The silence of the macOS Sonoma upgrades

by Jonny Evans · September 27, 2023

That quiet hum? It’s people installing macOS Sonoma, Apple’s latest major software revision for Macs with improvements in video conferencing, gaming, widgets and more. Introduced at WWDC the OS has been in extensive beta testing ever since and is now available for the rest of us.

What’s for the rest of us?

The bigger consumer features in Sonoma include desktop widgets, some beautiful screensavers, improvements in Safari, new video conferencing tools and rather excellent gaming support.

Many of the new features are held in common across all the company’s platforms, while Apple continues to develop ways in which iPhones, Macs, iPads, and other Apple products can complement each other’s experiences. Many rely on the raw power of Apple Silicon.

What about widgets?

Very like widgets on iPads, widgets on Mac can be placed on the desktop and blend seamlessly with the wallpaper while other windows are open. Highlights:

Widgets are interactive, so you can do things without opening trhe app.

iPhone widgets are supported thanks to Continuity.

What about screen savers?

New screen savers include:

Just like Apple TV, Macs gain slow-motion videos of beautiful locations around the world, such as the “sweeping skyline of Hong Kong, the sandstone buttes of Monument Valley in Arizona, and the rolling hills of Sonoma in Northern California,” Apple said.
Screen savers become desktop wallpaper after login.

Video Conferencing gets better

Presenter Overlay displays users in front of the content they are sharing.
Reactions allow people to share how they feel with simple hand gestures that trigger fun, 3D effects like balloons, confetti, hearts, and others.
You can now choose to share a screen, an app, or multiple apps while in a video call from within the window you are in.

Safari gains privacy and convenience

In Safari, profiles keep browsing separate between topics like work, school, and more so users can quickly switch between them.
Private Browsing gets even better with added protection against some of the most advanced techniques used to track users — windows become locked when not in use and known trackers are blocked from loading.
Safari users can also now add any website to the Dock as they would with an app, complete with a simplified toolbar and notifications for an app-like experience.
You can also set a different default search engine for private browsing sessions.

Search in Safari is more responsive than ever and shows easier-to-read and more relevant suggestions.

Better for games

Thanks to Apple Silicon, Macs can now run demanding games and their battery will keep on chugging away. A new Game Mode supports more consistent frame rates and dramatically reduces input and audio latency with wireless game controllers and AirPods.

Additional macOS Sonoma Updates

Notes: We can view PDFs and scans of presentations, assignments, research papers, and more right inside Notes. We can also create links from one note to another to relate ideas and content.

Passwords: A set of passwords can now be shared among a group. Everyone in a group can add and edit passwords to keep them up to date, and since sharing is through iCloud Keychain, it’s end-to-end encrypted. Additionally, one-time verification codes received in Mail will now autofill in Safari, making it easy to securely log in without leaving the browser.

Messages: Search filters and swipe to reply enhance everyday messaging, while all-new Live Stickers can be created and synced across macOS, iOS, and iPadOS.

Reminders: Intelligent grocery lists in Reminders streamline weekly trips to the store by organising lists into sections and arranging them horizontally using a new column view.

Keyboard: An all-new autocorrect makes corrections more accurate and easier to fix. Inline completions quickly finish sentences, while Dictation brings next-level speech recognition and the ability to move fluidly between voice and typing.

Screen Sharing: A new high performance mode in the Screen Sharing app delivers incredibly responsive remote access over high-bandwidth connections — enabling creative professionals to accomplish their work remotely.