Apple representatives showed the tech giant’s plans for their new operating system, Monterey, recently at the WWDC 2021 conference. This is of course the newest software update for the tech company and there are some interesting new features.
Monterey is the latest OS to have a name after various landmarks in California. One of the new features is the “Universal Control”, which intends to let Mac owners access more than one device with one mouse and keyboard.
With the update, a person can seamlessly navigate a cursor between say an iPad and a MacBook computer. This allows those with both devices to easily share files and a wide array of other things.
AirPlay is another feature that will receive an update in Monterey. Users can share things like documents, videos, and audio clips in a more direct way between devices. This also adds more automated functionality when using multiple Apple devices.
There is also an update to Safari coming soon. The browser will be less clunk and have a tab system that is more compact. This should also help with navigation times on Safari.
Many of the new additions to the recently announced iPadOS 15 and iOS 15 will be part of the update. A few of these features include “SharePlay”, which is an easy way to share a screen on a call. SharePlay will also let users listen to content with others at the same time.
“Focus” is another addition and it will give Apple users a way to show they are busy with a specific task and thus need to focus.
The update will add a number of features from the newly announced iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 updates as well, including “SharePlay,” which lets users share content or their current device screen over a FaceTime call, and “Focus,” which filters and minimizes notifications when users indicate they are in the middle of an activity (“coding,” “gaming,” etc.), among others.
A few other things of note in the announcement:
- The weather app has been redesigned
- Apple is introducing a way to digitize text within photos
- Apple even introduced a way in certain states to use a phone’s Wallet as a valid form of identification
- Siri will now work even without an Internet connection and will be usable on third-party devices
- Health data can now be shared between family members
- The watchOS 8 is getting a few new health-related apps
- Extensions will be available on the iPhone and iPads in addition to computers
All of these new features and many more will arrive to the public in July but are already available for developers.
If you’re one of the many Mac users, you might be wondering if your device will work with the new update.
According to the company, it will work with the following:
Early 2015 and later MacBook Air
Early 2015 and later MacBook Pro
Early 2016 and later MacBook
Late 2015 and later iMac
Late 2014 and later Mac mini
2017 and later iMac Pro
Late 2013 and later Mac Pro
