At the 2024 Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple pulled back the curtain on the next generation of its desktop operating system, macOS 15 Sequoia. Named in honour of the majestic Californian national park, this isn’t just an incremental update. Sequoia represents Apple’s most ambitious leap in years, officially marking the Mac’s entry into the company’s vision for a truly intelligent computer.
The headline act? The full-scale integration of Apple Intelligence, the company’s own AI platform, designed to work in seamless harmony with the power of Apple silicon.
Apple Intelligence: Weaving AI into the Fabric of Your Mac
Apple Intelligence isn’t a single feature but a sophisticated layer of smart capabilities woven throughout the OS. It aims to understand and anticipate your needs, transforming how you work and create.
- Smarter Writing & Communication: Across apps like Mail, Notes, and Pages, new Writing Tools offer AI-powered assistance. Get grammar checks with Proofread, instantly rewrite text in a different tone, or generate concise summaries. In Mail, expect smartly generated email previews and Smart Reply suggestions to breeze through your inbox.
- A New Era for Notes: The humble Notes app gets a massive boost. It can now transcribe audio in real-time—perfect for meetings or lectures—and even summarize those recordings for you later.
- Creative Image Generation: With Image Playground, users can generate custom AI images directly within native apps like Messages and Pages, making creative expression more accessible than ever.
- The Siri You’ve Been Waiting For: Siri emerges smarter and more capable. It gains on-screen awareness, allowing it to understand context from what’s displayed on your Mac. It can perform in-app actions and responds to more natural, nuanced language, all while sporting a refreshed visual look.
- Power and Privacy with ChatGPT and Private Cloud Compute: In a significant move, macOS Sequoia will integrate ChatGPT for access to real-time information and enhanced generation. For heavier tasks that require off-device processing, Private Cloud Compute ensures your data remains private and secure.
Beyond AI: A Suite of Powerful New Features
While AI takes centre stage, macOS Sequoia is packed with other user-friendly enhancements.
- iPhone Mirroring: A game-changer for Apple ecosystem users. This feature lets you fully access and interact with your iPhone directly from your Mac desktop, all within a secure window.
- A More Organized Workspace: The new Window Tiling feature automatically snaps and arranges windows for a cleaner, more efficient desktop layout as you work.
- Safari Gets Smarter: The browser introduces intelligent Highlights in the address bar to quickly surface key information from a webpage, alongside a revamped Reader mode and a better video viewing experience.
- The New Passwords App: Replacing the older Keychain, the dedicated Passwords app securely stores and syncs your login credentials across Apple devices and even Windows.
- Calculator & Calendar Upgrades: The Calculator app finally gets a history tape and unit conversion, while Calendar boasts an improved Month View and integration with Reminders.
Compatibility and Availability
macOS Sequoia is designed to run on Macs with Apple’s M-series chips, which are essential for unlocking the full potential of Apple Intelligence. The developer beta is available now, with a public beta to follow and a final, stable release scheduled for Autumn 2024.
For those eager to test the waters early, registered developers can download the beta via the Apple Developer Program through System Settings. As always, a full backup of your Mac is strongly recommended before attempting installation.
