Apple has lifted the curtain on its newest desktop operating system, macOS 14, named after the scenic town of Sonoma nestled within Northern California's famed wine country.
This updated macOS brings widgets to the desktop environment, borrowing this dynamic feature straight from Apple's mobile platform. These widgets will smartly adapt to your usage, ensuring they don't overwhelm your screen while you're occupied with other tasks. Plus, the widgets are interactive, giving you the freedom to perform actions like choosing images directly from the widget window.
The introduction of a game mode is a welcome sight for gaming enthusiasts. This feature is designed to minimize distractions while you immerse yourself in Apple silicon's expanding array of games. To further enhance gaming on macOS, Apple also introduced a game porting development kit, aimed at facilitating the transition of existing titles to the new operating system. Apple's commitment to gaming was underlined with the addition of the game 'Death Stranding', discussed by Hideo Kojima himself.
Recognizing the importance of virtual communication in today's world, Apple has significantly upgraded its teleconferencing capabilities. These improvements include an innovative overlay feature that separates the speaker from their background and overlays dynamic backgrounds with effects like fireworks. These features are compatible with widely-used teleconferencing apps such as Facetime, Zoom, Teams, and more.
Moreover, the updated desktop browser now boasts improved wallpapers, featuring a stunning shot of Sonoma. Safari also received substantial enhancements, including private browsing locks and web apps that can be added directly to the system's dock.
The public beta of macOS 14 Sonoma is set to roll out in the coming weeks, with full availability expected later this year.
