macOS Sequoia, iOS 18, and iPadOS 18, enhancing writing, image creation, and personal context tasks. This system leverages the power of Apple silicon and the Neural Engine to provide robust AI functionalities while maintaining user privacy. Additional updates include enhanced window tiling, improved video conferencing, and more advanced note-taking in Notes.

The developer beta is available now, with a public beta coming next month and the full release expected this fall.

Positive

• Integration of iPhone Mirroring enhances productivity by allowing seamless access to and control of iPhone from Mac.
• Safari updates include Highlights feature, streamlined Reader, and video-centered Viewer for a better browsing experience.
• Enhanced gaming experience with new titles like Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Frostpunk 2, and more, leveraging MetalFX Upscaling for performance.
• Introduction of Apple Intelligence brings generative AI to Mac, aiding in tasks like writing and image creation.
• Passwords app improves credential management with secure iCloud syncing and end-to-end encryption.
• New window tiling features for better desktop organization.
• Video conferencing enhancements with new presenter preview and customizable backgrounds.
• Improved note-taking capabilities with audio transcription and summarization features.
• Developer and public betas available, indicating strong support and early access for testing and feedback.

Negative

• Potential compatibility issues as new features depend on M-series chips, limiting availability to newer devices.
• Integration of advanced AI features may raise concerns about user data privacy despite assurances.
• Additional system requirements and potential performance impacts on older devices not using M-series chips.

The Mac experience gets better than ever with iPhone Mirroring, big updates to Safari, highly anticipated games, and Apple Intelligence to deliver all-new capabilities

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Apple® today previewed macOS® Sequoia, the next version of the world’s most advanced desktop operating system, bringing entirely new ways of working and transformative intelligence features to Mac®. macOS Sequoia is full of exciting new capabilities, including iPhone® Mirroring, which expands Continuity by enabling full access to and control of iPhone directly from macOS. Safari® gets another big update with the new Highlights feature for effortless information discovery on webpages while browsing. The new Passwords app makes it even easier to access passwords and organize credentials all in one place. Gaming advances with a more immersive experience, as well as a breadth of new titles, including Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Frostpunk 2, and more.

macOS Sequoia expands Continuity features with iPhone Mirroring, adds new productivity and video conferencing tools, and offers a more immersive gaming experience with an amazing lineup of titles. (Graphic: Business Wire)

macOS Sequoia also introduces Apple Intelligence™, the personal intelligence system for Mac, iPhone, and iPad® that combines the power of generative models with personal context to deliver intelligence that’s incredibly useful and relevant. Built with privacy from the ground up, Apple Intelligence is deeply integrated into macOS Sequoia, iOS 18, and iPadOS 18. It understands and creates language and images, takes action across apps, and draws from personal context, simplifying and accelerating everyday tasks. Taking full advantage of the power of Apple silicon and the Neural Engine, Apple Intelligence will be supported by every Mac with an M-series chip.¹

“The all-star combination of the power of Apple silicon and the legendary ease of use of macOS have made the Mac more capable than ever. Today, we’re excited to take macOS to new heights with macOS Sequoia, a big release that elevates productivity and intelligence,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “macOS Sequoia ushers in Apple Intelligence, unlocking incredible new features that will be a game changer for working on Mac. And with more ways to help users effortlessly get things done, new Continuity features like iPhone Mirroring, major updates to Safari, and a host of new games, we think Mac users are going to love it.”

Wirelessly Use iPhone Right from Mac with iPhone Mirroring

macOS Sequoia makes Continuity even more magical with iPhone Mirroring, which allows users to fully access and engage with their iPhone — right from their Mac. A user’s custom wallpaper and icons appear just like on their iPhone, and they can swipe between pages on their Home Screen, or launch and browse any of their favorite apps. The keyboard, trackpad, and mouse on Mac also let a user interact with their iPhone, and audio even comes through. Users can seamlessly drag and drop between iPhone and Mac, and a user’s iPhone remains locked, so nobody else can access or see what the user is doing. It also works great with StandBy, which stays visible, so users can get information at a glance. Additionally, users can review and respond to iPhone notifications directly from their Mac.

Big Updates Come to Safari

Safari, the world’s fastest browser,² now offers Highlights, an even easier way to discover information on the web, such as directions, summaries, or quick links to learn more about people, music, movies, and TV shows. A redesigned Reader includes even more ways to enjoy articles without distractions, featuring a streamlined view of the article a user is reading, a summary, and a table of contents for longer articles. And when Safari detects a video on the page, Viewer helps users put it front and center, while still giving them full access to system playback controls, including Picture in Picture.

Gaming Gets Even Better with Highly Anticipated Titles and More

A stellar lineup of games is coming to Mac — including the highly anticipated Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the next installment in Ubisoft’s blockbuster series — alongside new features like Personalized Spatial Audio that make gaming even more immersive.

• Highly anticipated titles: Developers are delivering an amazing host of new titles to Mac. Ubisoft will release Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and Capcom will offer even more exciting titles from the popular RESIDENT EVIL series, including RESIDENT EVIL 7 biohazard and RESIDENT EVIL 2. The next major expansion of World of Warcraft: The War Within is coming later this year. Also on the way are Frostpunk 2, Palworld, Sniper Elite 4, and RoboCop: Rogue City, all leveraging powerful software technologies like MetalFX Upscaling to accelerate performance and deliver high-quality visuals across the Mac lineup. And Control Ultimate Edition and Wuthering Waves are coming soon, taking advantage of the latest M3 family of chips to deliver breathtaking visuals with ray tracing.
• A more immersive gaming experience: Personalized Spatial Audio puts players in the middle of the action like never before, while significantly reduced audio latency with AirPods Pro® (2nd generation) provides even better responsiveness. Improvements to Game Mode unlock smoother frame rates, and advanced power management features boost performance across the Mac lineup.
• Game Porting Toolkit 2: Since the introduction of the Game Porting Toolkit, developers have been able to bring their games to Apple devices faster than ever, and gaming enthusiasts can experience more titles on the Mac. Game Porting Toolkit 2 takes this to the next level with some of the most-requested capabilities from game developers, making it even easier to bring advanced games to Mac, as well as iPhone and iPad.

Window Tiling Is Easier and Faster Than Ever

Users can stay organized with new ways to arrange windows into a layout that works best for them. When a user drags a window to the edge of the screen, macOS Sequoia automatically suggests a tiled position on their desktop. Users can release their window right into place, quickly arrange tiles side by side, or place them in corners to keep even more apps in view. And new keyboard and menu shortcuts help users organize tiles even faster.

Video Conferencing Gets More Updates

The new presenter preview makes it easier to present, letting users see what they’re about to share before they share it, and works with apps like FaceTime® and Zoom. Users can also apply beautiful built-in backgrounds, including a variety of color gradients and system wallpapers, or upload their own photos. Background replacements can be applied during a video call in FaceTime or in third-party apps like Webex, and with Apple’s industry-leading segmentation, users will look their best when on a call.

The New Passwords App Keeps Credentials Secure and Organized

Built on the foundation of Keychain®, which was first introduced over 25 years ago, macOS Sequoia brings Passwords, a new app that makes it even easier to access passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi passwords, and other credentials all in one place. iCloud® syncing is backed by secure end-to-end encryption. Passwords works great with Safari, and seamlessly syncs between a user’s Apple devices and Windows with the iCloud for Windows app.

Apple Intelligence Ushers in the Next Chapter of AI on Mac

Deeply integrated into macOS Sequoia and built with privacy from the ground up, Apple Intelligence unlocks new ways for users to enhance their writing and communicate more effectively. With brand-new systemwide Writing Tools built into macOS Sequoia, users can rewrite, proofread, and summarize text nearly everywhere they write, including Mail, Notes, Pages®, and third-party apps.

New image capabilities make communication and self-expression even more fun. With Image Playground, users can create playful images in seconds, choosing from three styles: Animation, Illustration, or Sketch. Image Playground is easy to use, built right into apps like Messages, and also available in a dedicated app.

Memories in Photos lets users create the stories they want to see just by typing a description. Apple Intelligence will pick out the best photos and videos based on the description, craft a storyline with chapters based on themes identified from the photos, and arrange them into a movie with its own narrative arc. In addition, a new Clean Up tool can identify and remove distracting objects in the background of a photo — without accidentally altering the subject.

With the power of Apple Intelligence, Siri takes a major step forward, becoming even more natural, contextually relevant, and personal. Additionally, users can type to Siri, and switch between text and voice to communicate with Siri in whatever way feels right for the moment — making the Siri experience on Mac incredibly easy and seamless.

With Private Cloud Compute, Apple sets a new standard for privacy in AI, with the ability to flex and scale computational capacity between on-device processing and larger, server-based models that run on dedicated Apple silicon servers. When requests are routed to Private Cloud Compute, data is not stored or made accessible to Apple and is only used to fulfill the user’s requests, and independent experts can verify this privacy promise.

Additionally, access to ChatGPT is integrated into Siri and systemwide Writing Tools across Apple’s platforms, allowing users to access its expertise — as well as its image- and document-understanding capabilities — without needing to jump between tools.

Additional features in macOS Sequoia include:

• Messages has big updates to the ways users express themselves and stay connected, including all-new text effects, emoji and sticker Tapbacks, and the ability to schedule a message to send later.
• Apple Maps is introducing even more ways to explore the world, including curated hikes and custom walking routes. Beginning this fall, users can browse thousands of hikes across all 63 national parks in the United States, filtered by length, elevation, and route type, and save them to use while offline.
• Photos now surfaces Collections, which automatically organizes a user’s library by helpful themes, and includes a big update to search, so users can get results quickly.
• Note taking in Notes is getting smarter, making it easier than ever to take detailed and well-written notes. New audio transcription and summarization features with Apple Intelligence enable a device to take notes for the user, letting them stay present in a situation where they need to capture details about what’s happening. And if they need to quickly crunch a number, they can just type in an equation to have it solved automatically in their note body.
• An updated Calculator app lets users see previous calculations with history, and gives them the ability to see their expressions as they type.
• Calendar shows events and tasks from Reminders, making it easy to see, edit, or complete tasks throughout the day. An updated Month View makes it easier to see events and reminders for an entire month at a glance.

Availability

The developer beta of macOS Sequoia is available through the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com starting today, and a public beta will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month at beta.apple.com. The release will be available as a free software update this fall. Apple Intelligence will be available in beta on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPad and Mac with M1 and later, with Siri and device language set to U.S. English, as part of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia this fall. For more information, visit apple.com/macos/sequoia-preview and apple.com/apple-intelligence. Features are subject to change. Some features are not available in all regions, all languages, or on all devices. For more information about availability, visit apple.com.

Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple’s six software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV+. Apple’s more than 150,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth and to leaving the world better than we found it.

¹ Users with an eligible iPhone, iPad, or Mac with Siri and device language set to English (U.S.) can sign up this fall to access the Apple Intelligence beta.
² Testing was conducted by Apple in May 2023. See apple.com/safari for more information.

NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple Newsroom (www.apple.com/newsroom), or email Apple’s Media Helpline at media.help@apple.com.

© 2024 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, macOS, Mac, iPhone, Safari, Apple Intelligence, iPad, AirPods Pro, FaceTime, Keychain, iCloud, and Pages are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240610019810/en/

Michelle Del Rio

Apple

mr_delrio@apple.com

Starlayne Meza

Apple

starlayne@apple.com

Source: Apple Inc.

FAQ

What are the key updates in macOS Sequoia for AAPL?

macOS Sequoia introduces iPhone Mirroring, major Safari updates, a new Passwords app, and enhanced gaming experiences.

How does iPhone Mirroring work in macOS Sequoia?

iPhone Mirroring allows users to fully access and control their iPhone directly from their Mac, enhancing Continuity features.

What new gaming titles are available with macOS Sequoia?

New gaming titles include Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Frostpunk 2, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and more.

What is Apple Intelligence in macOS Sequoia?

Apple Intelligence is a generative AI system that enhances tasks like writing and image creation, integrated into macOS Sequoia, iOS 18, and iPadOS 18.

How will Safari improve with macOS Sequoia?

Safari will get a Highlights feature for easier information discovery, an improved Reader, and a new Viewer for videos.

When will the public beta for macOS Sequoia be available?

The public beta for macOS Sequoia will be available next month.

What privacy measures are in place for Apple Intelligence in macOS Sequoia?

Apple Intelligence is built with privacy in mind, using on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute to ensure data is secure and not stored by Apple.

What devices support Apple Intelligence in macOS Sequoia?

Apple Intelligence is supported by Macs with M-series chips and will be available on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPad with M1 and later.

What new productivity features are included in macOS Sequoia?

macOS Sequoia includes new window tiling, advanced note-taking features, and enhanced video conferencing tools.

How does the new Passwords app in macOS Sequoia enhance security?

The Passwords app offers secure access and organization of credentials, with iCloud syncing and end-to-end encryption.