Apple announced that the macOS Sierra would be released in June, and it will start rolling out to compatible devices today, i.e., on Sep 20 at 10:30 PM I.S.T.
This announcement comes right after Tim Cook unveiled the iPhone 7, the iPhone 7 Plus, and the Apple Watch: Series 2 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on Wednesday.
OS X is now macOS Sierra
After 16 years of service, Apple finally retired the name O.S.X. in favor of MacOS to streamline its naming strategy. The unique names remain, though, and this version will be called ‘Sierra.’ macOS Sierra brings many new features and changes. Siri’s introduction on the Mac is the most important of them, and the one we have all been waiting for a long time.
Additionally, macOS Sierra includes the ability to use Apple Pay through Safari, a raft of updates to Continuity, and the ability to unlock your Mac using your Apple Watch.
Supported Devices
MacBook (late 2009 and after), iMac (late 2009 and later), MacBook Air (2010 and later), MacBook Pro (2010 and later), Mac Mini (2010 and later), and Mac Pro (2010 and later).
However, not all of these devices will take advantage of all the features of MacOS Sierra, partly due to their age and partly due to planned obsolescence.
To enjoy the full macOS Sierra experience, you need to be running these Macs:
Mac Pro (late 2012 or newer), iMac (late 2012 or newer), Mac mini (late 2012 or newer), MacBook Pro (mid-2012 or newer), MacBook (Early 2015 or newer), MacBook Air (mid-2012 or newer)
Install requirements
Your Mac must be running OS X 10.7.5 or later.
You’ll need 2 GB of memory.
You’ll need 8.8GB of available storage.
To use iCloud, iTunes, and the Mac App Store, you will also need an Apple ID.
Release Date
September 20, 10:30 PM I.S.T.
New Features
Siri on the Mac!
Mac OS Sierra brings a couple of new features, the most important of which is Siri integration. Apple might be late to the game, with Windows 10 bringing in Cortana in 2015, but Apple promises powerful Siri integration across the operating system.
It will be available in the dock and the top-right corner near the spotlight, and you can search the web and the computer, find photos, answer questions, set up reminders, and so on. Apple also highlighted how Siri can understand the context and follow-up questions in a conversation string.
Mac OS Sierra also allows users to use Apple Pay through Safari. As the current generation of Mac
Hardware lacks touch; users will authenticate their transactions through an iPhone or Apple Watch.
Apple Pay is available only in the U.S.A., U.K., Singapore, Canada, and Australia, though Apple is working hard to increase its coverage of Alie Nation.
Apple also introduced a way for users to unlock their Macs seamlessly by using their Apple Watch for authentication and to free up space on their Macs by moving old and unused files to the cloud. Apple could bundle in higher-capacity SSDs, but that’s another story altogether.
Updates to Continuity
In addition, macOS Sierra focuses on interoperability across devices or continuity. Sierra introduces a Universal Clipboard feature, where users can copy and paste content across all Apple devices. For example, one can copy text on the iPhone and then paste that text anywhere on their Mac!
Continuing its ‘continuity’ theme, macOS Sierra will also allow you to share your desktop across devices and save it to the cloud.
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Should you upgrade?
A new update always carries the possibility of bugs, compatibility issues with current applications, and other issues.
However, I have been using the beta for quite a while now, and it’s been going great. MacOS Sierra has also been in testing for quite a while. Still, I recommend taking a full TimeMachine backup of your Mac before installing Sierra.
How to Install?
At 10:30 PM on September 20, go to App Store > Updates, click on the Sierra update, and you’re good to go!
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