macOS 12 expectations
macOS Big Sur, officially called macOS 11 Big Sur, was one of the biggest updates in years last year. Apple therefore decided to move away from the macOS 10.X naming convention. Instead, Apple opts for virtually the same version numbering as other operating systems. That brings us this year to macOS 12. There have been hardly any rumors about which functions you can expect in this version, so this macOS 12 preview mainly consists of our wishes and predictions based on developments in recent years. Nonetheless, there's plenty to report about and we'll take you through our expectations for macOS 12.
- Less major update
- Siri Shortcuts
- New apps
- Password management
- Name
- Other wishes
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# 1 Less major update than last year
To begin with, we expect the upcoming update to be a lot smaller than last year's. Apple made a drastic change with the completely new design in macOS Big Sur and in macOS 12 Apple will mainly build on that. We therefore expect Apple to mainly add some minor changes to the design and refine the new additions a bit further. You saw that this spring, where Safari got even more functions for the home screen and iPhone and iPad apps were further improved.
So don't expect Apple to overhaul the design again, but that it's mainly about a number of new functions, apps and improved possibilities.
The new design of macOS Big Sur
# 2 Improved Siri and Commands app
What we especially hope is that Apple will give Siri on the Mac a major update. Since the arrival of the assistant on the computer, the function has hardly improved. Support came for HomeKit, but it actually was. Some simple tasks Siri still can't do on Mac, such as setting a timer. We therefore hope that Apple will align Siri on the Mac with the iPhone and iPad versions.
Plus, we think this year is a good time to move Siri Shortcuts and the Shortcuts app to Mac. Already a year ago, indications were found that Apple already laid the foundation for Siri Shortcuts on the Mac. The app can become part of Catalyst (and thus transfer the iPad version to the Mac, as it were), but we mainly hope that Apple will make a Mac-specific version. iPhone and iPad apps on the Mac also take advantage of this, because the capabilities they have with the Assignments app can also be used on the Mac.
There is almost certainly a high probability of Shortcuts coming to the Mac & mdash; because it's already 90% there in macOS Catalina. I hope in the intervening year that they've had the opportunity to build a Mac UI around it, and extend its APIs to AppKit apps https://t.co/g7AqZc72Ii pic.twitter.com/824P5ZFrMp
& mdash; Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) May 24, 2020
# 3 New (and improved) apps
Every year Apple takes a closer look at a number of Mac apps or completely new apps are added. In recent years, Voice Memos, Shares and Home have already made the switch to the Mac and apps are being improved with some regularity. Think of Safari or the Reminders app. We hope that such Catalyst apps, transferred from the iPad, will be more adapted to the Mac. The improvements will also depend on the improved versions of apps on the iPhone and iPad in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, respectively.
For example, if Apple is going to give the Weather app a major update (thanks to the acquisition of Dark Sky), then we certainly see the chance that the app will also find its way to the Mac. Other contenders for new apps are the Fitness app (for using Apple Fitness + from the Mac) and the Health app (for viewing all your health data).
Concept via 9to5Mac
Another app we would like to see is the Apple Support app. Although it is not installed by default on iPhone and iPad, it should be a standard add-on in our opinion. In the last macOS release, Apple has already updated the Service tab (via & # 63743; & gt; About This Mac) and there have also been some rumors about a Mac version of the Apple Support app.
# 4 Improved password management
Apple has had iCloud Keychain for many years, which is an accessible way to easily and quickly create secure passwords for your accounts. Sign in with Apple also makes it easy to register. But not much has changed in the iCloud keychain field in recent years. On the iPhone and iPad, this has a place in the settings, but on the Mac it's still strangely hidden in Safari's preferences. That must be improved.
For example, Apple could release an iCloud Keychain app or update the existing Keychain Access app and make it more accessible. We still find that app a bit messy and unclear. We would also like to see support for two-factor codes added, so that you can log in with all your accounts from your Mac more easily and securely, without the need for another app. A year ago there were rumors that Apple would expand iCloud Keychain with two-factor authentication, but nothing has happened.
# 5 What will the name be?
Every year it is again a big question: what will Apple call the next macOS version? Apple always chooses a recognizable name in addition to the version number, but we actually wonder whether this is still necessary. After all, all other operating systems do not have their own name (except for the code names that are used internally) and the version number is more than sufficient in our opinion. This also provides more uniformity between the different systems.
If Apple chooses a new name, the past has proven that predicting the name is a difficult job. Apple has registered a number of names in recent years, such as Mammoth, Marin, Monterey and Sequoia, but each year Apple actually opts for a name that we have not seen before.
# 6 Other wishes for macOS 12
There are other minor improvements we hope to see in the next macOS update. These are our wishes:
- iCloud backups for Mac : In 2021 it is still a bit of a hassle to make a backup of your Mac in a simple way. You still need to use an external disk to save the backup. It's time Apple made it as easy as on the iPhone and iPad, with the backup stored in iCloud. A disadvantage is that you then need a lot more iCloud storage, so a larger bundle is desired.
- More widgets : With the arrival of macOS Big Sur, the wigdets have been completely renewed, but Apple has also moved away from a number of old widgets. For example, there is no longer a widget for the calculator and many other standard apps have not yet been given a wedge, such as Maps and Music. The Batteries widget would also come in handy, for example for all your wireless accessories.
- Bug fixes and better stability Although macOS Big Sur was quite stable for such a major update, we hope that with macOS 12, Apple will catch up again and make the update faster and more stable than ever. Apple is turning the major annual macOS update every once in a while into a stability update of sorts, and we hope that will be the case again this year.
- More Advanced Clipboard : The Clipboard, with which you can copy and paste things is a frequently used function for computer users. There are apps that take this bigger, so you can have multiple clipboards to keep them for later. We'd also love to see this from Apple itself, built into macOS by default.
- Accessible Cleanup Feature : The Mac does have a feature called Optimized Storage, but we'd like to see a way where the Mac automatically recognizes duplicate files and can delete them in a few clicks.
Read our overview of macOS 12 for more info and check out our earlier preview in this series:
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