Another means another new macOS release. Last year we saw macOS Big Sur (macOS 11) which saw some big changes to the Mac operating system. This year, we expect to see macOS 12 make some refinements to that system. We expect macOS 12 to follow the same protocol of previous years where Apple holds its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 7th where the company will preview the new macO12 followed by beta testing.
After this, we should see further refinements and then finally the final release or at the very least a release announcement in September 2021.
macOS 12 Name
macOS has always followed the same pattern of giving the operating system a name and a number. Last year, we saw macOS 11 called Big Sur (a famous California landmark) and we expect to see something similar this year. Before 2013, Apple named their operating systems after big cats including Tiger, Mountain Lion, Lion, etc. Recently we’ve had Big Sur, Mavericks, Yosemite, and Catalina. We think that macOS 12 will also be named after a famous California landmark.
Because California is such a huge place, it’s anyone’s guess what macOS 12 will be called at this point but we’re hopeful Apple will have made their decision by June 7th 2021.
macOS 12 Potential Features
There have been no official announcements from Apple about features of the macOS 12 operating system. However, we’ll go over some of the features we think Apple will include and some that we hope they include. 2020 saw Big Sur make some huge changes to the operating system in Macs so we don’t think there will be another big shift in direction. Instead, we think there will mostly be improvements and refinements of existing features brought about by Big Sur.
M1 Refinements
When Big Sur launched in 2020, it was thought that it would work seamlessly with the M1 chip. However, it didn’t take long for issues to arise. Some of which included users being locked out thanks to screensaver bugs and problems with the operating system not working with external monitors. Some of these issues have been patched but we think there will be a big focus on ironing out all the issues and niggly problems that we saw with Big Sur and the M1 chip.
Touchscreen Capabilities
Touchscreen has been an idea that is always asked for by the Apple user community. It makes sense, why not include the technology used in the iPad and iPhone but for the Mac? Whilst this is unlikely, we feel like this wouldn’t be a stretch considering the fact that the M1 chip now uses the same basic software that is found in Apple’s portable products.
Apple Health for Mac
Up until now, users can only check their health markers by using the Apple Watch in conjunction with an iPhone. We feel like Apple will include Apple Health on the Mac when macOS 12 is announced. It’s annoying that you can only look at your health stats on your phone and it would make sense for users to get that data on their Mac and into a spreadsheet, for example.
Cloud Back-up
Right now you can download a backup of your iPhone in case it breaks or you lose it in a flood or any other disaster. There have been a lot of calls for the same thing to be added to the Mac. It would make sense for Apple to allow you to back up your Mac’s settings and data in the cloud and then download it to a new Mac if your Mac breaks or something else happens to it. This function would work as a backup website too. In case something goes wrong with your Mac, you could just download a backup version before the issue took place.
Unlock your Mac with iPhone
Today you can unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch. It never really made sense that Apple added this function and didn’t do the same thing with the iPhone. There are arguably a lot more people that own an iPhone compared to Apple Watch owners.
Shortcuts App
It was thought that Apple would release the Shortcuts app that is found on iOS currently. However, this never happened and we’re still not sure why. Right now it’s easy to create yourself shortcuts on your Mac but for those who are less technically inclined, adding the Shortcuts app to macOS 12 would make a lot of sense and would make life easier for beginners who aren’t sure how to navigate their Macs easily.
Control Center options
The Control Centre provides a lot of features already but it would be good to be able to remove things that you don’t need or ever use. This feature was released with Big Sur so we think that this will be refined even more with macOS 12.
