What’s New in MacOS Sequoia: Top Features Australian Mac Users Will Love

Recently, Apple organised the World Wide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) 2024, where Apple introduced the latest MacOS called Sequoia, which is to be released in September.

This time Apple’s major focus is artificial intelligence. Its Apple intelligence and OpenAI partnership will bring a new flow of features. MacOS Sequoia will bring several improvements and features for the users, making changes in Safari, iPhone mirroring, improved games, and new ways to tile windows.

For MacOS users in Australia, understanding MacOS Sequoia is a very important key to analysing whether their device is eligible for upgrade or not. In this article, we will cover all the features of MacOS Sequoia and which Macs are suitable for upgrades.

What’s New in MacOS Sequoia?

Apple Intelligence: In MacOS Sequoia, now with the help of Apple intelligence you can generate text suggestions and create images while messaging or emails. Artificial Intelligence will work seamlessly with apps such as Siri, Notes, Messages, Mails, photo apps, and other installed apps in Mac.

Apple Intelligence is integrated with OpenAI’s latest model ChatGPT 4, while Siri will be asking permission to connect with ChatGPT to deliver the best response to the users.

Apple Intelligence’s writing tool, which allows you to quickly summarise you’re the text, rewrite your text, and review your text, suggesting grammar and spellings with the help of AI.

Apple Intelligence’s for photos playgrounds and images, it allows users to create playful images in different formats. It allows users to alter backgrounds.

These writing tools will be available for all apps: Mails, Notes, Pages, and third party applications.

Siri Digital Assistance will bring language improvements, making it more natural and better command over text and voice communication.

I-Phone Mirroring: I-phone mirroring allows user to directly access their I phones through their Macs. The phone’s applications, and wallpaper will appear on Mac for the user to perform tasks, view notifications and open apps as a window on the PC screen. During i-phone mirroring the phone remained locked to keep it private.

Safari: MacOS Sequoia has an updated safari, which provides new and better ways to browse and search content. A new feature highlights, which shows the summary of the page content, directions via maps and other links. New customised sections for the summary appear on the sidebar of long articles. Safari has been revamped to faster page load time.

Tiling Window Feature: When a user is working on multiple windows open on the screen at the same time then MacOS Sequoia will automatically resize them and arrange them in such a way that every window will have the maximum visibility.

Passwords app: Password is the new app for Mac users replacing keychains and it securely stores credentials of the user. It syncs between Apple devices through iCloud with end-to-end encryption and windows devices with iCloud for window users.

Layouts: MacOS Sequoia makes easy customisation by dragging and dropping app windows in pre-selected formats, making it an easy and convenient way to arrange the windows in a pre –designed layout for the mac users.

Calculators and calendars: The new MacOS Sequoia has now more features in the calculator which now stores previous records of calculations and performs unit conversations including trigonometry expressions, parentheses, and other operations as well.

The New calendar in MacOS Sequoia has a more updated easy to view calendar with a feature that shows events and tasks that we put into reminders.

Notes: The Notes in MacOS Sequoia has been updated with features like calculating simple math equations, estimations, and assigning different variables with the app.

Video Conferencing: In MacOS Sequoia, while doing a video call on FaceTime or zoom, the presenter can now view the screen appearance even before sharing it with the viewers. Anyone can now easily create a custom background or use the built-in background in video conferencing.

Game Porting Toolkit: New game porting toolkit in MacOS Sequoia with the most requested capabilities. A window API compatibility layer derived from wine and crossover. Creating an easy port of window games to MacOS.

Which devices are compatible with Sequoia MacOS 15?

The new MacOS Sequoia is compatible with devices such as:

• iMac – 2019 and later.
• Mac Studio – 2022.
• Mac mini – 2018 and later.
• Mac Pro – 2019 and later.
• iMac Pro – 2017 and later.
• MacBook Air – 2020 and later.
• MacBook Pro – 2018 and later.

Only devices with an Apple M-series chip, or one that is M1 or newer, can use Apple Intelligence and its related features. This feature won't be available on any Mac using an Intel CPU that is older than 2020.

Therefore, Apple Intelligence will run on devices like:

• MacBook Pro – 2021 or later, and 2020 13-inch M1 version.
• MacBook Air – 2022 or later, and 2020 M1 version.
• iMac – 2021 or later.
• Mac mini – 2020 or later.
• Mac Studio – 2022 or later.
• Mac Pro – 2023.

All Macs with Apple hardware, as well as those with Intel's Xeon W and 8th-generation Coffee Lake CPUs or later, are compatible with MacOS Sequoia. Utilising Apple Intelligence requires a Mac running M1chip or later. Every Mac that runs MacOS Sonoma is compatible with MacOS Sequoia, with the exception of the MacBook Air models with Amber Lake CPUs made in 2018 and 2019. Like the Sonoma, the 2019 iMac is the only Intel Mac that isn't supported and doesn't have a T2 security chip. The first iteration of MacOS to stop supporting Macs with T2 security chips is MacOS Sequoia.

When will MacOS 15 Sequoia be available for purchase?

Developers can get a beta version of MacOS Sequoia via the Apple Developer Program, while the general public can download it through the Apple Beta Software Program.

In September 2024, the first full version will be made available to all Mac owners who are compatible as a free software update.

Apple Intelligence features won't be available in MacOS 15 at launch. In October 2024, they will be released together with a subsequent version, maybe MacOS 15.1.