Apple Releases Latest macOS Update, Mojave, With A Dark Mode
After the hype of the latest iPhone release, as reported by the Inquisitr two weeks ago, Apple’s latest trick has been to release a new update for its computer operating system. macOS Mojave launched on Monday, The Verge details.
The new macOS update is not as dramatic as a new phone announcement, hence why it didn’t get a big stage or a showy release video. It will still impact the lives of millions of people globally, however, and the update offers some incremental improvements and bug fixes for the established operating system.
One thing headlines the new release, and is something that users have demanded for years. macOS Mojave gives the operating system a dark mode. The option to have a dark mode has been one of the most requested features by macOS users, and the engineers at Apple have apparently heard those calls. The new operating system will prompt users on startup, asking if they would prefer to engage dark mode — complete with a new, smooth-looking background.
Fans shouldn’t get too excited about dark mode just yet, as the feature will only work with certain apps. Most app developers have not yet incorporated the functionality into their software offerings — but it will only be a matter of time before that functionality becomes standard practice across the app ecosystem.
Video – #macOS #Mojave brings you 90 changes & new features to your #Mac, and it arrives today https://t.co/fJVx8eaBhp pic.twitter.com/FDvYpyb4XM
— AppleInsider (@appleinsider) September 24, 2018
The desktop is where another dramatic change in the operating system can be observed, with Apple moving to a new file management system. In the new system, which Apple calls “desktop stacks,” files that are placed on the desktop will be automatically classified into like stacks, based either on file extension, file type, or any other criteria. This will likely please users who place a lot of random items on their desktops and who subsequently struggle to find individual files.
As many macOS users also use iOS devices, like an iPhone or an iPad, Mojave has brought in a feature that will standardize screenshots across all Apple devices. Now, when a user takes a screenshot on a macOS device, that screenshot will linger in the bottom left corner of the screen, just like it does on iOS devices. When that screenshot is clicked on, it will allow for immediate editing of said screenshot — although not as intuitively as on an iOS device.
There have been two big security updates brought to macOS to address problem areas in which Apple has lagged behind competitors such as Google and Microsoft. The first applies to the default browser — Safari — which will be making more of an effort to stop websites from tracking users across the wider internet. The second is a significant security upgrade for the system as a whole, with Apple now requiring apps to request permission to access your microphone and webcam.
The final big change concerns novel and experimental integration with iOS apps, with Apple bringing allowing macOS to run iOS apps via code — as opposed to coding a completely new version. This could be a preview of a new feature for the operating system.
Apple has reportedly been working on a system that will allow developers to port apps from iOS to macOS seamlessly, which might be in the 2019 macOS release in the days ahead.
