Before the new Mac is ready to debut, Apple finally announced that it will open the upgrade of existing Mac to the new versionmacOS 10.15 CatalinaThrough this article, let mashdigi tell you the key points of this update.
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Split the iTunes service so that more people are willing to use it
When upgrading to macOS 10.15 Catalina, many users will find that the original iTunes has disappeared. Instead, Apple has split Apple Music into a new independent app, including Podcasts and Apple TV, which have also become independent apps for use.
The main purpose of splitting the iTunes service is to allow Apple Music and Podcast services to be used by more people. At the same time, it is also hoped that the new Apple TV+ service, which is expected to be launched in November, can attract more people to use it by splitting into an independent Apple TV App.
Rather than making these apps more accessible, Apple's primary focus is on driving greater growth in its own services, hoping to increase user numbers and generate revenue opportunities. iOS device backups, previously performed through iTunes, have been further integrated into the Finder. Users simply connect the device they want to sync, find the relevant items in the left column, and perform backups and restores.
More iOS apps will be coming to macOS
Starting with the previous version of macOS 10.14 Mojave, Apple has allowed apps such as Home, Siri, and Books, which were originally only available on the iOS platform, to be added to the macOS platform. In addition, Apple has continued to strengthen the integration between iOS devices and the macOS platform and reduce the interaction barriers between different platforms. In fact, Apple has made more and more design developments, gradually bringing the two platforms closer.
Due to the many differences in usage requirements between the two platforms, Apple is maintaining the parallel development of iOS and macOS rather than merging the two operating systems. However, through the development tool, previously codenamed Marzipan and currently known as Mac Catalyst (Project Catalyst), which integrates AppKit and UIKit resources, developers can create app content for both iOS and macOS through a single design. This is expected to increase the richness of application services on the macOS platform.This makes Mac devices more practical.
Currently, Apple is starting with corresponding apps for iPad devices, which have a user experience that is increasingly similar to that of laptops, allowing more users to use apps that they are accustomed to on iPad on Mac devices. In addition, by combining it with service functions such as iCloud and AirDrop, users can quickly switch between iPad and Mac devices.
While this is currently focused on apps for iPad devices, it is expected that more iPhone-compatible apps will be added to the macOS platform in the future. However, for iOS apps to run smoothly on the macOS platform, the system version must be updated to macOS 10.15 Catalina or later.
Currently, apps that support macOS 10.15 Catalina include Twitter, Jira Cloud, CARROT Weather, Morpholio Board, Post-It, GoodNotes, Rosetta Stone, Vectornator, Proloquo2Go, and Crew.
Mac game content will be richer
Mac Catalyst allows more iOS apps to be ported to macOS 10.15 Catalina, including games. Apple Arcade, a service considered a philosopher's stone by developers, has also arrived on macOS 10.15 Catalina, allowing iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, iPad, and iPad Pro users to play games online with Mac users.
In this way, the macOS platform can also change the past criticism that "there are not many games". It can even further unleash the graphics card computing performance through the Metal API resource connection.Apple ArcadeIn the game subscription service, more accumulated game categories and content will also be brought to macOS 10.15 Catalina, sweeping away the stereotype that the macOS platform has no eye-catching game works in the past.
In fact, Apple has long begun to gradually enhance the graphics computing efficiency and related applications of Mac devices. For example, it allows Mac to connect to VR headsets. On the other hand, it continues to maintain a high-level cooperation with AMD Radeon graphics cards to enhance the performance of graphics cards in Mac series devices.
With the help of Mac Catalyst, the touch operation function that was originally only compatible with the iOS platform will be converted into an operation mode using keyboard, mouse, and trackpad on the macOS platform. It is expected that the handle operation function can also be controlled, allowing users to play games more easily through Mac devices.
Make Mac easier to use
The new version of macOS is already very easy to use, but Apple obviously wants to make it easier for users to simplify things, so this time it has added a lot of more convenient features, such asSidecarUsers can connect their iPad via wired connection and use their iPad or iPad Pro as a second screen for their Mac. They can also perform handwriting operations through the App, making it a second screen for their Mac device.
In the future, the "Find My iPhone", "Find My iPad" or "Find My Mac" functions that previously appeared on iOS and Mac devices will be integrated into the "Find My" function and protected by encryption. In addition to helping users find personal devices, it can also be used to locate the location of friends added as contacts.
For users with limited mobility or who are unable to use their Mac normally, Apple has enhanced the voice control feature in macOS 10.15, allowing users to operate their Mac devices directly through voice recognition, and even select operations with simple spoken commands through numeric options. The same feature will also appear in iOS 13, and all voice recognition operations are performed on the device itself, with no additional data uploaded to the cloud for backup or recording, thereby ensuring personal privacy.
At the same time, in order to emphasize device security, Apple also emphasized that Mac devices equipped with the T2 security chip will be able to be locked through Activation Lock to prevent accidentally lost Macs and other devices from being stolen by others. The user must log in to the device with the same Apple ID to display a random number to successfully unlock it.
In addition, the new version of the photo function has added a new tab design, and will automatically present the most striking photos in the album through artificial intelligence learning. It can even recognize the people and situations in the photos, presenting moments such as birthdays, anniversaries or travel time, and even enlarge the thumbnails and automatically play the original photos and video content.
The macOS 10.15 Catalina update also includes enhancements to Mail, Safari, Notes, Reminders, Screen Time, and the Continue Use feature, as well as improved user experience design and support for more language usage modes.
It is recommended to create a backup before upgrading.
Compared to the previous version of macOS 10.14 Mojave, Apple has added many updates to the new version of macOS 10.15 Catalina, especially the introduction of Mac Catalyst design, which allows more iOS platform apps to be supported and used. The actual structural design will also be different from the original operating system.
Since macOS 10.15 Catalina fully adopts a 64-bit architecture design, in addition to becoming Apple's latest 64-bit architecture operating system, it also makes many applications designed only for 32-bit architecture incompatible. Therefore, it is expected that in the short term, many older operating systems will not be directly compatible and must wait for developers and manufacturers to update before they can run under the new operating system environment.
Therefore, before upgrading to macOS 10.15 Catalina, users are advised to back up the data on their Mac before performing the system update.
Mac models currently supporting macOS 10.15 Catalina include the following:
- MacBook (Early 2015 or later)
- MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or later)
- MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or later)
- Mac mini (late 2012 or later)
- iMac (late 2012 or later)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- Mac Pro (late 2013 or later)
