At today’s Worldwide Developer Conference keynote, Apple previewed macOS Mojave, the latest version of the its desktop operating system. It will arrive for end users this fall.
A new Dark Mode transforms the desktop with a dramatic new look that puts the focus on user content, says Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. The new Stacks feature organizes desktops by automatically stacking files into neat groups.
Familiar iOS apps, including News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home, are now available on the Mac for the first time. Sadly, there’s no TV app for macOS as I was hoping; it’s still available for iOS and tvOS devices only. The TV app allows you to continue to watch your favorite shows and movies, discover new content, and find new video apps, all from a single location.
FaceTime now adds support for group calling, and the Mac App Store gets a full redesign featuring rich editorial content and the addition of apps from top developers, including Microsoft, Adobe, and others.
macOS Mojave users can switch to Dark Mode to transform their desktop to a darkened color scheme, putting the focus on user content while controls recede into the background. Users can toggle between a light and dark desktop, and built-in Mac apps like Mail, Messages, Maps, Calendar and Photos all include Dark Mode designs. macOS Mojave also features a new Dynamic Desktop that automatically changes the desktop picture to match the time of day. An API [application programming interface] is available so developers can implement Dark Mode in their apps.
Stacks automatically stacks files into neat groups based on file type. Users can customize their Stacks to sort based on other file attributes like date and tags.
The Finder also gets a significant update in macOS Mojave with an all-new Gallery View that lets users skim through files visually. The Preview Pane now shows all of a file’s metadata, making it easier to manage media assets.
Quick Actions allow users to do things like create and password-protect PDFs and run custom Automator Actions on files right from Finder. Quick Look now provides a fast, full-size preview of a file, allowing users to rotate and crop images, mark up PDFs and trim video and audio clips without ever opening an app.
In macOS Mojave, apps including News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home are available on Mac for the first time.
Group FaceTime makes it easy to chat with up to 30 people at the same time. Participants can be added at any time, join later if the conversation is still active and choose to join using video or audio from an iPhone, iPad or Mac — or even participate using FaceTime audio from Apple Watch.
As with all Apple software updates, enhanced privacy and security remain a top priority in macOS Mojave, says Federighi. In Safari, enhanced Intelligent Tracking Prevention helps block social media “Like” or “Share” buttons and comment widgets from tracking users without permission.
The web browser now also presents simplified system information when users browse the web, preventing them from being tracked based on their system configuration. Safari now also automatically creates, autofills and stores strong passwords when users create new online accounts and flags reused passwords so users can change them. New data protections require apps to get user permission before using the Mac camera and microphone or accessing personal data like user Mail history and Messages database.
Federighi says the News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home apps were brought to Mac using iOS frameworks that have been adapted to macOS. Starting in late 2019, these additional frameworks will make it easier for developers to bring their iOS apps to macOS — providing new opportunities for developers and creating more apps for Mac users to enjoy.
Screenshots in Mojave deliver new on-screen controls for access to every screenshot option and new video recording capabilities. A streamlined workflow enables easy screenshot sharing without cluttering the desktop, according to Federighi.
A new Continuity Camera allows Mac users to take a picture or scan a document nearby with their iPhone or iPad and have it appear instantly on their Mac. Finally, with Mojave, Markup tools are integrated into Finder, Quick Look and Screenshots, making it easy to add comments to content and share with others.
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