MacOS 15 Sequoia Announced: See the New Features Heading to Your Mac This Fall
Apple previewed its next operating system for Mac at WWDC.
The next version of MacOS has a new name and new features. On Monday, at WWDC 2024, Apple previewed MacOS 15, set to arrive this fall. The new OS will be called MacOS 15 Sequoia and will receive a jolt of on-device AI from Apple Intelligence that will include a more natural, contextually relevant and personal Siri.
The first new feature that Apple showed for MacOS 15 Sequoia was iPhone Mirroring. It's a continuity feature that lets you see and interact with your iPhone while on your Mac. Your iPhone's screen is mirrored on your Mac, and you can use your Mac's touchpad and keyboard (but not the nontouch display -- sniff) to open and use your iPhone apps. Perhaps iPhone Mirroring will speed the arrival of a touchscreen MacBook.
You can also drag and drop files between your Mac and mirrored iPhone. During iPhone Mirroring, your iPhone stays locked so nobody can use it while you are mirroring it, presumably from another room.
With MacOS 15 Sequoia, you will also be able to get iPhone notifications on your Mac that will appear alongside your Mac notifications, which should reduce the frequency with which you need to jump back and forth between your devices.
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The new OS will also introduce automatic window tiling for easier multitasking and a new Passwords app. Coming to Safari is a new Highlights page summary feature and a redesigned Reader mode.
When videoconferencing in FaceTime or Zoom, you'll be able to preview your screen before sharing your screen. And built-in backgrounds are coming to FaceTime and third-party apps like Webex, so you can hide the fact that you are conferencing from a spare bedroom or messy kitchen.
Apple Intelligence in MacOS 15
Apple Intelligence will arrive on your Mac with Sequoia in a variety of spots. Most obviously, Apple's AI tools will power a new version of Siri that the company promises is more capable and contextually aware.
You'll be able to speak more naturally to Siri, and the virtual assistant will be aware of what's on your screen to give better answers that at more relevant to what you are doing. You'll also be able to type to Siri, which is extra-helpful on a MacBook where you have a keyboard right in front of you versus an iPhone with tiny, on-screen keys. And for questions that are beyond Apple Intelligence, it'll be able to access ChatGPT's LLM thanks to Apple's new partnership with OpenAI.
Elsewhere, Apple Intelligence will offer writing assistance in Mail, Notes, Pages and third-party apps in the form of rewriting, proofreading and summarizing.
In Messages and the standalone Image Playground app, you'll be able to generate images using AI in three styles: Animation, Illustration or Sketch.
In the Photos app, you'll be able to use natural language to search images and videos, and you'll be able to create slideshows based on simple descriptions. And a new Clean Up tool will let you remove unwanted objects from the backgrounds of photos.
The public beta of MacOS 15 Sequoia will be released in July, with the official release available for free this fall.