macOS 13: What We Know So Far

[mango fever]

As usual, all I want is bug fixes. Stop fixing what's not broken, and in the process breaking it.
1. Get rid of the need to always authenticate for normal things like Terminal access to the home folder. FFS! Put in a 'developer mode' option for Users or something (like 'administrator'), that automatically enables this kind of thing. And NEVER asks again! This is making macOS very Windows like. Many macs are used in a headless manner. How can I ssh in and access the home folder when someone else has to use a mouse to give access to it?
2. Remember 'Full Disk Access' for updates to applications.
3. Fix the desktop layout for external displays. The background image on the screen is not reflected properly in the settings where you organise the desktop. Additionally, the nice red border that used to show up the you clicked on a display representation in the settings now only shows up when you start to move the image. This feature seems to get broken every second release. The Apple team is very consistent in this regard.
4. Fix the Finder for transfers to iPhone/iPad. Where is the progress notification? How can I cancel a copy?
5. An option to completely remove ALL cached data (web data, build data) would be super. Why do I need a third party application for this? Purge, nuke, call it what you like, but I just want to get rid of stuff and know it is gone. And I mean gone gone, not in a shadow somewhere else. (Stop copying Windows FFS - Windows is the worst thing that ever happened to computing).
6. Bring back Server App for managing HTTP, caching proxy, DNS, DHCP, Mail, Messages etc. Why is it gone? All that stuff was centralised.
7. Fix the SSH server. Why do I have to disable/enable remote login for my git/ssh to work?
8. Rename 'Bin' back to '.Thrash' or just 'Thrash'. Because of this, most developers can't now have a case-insensitive file system. This is one of the options for file system creation and every developer has a Users/[name]/bin directory.
9. Allow more options when checking a disk, or at least generate a report.
That's it for now.

 

[The Game 161]

not expecting much for it to be honest. messages improvements I guess and changes to settings preferences.

 

[Bustycat]

not expecting much for it to be honest. messages improvements I guess and changes to settings preferences.

The poster hinted well... More advanced memojis!

Oops you can't use them on macOS.

 

[Alwis]

1. Get rid of the need to always authenticate for normal things like Terminal access to the home folder. FFS! Put in a 'developer mode' option for Users or something (like 'administrator'), that automatically enables this kind of thing. And NEVER asks again! This is making macOS very Windows like. Many macs are used in a headless manner. How can I ssh in and access the home folder when someone else has to use a mouse to give access to it?

I configured "full disk access" for "Terminal" in the settings and never had these problems, using the terminal on a daily basis.

The only thing I won't from macOS 13 is bug fixes, including long standing bugs (like Quick View does not close files) and the millions of bugs in the mail application. Ok, and maybe the landscape wallpapers, the default Monterey wallpaper is ugly and annoying as hell...

 

[banfiz]

With iOS apps now running "smoothly" of ARM based Macs, how long does anyone think it will take to Mac Apps to be loaded and working on M1 and later iPad Pro's?

 

[YorkshireBill]

Or will continue to work but without new OS features after Apple no longer includes Intel in new OS releases. Pretty useful doorstop 😉

Pretty useful but soon-to-be exploitable doorstop

Should add that they did patch it in old macOS versions over a month later. But the moment their primary version is Apple Silicon only is the point Intel Macs are on a very quick death spiral.

 

[JosephAW]

Mammoth would be a good name for MacOS 13. The large extinct hairy elephant...not the lake or mountain 🤌

I was thinking maybe Sequoia for the next name and Giant Sequoia next year.
Just like Leopard for the last PPC version and Snow Leopard for non-PPC Intel only.
Sequoia for the last Intel version and Giant Sequoia for non-Intel M1 only.

 

[JosephAW]

Well, i'm still in High Sierra in my Macbook 12" Retina 2017. Everytime i install Monterey it just doesn't feel snappy compared with High Sierra..

I know my Macbook isn't powerful but why i'll install Monterey if with High Sierra i have a Macbook the double of fast?

How about Mojave? Update to that, apply all updates under APFS and then copy that to a HFS+ partition and it’s just as snappy as High Sierra.
Works great with SSD in my Mac Mini.

 

[JosephAW]

When Apple silicon came to Macs, the amount of garbage was doubled since Big Sur. Look at that 12 GB installer.

I’m assuming that half of that size is because of universal binary for Intel. Once they drop Intel it should halve.

 

[prisoner54]

Just give me a solid OS that works. I migrated from 10.6.8 to 12.3 and a new M1 MBP and there are so many problems.
...

I got hooked into the mac ecosystem in the 80s and 90s because of the ease of use. Things just worked. You plugged peripherals in and they worked. You didn’t have to spend time maintaining your system, it just worked, so you could get on with your work. Seriously, with all this buggy behavior, can the premium for mac still be justified? Are PCs still that much worse?

I feel you. The huge jump in price was a big differentiator back in the day, so much so that when I was first able to afford a Mac I did so, to leave the Wild West of Windows, Windows drivers, and cheap-ass hardware. Things have really changed in the Windows world in the past few years though. There is still a lot of cheap rubbish laptops etc but I've been impressed with Windows 11 on Microsoft-branded hardware (e.g. my Surface Pro X, and previous Surface Pros). So, in answer to your question, I'm not sure that PCs are much worse nowadays.

Windows 11 doesn't ask for incessant updates, doesn't have too much bloatware or unnecessary apps, deals with multiple displays (with multiple resolutions!) and remembers them session-to-session, and has the best window management. It is also zippy and minimalistic from a design POV. It makes macOS look like a Fisher-Price OS, one that is simply locked in to its own store and allows so little user customization.

Of course, I still use my MBPro for work every day, but if I were Apple I'd be looking at Windows 11 and taking notice.

 

[bice]

If I could delete the Music app that would be amazing. If I don't have my default music player (Swinsian) open and accidentally hit pause/play, it opens up the legal agreement for Music, and I have to quit it. Music is a trash app, and I have zero intention on ever using it.

couldn't you just
sudo chmod a-x /System/Applications/Music.app
and forbid it to excute?

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

I'd vote for Pinnacles, although it's kind of hard to spell. Rincon is also a town in Puerto Rico which clouds the reason for choosing the names potentially. Don't get me wrong, I loved to travel Puerto Rico, and visited 'el radar' on one trip which was a highlight. *shrug* Who knows what they will use, but it ought to be a great version. 13 is my favorite number...

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

New nothing really.

1. Want better window snapping like Windows
2. Better display / UI scaling
3. Fix bugs
4. New Metal API version
5. Make Homepod mini usable as speakers (they suck as they are).

No specific order really.

A Mail app that works for filtering and rules. Come on Apple, you can do it! (If you want)

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

couldn't you just
sudo chmod a-x /System/Applications/Music.app
and forbid it to excute?

I thought a user could control 'helper apps' and what is triggered by certain content?

 

[jonnysods]

I know this is echoed a lot here. I'd just like to see a Snow Leopard type moment here for the OS where they refine it heavily. I love where macOS is going, how it looks, I've used OSX for 15 years and I've built my businesses and career on its platform. I'd just love to see a version that refines code and performance.

 

[jonnysods]

Actually one other thing I would like. I want the Finder columns to stretch out to the length of a filename automatically.

PLEASE!!!

 

[rpmurray]

I wish they'd revamp how Spaces behave. Now that TotalSpaces is dead Apple should steal some ideas from it and add them to Mission Control. Especially the capability to name the spaces and drag and drop between spaces on a grid.

 

[svish]

Looking forward to seeing the new changes. But some of them may not be available on Intel Macs.

 

[DailySlow]

Well, basically I am gratified that my late 2014 Mini may be accommodated by 13.That's what I need. That cranky old 2 core Intel can still (slowly) output the few videos I create so I want to see that capability continue for now. I am budgeting for an MB Air this fall and don't need to upgrade the Mini. Whew!

 

[Instrumentality]

This is a little pie-in-the-sky but I would LOVE to see cross/multi application save states integrated into macOS. The save states would function like a mix of spaces and how macOS loads all of your apps in the same state and position the were in after a restart... it would be really convenient to save states for different kinds of tasks (working, shopping, research, financial, etc). For example, if you were internet shopping and had to jump to an in progress project that involved a lot of different apps. Rather than opening all of associated files and apps and closing all of your tabs for the internet shopping, you would just open one save state or space so you could pickup where you left off in each scenario. You could even call the feature "Scenarios"

 

[keating]

Looks like macOS Mammoth won't have any mammoth new features. Oh, the irony.

Based on a rumours thread?

 

[EugW]

Or there is another possible result (still unlikely): macOS 13 supports only Apple silicon Macs but macOS 12 will continue receiving security updates beyond 3 years until all Intel-based Macs go vintage.

There is ZERO chance of this happening.

 

[John Purple]

The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple's annual developer and software-oriented conference, is now a week away. We've heard very little about macOS 13 ahead of its announcement this year, so we could be in for some major surprises when June 6 rolls around. Here's what we know so far about the next version of Apple's Mac operating system.

macOS 13 Name?

Every year heading into WWDC, one question on many Mac fans' minds is what Apple will choose as the name for the next version of macOS. The tradition dates all the way back to the beginning of Mac OS X with its big cat names, and then in 2013 Apple shifted to Calfornia-themed names with the unveiling of OS X Mavericks.

Back in the early days after the debut of OS X Mavericks, we discovered a total of over 20 California-themed trademark applications filed by various limited liability companies that were all but certain to be shell companies created by Apple to hide its identity.

Over time, some of the trademarks like Yosemite, Sierra, Mojave, and Monterey were indeed used by Apple for its major Mac operating system updates, while trademark applications for almost all of the other names have been abandoned, such as Rincon, Redwood, Pacific, and Skyline.

Apart from Mammoth, that is. Mammoth is likely related to Mammoth Lakes and Mammoth Mountain, a popular area for skiing and hiking in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The name saw its trademark application granted in March 2019, and it has since had extension of use period applications approved five times, with the most recent occurring in November 2021. That would seem to suggest that Apple might announce macOS 13 Mammoth at WWDC next week.

Compatibility

With Apple having nearly completed its two-year-long Mac transition from Intel to Apple silicon, the company's future macOS development is now firmly focused on eking out as much performance and efficiency as it can from its custom-designed processors.

That said, Apple needs to make sure that macOS continues to support Intel-powered Macs for a few years yet, so it is possible that macOS 13 will be compatible with a similar range of Macs as macOS Monterey supports:

• ‌iMac‌ - Late 2015 and later
• iMac‌ Pro - 2017 and later
• ‌MacBook Air‌ - Early 2015 and later
• MacBook Pro - Early 2015 and later
• Mac Pro - Late 2013 and later
• Mac mini - Late 2014 and later
• MacBook - Early 2016 and later

It's worth bearing in mind that there are several features in macOS 12 that are only available to machines powered by Apple silicon chips, so there's a good chance macOS 13 could be the same.

Rumored New Features

Well-connected Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman has claimed that macOS 13 will come with an overhauled System Preferences to bring it more in line with the Settings app on iPhone and iPad, including individual settings organized by app.

Gurman also believes we'll see redesigns for other default apps, which puts updates in contention for the likes of Mail, Notes, Reminders, Podcasts, Safari, Messages, Music, and more.

Otherwise, macOS 13 rumors from reliable sources have been few and far between. Some have interpreted this as an indication that Apple has been spending more time optimizing macOS code for its latest Apple silicon Macs and fixing bugs, but we won't know for sure until the company demos the new version of its long-running operating system at next week's WWDC.

Other Possible Features

Last year, macOS Monterey shared several fresh innovations with iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, including new features in Messages and FaceTime, SharePlay, Live Text, and Visual Lookup, along with a dedicated Shortcuts app for Mac.

On that basis, what can we glean from this year's iOS 16 rumors? In truth, not a lot. In previous years, we've had early versions of iOS leak out, giving us a fairly good idea of what to expect. That's not the case this year, and we only have a few details on what could be included in iOS 16.

According to Gurman, the Messages app in iOS 16 is likely to gain "more social network-like functionality, particularly around audio messages," so that could make its way into the Messages app for macOS 13.

Apple is also rumored to be planning major enhancements to the iOS Lock Screen, including wallpapers that have "widget-like capabilities." Lock Screen enhancements are likely to be exclusive to iPhone and iPad, but there is scope for enhanced Mac widgets. Widgets in macOS currently live in the slide-away Notifications Center, but some users pine for widgets with more flexibility, such as the ability to move them around on the desktop or keep them permanently in view.

Apple is also said to be developing an optional dedicated Apple Music iOS app for classical music. Whether this would also be a separate app in macOS or form part of a (some say much-needed) Music app overhaul is currently unknown.

Release Date

Apple typically previews its next-generation operating system for Macs during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, California in early June, and releases the first developer betas shortly after the event. iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, and tvOS 16 will likely be released in September, followed by macOS 13 in October.

What Do You Want to See in macOS 13?

What new features or improvements would you like to see in the next version of Apple's Mac operating system? Let us know in the comments.

Article Link: macOS 13: What We Know So Far

Safari will be a lot snappier - again. Besides that, probably a lot of junk and less support for professionals. As ever.

 

[mzeb]

Horrible idea, especially if it's without encryption like iOS.

I'm confused. Which part of iOS cloud backup is without encryption? My understanding is the data transfer is e2e encrypted and the data at rest is encrypted with your private iCloud key which Apple doesn't even have access to.

 

[Bustycat]

Safari will be a lot snappier - again.

And Safari will gradually become sluggish - again.