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OS X Desktops (Apple) Software Apple

Apple Announces macOS Monterey, the Next Mac Desktop Operating System (arstechnica.com) 54

Posted by BeauHD from the Apple-Silicon-transition dept.
One of the biggest new features of macOS Monterey, the next version of macOS announced at WWDC, is the ability to share a keyboard and mouse across an iMac, MacBook, and iPad. It's called "Universal Control" and it's coming this Fall. Ars Technica reports: Apple SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi demonstrated the ability to simply set an iPad near a Mac, move the cursor of the latter toward the former, and have the iPad automatically recognize it. This means users can directly drag and drop files between devices, for instance. Apple demonstrated this feature across an iMac, MacBook, and iPad in concert. Beyond that, macOS Monterey will make it possible to AirPlay video, audio, documents, and other items from an iPad or iPhone directly to a Mac.

The update also brings the Shortcuts feature first seen on iPhones and iPads, allowing users to access automated tasks and workflows on the Mac. Apple says the existing Automator app will continue to be supported with Monterey and that users will be able to import existing Automator workflows into Shortcuts. Safari will also receive something of a makeover with Monterey, bringing a thinner and visually cleaner toolbar alongside more compact tabs. Active tab bars will now house the traditional URL and search bar, and tabs can now be grouped together and accessed through Safari's sidebar. These tab groups can then be accessed and updated across Macs, iPhones, and iPads.

The update will include a number of features from the newly announced iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 updates as well. This includes a SharePlay feature that lets users share content or their current device screen over a FaceTime call and a Focus feature that filters and minimizes notifications when users indicate they are in the middle of a particular activity ("coding," "gaming," etc.).
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Apple Announces macOS Monterey, the Next Mac Desktop Operating System More

Apple Announces macOS Monterey, the Next Mac Desktop Operating System

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  • Why do they need to overhaul an OS to add these? Why not just incrementally add them over time and/or make them optional but free addons?

    • Re:Marketing ploy? (Score:4, Informative)

      by Moridineas ( 213502 ) on Monday June 07, 2021 @07:14PM (#61464160) Journal

      They release an update every year. It's free. It keeps the userland and kernel (and system APIs, etc.) in sync. It keeps things simple and testable.

      macOS has reasonable hardware support--the current release (11) supports Mac hardware going back about 9 years.

      • But we should have heard, today, some hints about the kernel+API changes. We saw a lot of fancy application-layer software, but it's hard to understand why it requires a new OS to support it. Moreover, why will iOS-15 run on all devices currently running iOS-14, but macOS-12 will kill off two years of older devices - must be some OS-specific reason, no? To my thinking, an OS is not 'new' just because it supports new hairstyles on its emojis.

        • As their distribution model is binary-only, compiler flags come to mind first. For x86_64, gcc has defined architecture levels:

          > x86-64: CMOV, CMPXCHG8B, FPU, FXSR, MMX, FXSR, SCE, SSE, SSE2
          > x86-64-v2: (close to Nehalem) CMPXCHG16B, LAHF-SAHF, POPCNT, SSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSSE3
          > x86-64-v3: (close to Haswell) AVX, AVX2, BMI1, BMI2, F16C, FMA, LZCNT, MOVBE, XSAVE
          > x86-64-v4: AVX512F, AVX512BW, AVX512CD, AVX512DQ, AVX512VL

          The other might be driver deprecation. Aka they're bored of maintaining old

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Misagon ( 1135 )

      Microsoft already has "Mouse without borders" for Windows, as an optional download. It does much of the same thing as Apple's "Universal Control". ... but judging from various comments today, not many people know that it exists.

    • They literally do exactly what you just asked for.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Tablizer ( 95088 )

        No, then they wouldn't bundle it under a single name; features would just gradually trickle in.

    • Why do they need to overhaul an OS ...

      Because they are running on a new hardware architecture, ARM. Yes the current version of macOS (Big Sur) supports ARM, but this first experience with ARM-based macOS in the real word likely provided them with a lot of data regarding how to improve macOS on ARM. This new data likely cause a certain amount of overhaul.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Gilmoure ( 18428 )

      To create an artificial cutoff for old hardware.

      I mean, it's not like my 2009 Mac or 2014 tablet will ever run this, despite decent processor speeds and hardware.

  • The idea of using a single keyboard for multiple devices is useful on occasion, but what I really want is to be able to make my MBP keyboard and mouse control a Mac Pro without the headaches of Remote Desktop.

    • Possibly you want Synergy by symless -- I use it between my Windows and Linux desktops, but I think it also works on Mac. Each desktop/laptop has its own screen, and you tell it the layout of the machines, and then move the mouse from one monitor to another (e.g. from laptop 1 to laptop 2) and the keyboard focus follows whichever desktop the mouse is on.

      • Worked on a mac last time I used it.

      • Yes it works, and pretty seamlessly including clipboard etc. Ive been using it between two macs, and in the past between a mac and windows.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Budenny ( 888916 )

        Its interesting as far as it goes, but it doesn't do monitor sharing, which would make it a must-have.

      • but I think it also works on Mac.

        Sure does.
        For shits and giggles, I've had all 3 attached to a synergy section.
        Seamless copy and paste between them all. Synergy really is a fucking great piece of software.

      • I've used synergy (in various forms: barrier / synergy / synergy-core across multiple OSes for a long time. It's amazing and works exactly how I expect it to every time.

        With my birthday recently passing I'm trying to figure out if the fact that this headline makes me slightly irked is a sign that I'm becoming a old curmudgeon of technologist.
      • Yes! I was hoping this response would be here. An MacOS compiled free version called Barrier [github.com] exists -- should you ever need it.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by dublin ( 31215 )

        Windows users get this for free with Mouse Without Borders, a free tool from Microsoft Garage - think Windows-only Synergy. Before switching to the Surface (I'm a pen/touch addict), I used this for years to kinda virtually dock my laptop to the nice keyboard and mouse on the big touchscreen desktop. Generally speaking, it was rock solid and just works. The ability to copy/paste intelligently between PCs and as much drag-and-drop functionality as is reasonable makes it work pretty much like you want it to

    • That is -- I think -- exactly what this feature does.

      The MacPro would run the client software for the feature. The MBP would run the server. Clients regularly check to see if the server is available. When the server becomes available the client (MacPro) accepts keyboard / mouse input directly from the server (MBP) once focus is given to the client. Focus is usually handed off either by a keyboard command or by scrolling the mouse off the edge of the screen of the server. Check out Barrier [github.com].

      I beli

  • OS X is no longer a thing (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Prien715 ( 251944 ) <agnosticpope@@@gmail...com> on Monday June 07, 2021 @06:29PM (#61464040) Journal

    We're on macOS 11.4 now IIRC. Maybe a new logo for the story might be in order?

  • I am imagining someone innocently wandering around, settling near a computer with a an iphone in their pocket, and dragging YOUR files onto their iphone...

    I am sure that will never happen.

    • I am imagining someone innocently wandering around, settling near a computer with a an iphone in their pocket, and dragging YOUR files onto their iphone...
      I am sure that will never happen.

      Very unlikely that this feature will work between different devices that are signed into different Apple IDs. You don't think Apple have thought about this?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Misagon ( 1135 )

      I assume that it would require you to be logged in with the same AppleID on both devices for it to work.

      However... What about lending out an iPad to your kids?
      You won't want them messing things up on your desktop.

    • That was my reaction. I hope they've got easy to use controls for determining which devices can share with which other devices. Having the same Apple ID is probably not sufficient since, e.g., you may want to lend someone your iPad but not allow it to mess with your desktop machine.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Tablizer ( 95088 )

      "You got your e-peanut-butter in my e-chocolate!"

  • It's really too bad that Apple seems to have a habit of crushing their loyal developers. Back in the day they would acquire companies if they wanted to build their app into the OS - now, with a trillion in the bank - they just seem to mow them down.

    Any exceptions this time? Hopefully?

    https://symless.com/synergy [symless.com]

    Sadly, though, despite there being a github repo from ten years ago demoing iOS support, Symless seems to have let that opportunity pass them by. This thread being necroed today by a developer can'

  • A rather loyal Mac user friend of mine said he is considering going back to Windows, because more and more software requires ever-newer MacOS versions that refuse to install on his hardware.

    • The new OS is free and goes back to machines that are 6-7 years old. If his Mac is older Iâ(TM)m not sure heâ(TM)s much of a revenue source for Apple anyway.
    • This seems like a specious complaint as Big Sur won't stop working, and Apple will continue to provide critical updates to it for years to come. Are you suggesting Apple should always target 10 year old hardware with the very latest OS? It's well known that they have been very generous in this regard on the mobile side. They're more generous on the desktop/laptop side - just that the perspective is different. Or does your friend think that Apple should just go on supporting legacy hardware forever?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by vux984 ( 928602 )

        There's a difference between 'target' and 'support'

        It's telling that the latest Windows 10 will run on macbook pro's that apple won't let you install the latest macOS on. And it's certainly not like microsoft is putting a lot of effort into it.

        • This.

          I just repurposed my old MBA as a Win10 machine, and it's much faster and runs cooler than whatever old last available version of OS X was on it. Win10 is perfectly fine, regardless of Apple's "privacy" theater lol.

          Apple and MS switched places years ago as to which company is more evil. Apple wins the evilness award most years now.

      • Comment removed based on user account deletion

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by trparky ( 846769 )
          And yet I upgrade my desktop every five years. I built a new desktop three years ago with an 8700K and I'm already planning my next build and with the looks of things, it's probably going to be an AMD APU-based system since one can't buy a graphics card to save their life.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Gilmoure ( 18428 )

          I've topped out my most recent Mac (2009 Mac Pro) with MacOS High Sierra (10?). Upgraded single 4 core to dual 6 cores, along with NVMe card and USB3 and still stuck OS-wise.

          Looking hard at switching to Linux or Win10, as I run more and more on Win10 game machine (originally built just for Steam). Maybe I'll just keep the case and go full ATX Ryzen build in there.

          Doubt I'll ever buy a new Mac. Just tinker with my old machines from 512k days on up.

  • We called this x2x in 1996. Was great then, will be great now too.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X2x

  • Big Sur was awful and is still buggy. :(

  • More compact tabs? That's good news for Firefox users who dislike the large tabs of the latest Firefox update. As soon as they copy this from MacOS everything should be cool again :P

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dublin ( 31215 )

      Firefox tab management has been wretched since the move to Quantum destroyed the ability to run Tab Mix Plus, which is the *ONLY* tab manager I've ever seen that gracefully handles over a thousand tabs. (Yes, I have that many - around 1300 in three windows right now, in fact, with about 1250 in the main window...)

  • Wow (Score:2)

    by robi5 ( 1261542 )

    It is a sad world where cross-device cursor is hailed as innovation. I bet it was already implemented at Xerox PARC in the 70's, just Apple hasn't gotten around to copying it yet. Also, it'd be great if "Apple Continuity" wasn't the running joke and clusterfuck of hit and miss operations. I avoid any aspect of it, though the concept would be great. It just doesn't work for odd reasons in about 50-80% of the time. Bad implementation, lacking QA

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