macOS Big Sur includes the most important Safari update ever, and significant news for Messages, Maps and privacy
Apple has previewed macOS Big Su r , the new version of the most advanced operating system in the world, with a completely new but always intuitive and familiar design.
It includes great news for Safari , including a customizable home page , more elegant and versatile panels , a simple and fast translation function , and the new Privacy Report.
With Messages app updates, users can send and receive more personal and expressive messages, and also more easily follow group conversations and participate in them easily. And Maps offers a completely new experience with engaging features for finding your way around and exploring the world.
“MacOS Big Sur is an important update that takes the legendary combination between the power of UNIX and the ease of use of the Mac one step further, and it is also our biggest revolution in design for over ten years” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering. “With its modern, clean look, big improvements to key apps like Safari, Messages and Maps, and new privacy features, we are sure that everyone will appreciate the revolutionary macOS Big Sur user experience.”
The biggest update since the introduction of Mac OS X
macOS Big Sur has a new more spacious design that simplifies navigation and puts even more controls just a click away. Every single element has been redefined, from the curvature of the corners of the windows to the palette of colors and materials, and new functions allow users to have even more information and control.
The icons in the Dock have been redesigned to match those used in the entire Apple ecosystem, but without giving up the personality of the Mac. In addition, the buttons and controls appear only when needed and retract when not needed. The whole experience is cleaner, fresher and more familiar, with less visual distractions, to give space and emphasis to the user’s contents.
In the customizable menu bar, a new Control Center gives quick access to controls from the Desktop, while the updated Notification Center offers more interactive notifications and redesigned widgets, available in various sizes, which provide more relevant information at a glance. In addition, the new design of the main apps allows you to organize everything better even when there are many windows open, and to interact with the apps in an even simpler way.
Safari is even faster, more personal and more attentive to privacy
With the biggest update since the introduction of Safari in 2003, the fastest browser in the world is even more snappy and confirms itself as the industry leader in terms of speed and energy saving . Thanks to the fast JavaScript engine, Safari’s performance is superior to that of other browsers on Mac and PC; for example, it is on average 50% faster than Chrome to load frequently visited sites.
The tabs have been completely redesigned to make browsing with Safari faster and more intuitive: even more panels can be displayed, site icons appear by default to help recognize open panels, and users can see a quick preview of the page. web simply by hovering the cursor over the panel.
Safari offers new features that allow you to browse the web in an even more personalized way . Users can make the new home page unique by adding a background image and sections such as Reading List and iCloud Panels. Thanks to the integrated translation function, Safari is able to identify and translate entire web pages from seven different languages with a simple click.
In addition, the browsing experience can be further customized thanks to the improved support for extensions, which the user can discover and download from the Mac App Store also taking advantage of a new category with suggestions from the editorial staff and rankings.
Privacy has always been integrated into Safari, and now the new Privacy Report offers users more visibility on how Safari protects their activities on the web . Users can choose which websites have access to a particular Safari extension and when they can use it, and tools like tracking data breach attempts never reveal password information, not even to Apple.
Expressive and effective messages
The Messages app on Mac includes new tools that help you manage important conversations better and send more expressive messages. Now you can set your favorite conversations at the top of the list of messages to access them on the fly; in addition, the search function has been completely redesigned, with results organized by links, photos and corresponding terms that allow users to quickly find what they are looking for.
The effects in Messages allow users to give more personality to messages with balloons, confetti and more. You can also create and customize Memoji on the Mac, and express emotions and moods with Memoji stickers. Plus, with the new photo and #image selector, sharing images, GIFs and videos is even easier and faster.
New group messaging features make it easy to interact with family, friends and colleagues. With inline replies, users can reply directly to a message, but also direct it to a single person or group simply by typing its name. Also you can set up a photo or emoji for a group conversation that will be visible to all members.
New planning tools with Maps
Completely redesigned for macOS Big Sur, the Maps app offers new features for exploring the world . Users can discover places to visit and things to do with the guides of reliable sources, or create personal ones with the restaurants, parks and holiday destinations they prefer, ready to be shared with relatives and friends.
They can take a 360 ° look at the destination with the Look Around function, and consult the map of the interiors of the main airports and shopping centers. It is now possible to calculate routes by bike and electric vehicles on the Mac, and send them directly to the iPhone to have them at hand while on the move.
State-of-the-art privacy in the sector
Privacy has always been at the center of the Mac user experience, and macOS Big Sur takes it to a new level by offering users even more transparency and control over their data. Inspired by the convenient and intuitive labels of the nutritional values of food, the new privacy information shown in the Mac App Store will help users understand the privacy rules of the various apps before downloading them , for example the types of data they can collect, such as usage data, contact information and location, and if they will be shared with third parties for tracking.
Exceptional tools for developers
The more than 20 million developers in the Apple community use the Mac to create amazing apps for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS. And with Xcode 12, developing cool apps for macOS is easier than ever. The important SwiftUI update allows you to create entire apps using code shared between the various Apple platforms, while adding Mac-specific functions such as the Preferences windows. And SwiftUI is the basis for even more elements, such as the new widgets for Mac, iPhone and iPad created with shared Swift code.
Mac Catalyst , which debuted last year with macOS Catalina, allows developers to easily bring their iPad apps to the Mac. And in macOS Big Sur, apps created with Mac Catalyst automatically inherit the new look of the operating system, while offering new, powerful APIs and full control over the appearance and behavior of their apps.
Developers can now offer the “ Family Sharing” feature for in-app subscriptions and purchases, and thanks to support for the WebExtension API, extensions created for other browsers can be easily made available for Safari.
Availability
The beta version of macOS Big Sur is available today on developer.apple.com for developers enrolled in the Apple Developer Program; the public beta for Mac users will be available on beta.apple.com from next month. macOS Big Sur will be available as a free software update in the fall. For more information and to know the compatible Mac models: apple.com/macos/bigsur-preview . The functions described are subject to change. Some features may not be available in all languages or in all regions.
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