Apple Seeds Second macOS Monterey Release Candidate to Developers

[GTDaveMac]

Well I have it turned on, I prefer the Compact design.

Guess I'm a "no one" then. I haven't upgraded to Monterey yet, but I'm already using the compact design in Big Sur and love it.

I had only tried it in Big Sur and hated it, but the recent change of active tab being enlarged has totally changed the experience for me. Now I am not closing the wrong tabs.

I did submit feedback that when multiple tabs are open, the "X" to close the tab covers up the website icon that you can drag as a shortcut.

 

[NeekonMike]

I already got this update this morning? Or was the previous RC / GM also called 12.0.1?

Previous RC build 21A558 was already called 12.0.1.

 

[DHagan4755]

You have to run software update on virtually every piece of hardware these days.

I uninstalled my beta profile thinking it was RC, so oh well. I'll till next week. I'm not having any big issues on my M1 Mini with the 1st RC.

Like I said, it's not a big deal. But some will be off put by this — especially users where lower-end devices like the MacBook Air — are geared. This issue has been caused by the Internet. It has allowed software developers to release ok versions now because they know they can patch it later.

 

[NeekonMike]

It's available to public beta testers as well, my mini is updating...

 

[gank41]

Not that it's too big of a deal, but it's not a good user experience to buy a brand new MacBook Pro & it already needs a system software update.

Opposing Viewpoint: Hey, cool! Looks like Apple’s addressing some bugs I won’t have to worry about on my new machine.

I’d much rather get an update right away instead of having to wait weeks or even months for an update.

 

[rtkane]

Wonder if this is public now. I updated to 21A558 this morning (public beta), had no more updates after, then checked again and it's downloading another version of 12.0.1 now.

Yep... it's public. Now on 21A559.

 

[boss.king]

When is RC Final Final 2 Pro Max coming out?

 

[TimManzana]

Wonder if this is public now. I updated to 21A558 this morning (public beta), had no more updates after, then checked again and it's downloading another version of 12.0.1 now.

should be, I was on RC and is downloading a 900mb update

 

[iStorm]

Not that it's too big of a deal, but it's not a good user experience to buy a brand new MacBook Pro & it already needs a system software update.

Everything pretty much has a Day One update these days. I don't mind it. It's really not much different than buying a new Mac last week and needing to update it to Big Sur 11.6.

 

[Realityck]

Smaller update for RC 2, its a 1.73 GB download this time. No notes as usual.

 

[DHagan4755]

Everything pretty much has a Day One update these days. I don't mind it. It's really not much different than buying a new Mac last week and needing to update it to Big Sur 11.6.

I'm just looking out for the 50+ age bracket that will wail, gnash teeth & complain when they first turn on the computer & it asks them to do an update that takes 40 minutes to do right out of the box. I've seen it happen! I can't say I disagree with their sentiment.

 

[jk73]

Opposing Viewpoint: Hey, cool! Looks like Apple’s addressing some bugs I won’t have to worry about on my new machine.

I’d much rather get an update right away instead of having to wait weeks or even months for an update.

My viewpoint is that Apple shouldn’t force buyers of ~$3,000 “pro” machines to use the first version of a new OS. I wish the new MBPs shipped with Big Sur.

 

[Kylo83]

So not excited for macOS there’s like zero changes I would Benefit from

 

[zorinlynx]

Whatever happened to the term, 'Golden Master'?

It's obsolete. "Golden master" used to be the final version of a software product, created as a CD or DVD master image to be sent to the disc manufacturer for replication. You had to get it right, because running a new batch of discs was expensive. Hence it had to be "golden", or perfect. (Sometimes the golden master was a CD-R disc, which may have literally been gold-colored. Heh.)

The term is actually even older than that, and dates back to pressing records. The "master" was literally the disc from which the pressing dies would be made. Just like with software, it had to be perfect because otherwise you'd have to re-press all the records and/or replace them for customers who bought one already.

"Release candidate" makes a lot more sense for the modern era of online distribution.

 

[ph001bi]

Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of macOS Monterey, the newest version of the macOS operating system. The release candidate represents the final version of macOS Monterey that will be released to the public, and it comes just a few days after the first RC.

The release candidate is listed as version 12.0.1, presumably because Apple has made a few tweaks since 12.0 started being loaded onto the new MacBook Pro models, so the official release version made available to everyone on Monday and as an update for new MacBook Pro owners will be 12.0.1.

Registered developers can download the beta through the Apple Developer Center and once the appropriate profile is installed, betas will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences.

With the first RC, Apple introduced sweeping changes to Safari, undoing many of the design tweaks that were implemented in the Monterey beta testing process. Safari by default now looks like Safari did in macOS Big Sur, but there is a "Compact" toggle to turn on the new Monterey design for those who prefer it.

Though the Safari changes have been undone, macOS Monterey introduces quite a few new features. There's a new AirPlay to Mac feature, and Safari still has support for Tab Groups for organizing tabs.

FaceTime has gained spatial audio, a Portrait Mode on M1 Macs, and Voice Isolation for cutting out background noise. Shared With You keeps track of the music, links, podcasts, news, and photos that people are sent in Messages, highlighting it in the relevant apps. Notes has a new Quick Note feature for jotting down thoughts, and collaboration is easier with mentions and an Activity View.

The Shortcuts app from iOS is now available on the Mac, and Focus helps people stay on task by cutting out background distractions. There's an updated Maps app with a whole slew of new features, and with Live Text, Macs can now detect text in photos or provide details on animals, art, landmarks, plants, and more in images.

Mail Privacy Protection hides IP and prevents tracking through invisible pixels, and iCloud Private Relay keeps Safari browsing protected.

In the future, Apple plans to add SharePlay to macOS Monterey for FaceTime users, and there's a new Universal Control feature coming, which is designed to allow multiple Macs and iPads to be controlled with a single mouse and keyboard. SharePlay and Universal Control will not be available in the launch version of macOS Monterey.

There are many other new features in macOS Monterey, with a full rundown available in our macOS Monterey roundup. macOS Monterey is set to be released next Monday.

Article Link: Apple Seeds Second macOS Monterey Release Candidate to Developers

beta is out too.

 

[zorinlynx]

So now I have to wonder, what's actually changed? Is it worth updating? I'm thinking I'll just press through until next week for the official release at this point. Heck I already removed the development beta profile from my Macs.

 

[macintoshmac]

This is just a notch higher at 21A559 as against 21A558.

 

[eas]

Anything with the word "master" in it seems to have fallen out of favor these days.

Ok, fine "Golden Daddy," then.

 

[Mr. Dee]

how does this affect the new MacBook Pros? Will they come with Monterrey RC1 or 2 then users will be prompted after reaching the desktop to update?

 

[jk73]

how does this affect the new MacBook Pros? Will they come with Monterrey RC1 or 2 then users will be prompted after reaching the desktop to update?

Has to be. No way Apple could update six figures’ (?) worth of new MBPs on their way out the door for the promised Tuesday delivery.

 

[macintoshmac]

Guess I'm a "no one" then. I haven't upgraded to Monterey yet, but I'm already using the compact design in Big Sur and love it.

Well I have it turned on, I prefer the Compact design.

I never went back to the old design since they launched it. Compact works nicely for me as well.

 

[Jerry Fritschle]

Download was less than a gig on a 2018 Mini. I'm expecting more on the M1 MBP. So either nothing here involved the sealed system volume, or they're getting better at this.

 

[Unsupported]

I'm just looking out for the 50+ age bracket that will wail, gnash teeth & complain when they first turn on the computer & it asks them to do an update that takes 40 minutes to do right out of the box. I've seen it happen! I can't say I disagree with their sentiment.

LOL! ?

What's with the ageism?

Hey, I'm in the 70+ age bracket and none of that would apply to me.

I don't think I've ever taken delivery of an Apple product that didn't need an immediate update. Except perhaps in the days of Mac OS 7 which came with my first Mac, the Power Macintosh 7200 and updates had to be paid for and the mail man delivered the CD.

I could however now imagine an impatient youngster gnashing teeth and complaining. ?

 

[DHagan4755]

LOL! ?

What's with the ageism?

Hey, I'm in the 70+ age bracket and none of that would apply to me.

I don't think I've ever taken delivery of an Apple product that didn't need an immediate update. Except perhaps in the days of Mac OS 7 which came with my first Mac, the Power Macintosh 7200 and updates had to be paid for and the mail man delivered the CD.

I could however now imagine an impatient youngster gnashing teeth and complaining. ?

Haha. I did tech for over 2 decades & it was always the older folks that seemed to be impatient with that.

Retiring teacher: "Are you kidding me? 40 minutes? It's brand new. Oh for heaven's sake."

 

[Madonepro]

Whatever happened to the term, 'Golden Master'?

I'm going to guess that GM referred to a time, when you make a 'Master' version. In the music industry, they still refer to the final edition of an album as the master.
Now that OS's are released as software only, it makes sense to rename it. As there is an opportunity between announcing the release date, wanting developers who have a vested interest in ensuring the software isn't full of issues for their applications, to test it, is probably fairly important.