Apple iPad apps are coming to the Mac, while Apple’s iTunes will be broken apart into several different apps. These are the most significant new aspects of macOS Catalina, which Apple will release to Mac computers later this year. Apple has already started rolling-out its first public beta of Catalina.
However, industry experts have cautioned this Apple beta update should only be installed on a secondary Mac.
Although the Apple update has been stable in tests, its early form means the existence of bugs and other issues is more likely.
There are significant changes and improvements in macOS Catalina, from a redesigned Reminders app to helpful additions like iCloud Drive folder sharing.
This is what Apple Mac users can expect to see from macOS Catalina, also known as 10.15, when it is released in a few months.
Apple has already announced it is ending iTunes for the Mac, breaking the software into three more focused apps: Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple TV.
Apple says these apps should offer great performance when they are made available for all fans later this year.
Apple Music is a gateway to the company’s subscription music service, but it also handles all of the traditional music library management that iTunes did before.
This means all Apple media will successfully migrate over and work perfectly.
And you can still buy individual albums and songs from Apple Music.
Podcasts and Apple TV are exactly what you would expect from Mac versions of their iOS counterparts.
Apple TV includes full support for Apple TV Channels, meaning you can continue streaming content from HBO, Showtime, and other networks right inside the app if you subscribe to them.
Apple is also adding support for HDR and Dolby Vision to the TV app.
Apple Podcasts offers a clean, straightforward interface for keeping up with your favourite shows and podcasters.
Apple has taken a cue from apps like Luma Display and will introduce a new feature in macOS Catalina called Sidecar.
This allows your iPad to serve as a secondary or mirrored display for your Mac.
It works both wired and wirelessly, and Apple says performance should basically be identical between the two.
Additionally, any app supporting stylus will let you draw or edit with your Apple Pencil immediately without developers needing to do a thing.
This covers apps like Adobe Lightroom, Illustrator, and others including Affinity Photo.
Sidecar will be really convenient for annotating PDFs or signing documents on your Apple Mac.
The last 10 Apple MacOS names:
MacOS 10.14: Mojave- 2018
MacOS 10.13: High Sierra- 2017
MacOS 10.12: Sierra- 2016
OS X 10.11: El Capitan- 2015
OS X 10.10: Yosemite-2014
OS X 10.9 Mavericks-2013
OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion- 2012
OS X 10.7 Lion- 2011
OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard- 2009
OS X 10.5 Leopard- 2007