Apple Releases macOS Sonoma With New Widget Features, Safari Updates, Screen Sharing Improvements and More

[adh1003]

Why? There were seven public betas and two release candidates alone – not including any internal alphas and betas.

No, there was only one RC and it wasn't even called an RC in Software Update - only the release notes gave that away. Beta testers had to guess. The so-called second RC is the exact same build number (23A344) as today's release. You read that right - in the last week or so, Apple haven't changed a single byte in the code; they just went ahead and shipped out RC2 as Final anyway, despite all the reported bugs acknowledged by Feedback Assistant responses or marked-as-dupe.

They even forgot to turn off Safari paint debugging, for heaven's sake. That's why you'll sometimes see bright red flashes when Safari is drawing things - most noticeable on slower machines or with large amounts of swap bogging you down.

So, new bugs were added from RC1 to RC2 because Apple, then RC2 gets released as the final version anyway, and they even forget to remove some of the debugging code, all to apparently hit a release date that's about one month earlier than the usual already-rushed annual release cycle.

It's total amateur night over there.

 

[pauloregan]

For the first time ever I have an Apple device that is so old it won’t update to the latest version. My 2017 iMac. I’m surprisingly OK about it.

 

[Mike_Mobley]

Does anyone know when when you click on the desktop in Sonoma it creates a border overlay around the whole screen? Any way to turn that off?

 

[aevan]

You guys are nuts for putting on a .0 release.
Hopefully the opencore guys are making progress

Even the previous betas were more stable and bug-free for me than Ventura or Monterey (which were solid themselves). In fact, Sonoma is probably more reliable than the latest .x release of Ventura.

 

[triptolemus]

Does anyone know when when you click on the desktop in Sonoma it creates a border overlay around the whole screen? Any way to turn that off?

Settings > Desktop > Click Wallpaper to Reveal Desktop...

 

[aevan]

Does anyone know when when you click on the desktop in Sonoma it creates a border overlay around the whole screen? Any way to turn that off?

"Click wallpaper to reveal desktop" in Desktop and Dock in the System Settings. Note that you can either turn off this feature completely, or have it on with the border overlay (which is the same border as the "show desktop" hot corner command that macOS had for ages). However, if you have Stage Manager enabled, there are no borders when using this feature.

So if you don't want borders - either turn the "click wallpaper to reveal desktop" or turn on Stage Manager.

 

[SirAnthonyHopkins]

2017 and down you mean?

Read the line I quoted again.

 

[Goodeye]

I noticed that happening on the RC builds locking the screen or reboot fixed it for me!

Yeah locking the screen multiple times didn't do it nor did a reboot. I had to shut it completely down and then boot back up and it did the trick. Really weird but its reacting accordingly now.

 

[sjsharksfan12]

You know the top bar that has the apple logo, what browser you use, file, edit, etc? Is there a way to change that to a black color and the text be white? I changed the wallpaper and now the top is sticking out like a sore thumb. I guess I can go full screen on my apps but I was just wondering if there was a way to change it to something not white.

 

[triptolemus]

You know the top bar that has the apple logo, what browser you use, file, edit, etc

It's called the Menu Bar and has been called that since 1984.

 

[sjsharksfan12]

It's called the Menu Bar and has been called that since 1984.

Thank you. I'm not as familiar with Macs as I am with Windows.

 

[Guccy]

This is silly, but why did Apple not add the new ringtones and notification sounds from iOS 17 to macOS Sonoma?? It's obviously not a huge issue but little inconsistencies like this bother me Was it that hard?

 

[Realityck]

This is silly, but why did Apple not add the new ringtones and notification sounds from iOS 17 to macOS Sonoma?? It's obviously not a huge issue but little inconsistencies like this bother me Was it that hard?

Isn't what exists adequate with answering iPhone call via WiFi on a Mac, why does macOS 14 need to mimic iOS 17 ringtones and audio notifications?

 

[Guccy]

Isn't what exists adequate, why does macOS need to mimic iOS 17 audio notifications?

They've mimicked every other aspect of iOS so why shouldn't we have continuity between the notification sound options?

 

[return2sendai]

Yeah! Another upgrade to miss! Mojave! Mojave! Mojave!

 

[randolorian]

Ars Technica review is up:

macOS 14 Sonoma: The Ars Technica review

If at first you don’t create usable desktop widgets, try, try again.

arstechnica.com

 

[jayducharme]

Any idea why, when updating to a new OS, my external media drive appears to be continually accessed? Is the OS updating that drive as well?

 

[Realityck]

Ars Technica review is up:

macOS 14 Sonoma: The Ars Technica review

If at first you don’t create usable desktop widgets, try, try again.

arstechnica.com

Desktop widgets are having a moment again, years after the last time that desktop operating systems tried and then forgot them. Microsoft originally tried them between 2006 and 2012 with Windows Vista and Windows 7 before reviving a version of the idea in Windows 11 in 2021. Apple introduced a feature called the Dashboard in 2005, a separate desktop space where widgets could be configured. But it went essentially un-updated in every subsequent macOS release, getting shut off by default in new installs beginning in 2014 and cut out entirely in 2019.

Limited iOS-style widgets were added to the Notification Center area in 2020, but they suffered from the same basic problem that Dashboard did; it exists in its own space separate from the rest of my files and apps, and even when I tried to configure them in a way I thought I'd find useful, I never went to their special cordoned-off area often enough to get into the habit of using them.
=======
Yes you have to wonder how long they will be around this time. If an Application has a mini interface versus a full interface would consumers rather have that then a more specialized widget app that just takes up so much of your desktop resolution? Examples Apple Music, Apple TV, Weather Application.

This image they used shows on the right how they are trying to imitate some things you see on IOS/IPadOS that you can see under the guise of "for you", but its clearly meant to promote Apple services like the Top Stores or Stocks. BTW windows does the same with a similar tactic in windows 11 latest, if you have all this suggestive widgets pop up it really consumes the whole desktop usage. But on iOS/IPadOS and windows you can hide it really easy or show it really easy as your tolerance permits.

 

[Nermal]

Well, updated, and ran into my first bug immediately: a huge digital clock on the login screen despite my preferences being configured for an analogue one.

Edit: Refer to my update in this post.

 

[Realityck]

Well, updated, and ran into my first bug immediately: a huge digital clock on the login screen despite my preferences being configured for an analogue one.

If you go to sleep, wake up the Mac and see the large date and digital clock like on the iPhone. What are you toggling exactly to change that to analog?

 

[gank41]

I'm having issues mounting my Time Machine external drives. Been trying all afternoon and just can't get ''em to mount. They're listed in Disk Utility, though..

 

[Realityck]

I'm having issues mounting my Time Machine external drives. Been trying all afternoon and just can't get ''em to mount. They're listed in Disk Utility, though..

How about if you shut down, reboot without them connected and then connect one and see if it needs admin permission to recognize it? Like something happen to it being a validated to use via USB-C connectivity with Sonoma.

 

[gank41]

How about if you shut down, reboot without them connected and then connect one and see if it needs admin permission to recognize it? Like something happen to it being a validated to use via USB-C connectivity with Sonoma.

I've reinstalled Sonoma, and I've tried reconnecting one at a time. It's only my encrypted Time Machine drives that fail to mount. They show up just fine in Disk Utility. Going to try Disk Utility from the recovery boot option in a bit. I don't have time right now to deal with it.

 

[Nermal]

If you go to sleep, wake up the Mac and see the large date and digital clock like on the iPhone. What are you toggling exactly to change that to analog?

OK, the clock option in Sys Prefs does say "menu bar" (at least in OS 12: I'm at a different computer at the moment). Still, you'd expect that a new feature would default to the same setting as a similar feature.

Edit: And now that I'm back home... at some point Apple renamed/recategorised the feature and changed it from simply "Time options" to an option in a group called "Menu Bar Only". It seems that it's not actually a bug, but it has changed "by stealth" if you don't dig into the preferences very often.

 

[Fowl]

Downloaded and already wishing to go back. I use several desktops with different wall papers on each. Now it seams it's just one wallpaper on every desk top, so you don't know whether to scroll left or right to get to where you need to go. Bloody typical of an apple cock up

I'm still on Ventura and it happens to me after restarting, very inconsistently. Sometimes all wallpapers get reset, sometimes just some, sometimes none.