MacOS Sierra, the latest version of Apple’s desktop operating system, is now available to download, the company announced today. Siri integration headlines the new features Sierra introduces, but the update also features optimized storage via iCloud Drive, a universal clipboard, a picture-in-picture video player, auto unlock via Apple Watch and Apple Pay on the Web.
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According to The Guardian, the new MacOS Sierra will be available in the Mac App store today. Based on three months of testing, there’s not much to say about macOS Sierra and this article could end up being the shortest macOS review ever published on this site. iOS 10 was a huge update. macOS Sierra doesn’t feel like a major change if you were already using OS X El Capitan.
Aside from big Mac features, MacOS Sierra also adds compatibility with most of the new features from iOS 10.
Reaction to the launch of iOS 10 has been mixed with some users complaining of poor performance, but welcoming the ability to delete Apple’s own apps for the first time and giving Messages a new lease of life. Also see: How to install MacOS Sierra public beta now. We’ve created Sierra USB stick from both El Capitan and Sierra, but your experience with other versions may vary. But it’s taken an evolutionary approach to updating the software underlying its Mac computers. It’s also worth mentioning that while Apple has opened up Siri to iOS developers, it has not done so for the Mac developers. Well, Apple is now taking care of the issue and is putting Siri into a lot of places on the Mac.
Apple’s strategy has been to keep macOS and iOS X distinct and separate, though more and more we’re seeing overlapping features that reach up into the cloud. You can even optimize your Mac storage using iCloud so you don’t run out of space. It’ll search the Web and use Safari in the background while you’re typing away, but it’ll also search through your files and dive into your system preferences too – like Spotlight, but controlled with your voice. The MacOS brand has a long history with the iconic home computer as that was what it was called until version 10.
You can ask Siri to send texts, read your email, tell you weather or deliver a stock quote, all fine and dandy. It will intelligently analyse all the storage on your Mac, how much you’re using each file and then optimise your space by removing your least used files and storing them in iCloud.
Once you’re backed up and ready to go, the easiest thing is to open the App Store application on your desktop.
So you can browse multiple locations in one Maps window.
– Picture in Picture floats video from Safari or iTunes® in a window over the desktop.
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It nearly feels churlish to moan, however, as Sierra continues tradition by leaping from the App Store onto your machine for the princely sum of nothing – just like every version of macOS has been since OS X 10.9 Mavericks. A new For You tab makes it easier to find new music and the Browse section gets a new look to spotlight new music.
