What is bad about it exactly? Too many top level options? Or not enough top level options? Or too many settings altogether? All I ever hear is how every terrible software idea that users come up with should be added as a setting, which is how it balloons into what we have now…
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macOS 15 System Settings to Get Design Overhaul
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How quick? Like control center toggle quick?
Because when it comes to Settings, I don’t waste time browsing; the search works. Just search for it and you’re there.
Depends on your expectations, personally I think Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma have all improved the MacOS experience by making everything native for AS Macs, speeding up things, and several major things implemented were done. Perhaps its more to do with less features unveiled with Sonoma then Monterey, Ventura, that gives that lack of change to some people?
MacOS 12
Starting with Safari updates, Apple has redesigned the tabs in its web browser, letting users see more of the webpage they are on. The new tab bar takes on the color of the page and combines tabs, the tool bar, and the search field into one compact design. With Tab Groups, users can easily save and manage tabs, and these sync across Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
macOS Monterey will also see the introduction of a Shortcuts app for Mac. Just like on iOS, Shortcuts on Mac lets users accomplish tasks with ease, and Apple will introduce a large assortment of pre-built shortcuts for Mac users.
Universal Control connects a Mac to an iPad, letting users work with a single mouse and keyboard, or trackpad. Users will be able to drag their macOS mouse seamlessly over to an iPad, and can even drag and drop content back and forth between devices.
AirPlay to Mac will let users play, present, and share anything on their iPhone or iPad directly to a Mac display. Mac speakers can be used as an AirPlay speaker as well, so users can play music or podcasts on their Mac, or use the Mac as a secondary speaker for multiroom audio.
In Notes, there are new features like Quick Note, which lets users jot down notes on any app or website systemwide. Collaborative notes have more features now as well, with the addition of mentions, and an Activity View that shows all of the edits that were made to a shared note.
The new Focus feature introduced in iOS 15 is coming to macOS Monterey as well. Users can choose to focus on their task at hand and filter out notifications unrelated to that activity. Other people attempting to contact the user will be told that they are focusing and not available. Focus works across Apple devices, so when it's set on Mac, it'll be applied to iPhone and iPad.
FaceTime is gaining a suite of new audio and video features, which Apple said makes calls feel more natural and lifelike. Spatial audio is now supported in FaceTime, and Voice Isolation ensures the user's voice is clear thanks to machine learning that eliminates background noise. Portrait Mode in FaceTime lets users blur the background of their call, similar to Portrait Mode in Photos.
As an extension of the FaceTime announcements, SharePlay lets users share their favorite music, TV shows, movies, projects, and more in FaceTime. All of Apple's apps -- Apple Music and Apple TV+ -- will be supported, and an API built for easy adoption will let third-party developers bring their own apps to FaceTime. Apple said that this will include Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, and others
Other quick updates include:
MacOS 13
Stage Manager helps you focus on the app you're using without any distractions by arranging all unused apps on the side, with the main and active app in the middle.
Continuity Camera gives macOS users the ability to use their iPhone as a webcam. Using the Continuity feature, Mac can automatically recognize and use the camera on iPhone when it's nearby.
When connected, Continuity Camera offers existing features like Center Stage, Portrait mode, and more. It'll also use the iPhone's Ultra Wide camera to enable Desk View, showing the user's face and an overhead of their desk.
For FaceTime, you can now start a FaceTime call on one Apple device and transfer it to another using Handoff.
In Safari, Tab Groups will let friends and family share their favorite sites and see what tabs others are looking at live. The group can build a list of bookmarks on a shared Start Page, and even start Messages conversations or FaceTime calls right from Safari.
Similar to the updates coming to iOS 16, Messages on the Mac will let users edit or undo a recently sent message, mark a message as unread, or recover accidentally deleted messages.
macOS Ventura also improves Spotlight with Rich Results, coming to iOS and iPadOS, letting users take actions right from within Spotlight. Spotlight also now indexes more apps, including Photosand Live Text, and more.
As part of macOS Ventura, Apple is also adding big improvements to the Mail app on Mac. Undo Send will let users undo a sent email a few moments after it's sent. Users will now also be able to schedule emails and add reminders to follow-up.
iCloud Shared Photo Library will let family members create and share a photo library among up to six people. Everyone in the library can add, delete, or edit photos, and they can select which photos from their library they want to add into the shared library.
In a bid to enhance security, Apple has introduced "Passkeys" in Safari. Described as next-generation credentials that are more secure than passwords, Passkeys are unique digital keys that stay on device and are never stored on a web server.
Users can easily create Passkeys using Touch ID or Face ID, and iCloud Keychain saves all Passkeys to sync across devices with end-to-end encryption.
Apple also highlighted Metal 3, the latest version of the software that powers gaming experiences across Apple devices. Combined with Apple silicon, the company noted that "even greater gaming experiences" will be arriving on Macs.
Other macOS Ventura updates:
MacOS 14
The first feature that Apple detailed was new interactive widgets, which can now be placed right on your desktop. Widgets blend into your desktop wallpaper to not be obtrusive when you're working, and with Continuity you can use the same widgets from your iPhone on your Mac.
macOS Sonoma also introduces enhanced video conferencing features, including Presenter Overlay to allow a user to display themselves in front of the content they are sharing. Reactions let users share how they feel within a video session, and Screen Sharing has been improved with a simplified process.
As is usual with macOS updates, Safari is getting numerous new features within Sonoma. There's an update to Private Browsing that provides greater protection from trackers and from people who might have access to the user's device.
Profiles within Safari offer a way to separate browsing between topics, like having one for work and one for personal browsing. There's also a new way to create web apps that work like normal apps and let you get to your favorite website faster.
When you're not actively using macOS Sonoma, the new screen savers feature slow-motion videos of various locations worldwide. They shuffle between landscape, Earth, underwter, or cityscape themes, similar to what you'll see on tvOS.
For gamers, there's a new Game Mode in macOS Sonoma that delivers an optimized gaming experience with smoother and more consistent frame rates. It dramatically lowers audio latency with AirPods and reduces input latency with game controllers, and it works with any game on Mac.
Certainly things was running more smoothly and efficiently for AS Macs from the time Big Sur 11.6 arrived, there were a lot of stiff that Apple got working and made native over the next three years.
Starting with Safari updates, Apple has redesigned the tabs in its web browser, letting users see more of the webpage they are on. The new tab bar takes on the color of the page and combines tabs, the tool bar, and the search field into one compact design. With Tab Groups, users can easily save and manage tabs, and these sync across Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
macOS Monterey will also see the introduction of a Shortcuts app for Mac. Just like on iOS, Shortcuts on Mac lets users accomplish tasks with ease, and Apple will introduce a large assortment of pre-built shortcuts for Mac users.
Universal Control connects a Mac to an iPad, letting users work with a single mouse and keyboard, or trackpad. Users will be able to drag their macOS mouse seamlessly over to an iPad, and can even drag and drop content back and forth between devices.
AirPlay to Mac will let users play, present, and share anything on their iPhone or iPad directly to a Mac display. Mac speakers can be used as an AirPlay speaker as well, so users can play music or podcasts on their Mac, or use the Mac as a secondary speaker for multiroom audio.
In Notes, there are new features like Quick Note, which lets users jot down notes on any app or website systemwide. Collaborative notes have more features now as well, with the addition of mentions, and an Activity View that shows all of the edits that were made to a shared note.
The new Focus feature introduced in iOS 15 is coming to macOS Monterey as well. Users can choose to focus on their task at hand and filter out notifications unrelated to that activity. Other people attempting to contact the user will be told that they are focusing and not available. Focus works across Apple devices, so when it's set on Mac, it'll be applied to iPhone and iPad.
FaceTime is gaining a suite of new audio and video features, which Apple said makes calls feel more natural and lifelike. Spatial audio is now supported in FaceTime, and Voice Isolation ensures the user's voice is clear thanks to machine learning that eliminates background noise. Portrait Mode in FaceTime lets users blur the background of their call, similar to Portrait Mode in Photos.
As an extension of the FaceTime announcements, SharePlay lets users share their favorite music, TV shows, movies, projects, and more in FaceTime. All of Apple's apps -- Apple Music and Apple TV+ -- will be supported, and an API built for easy adoption will let third-party developers bring their own apps to FaceTime. Apple said that this will include Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, and others
Other quick updates include:
- Maps - new interactive globe and detailed city experience
- Live Text - copy and paste text directly from a photo
- iCloud+ - new premium features include Hide My Email, HomeKit Secure Video, and iCloud Private Relay
- Spatial Audio - AirPods Pro and AirPods Max support spatial audio on M1 Macs
- Privacy - Mail Privacy Protection and more
- Accessibility - Improved Full Keyboard Access, new cursor customization options, and more
MacOS 13
Stage Manager helps you focus on the app you're using without any distractions by arranging all unused apps on the side, with the main and active app in the middle.
Continuity Camera gives macOS users the ability to use their iPhone as a webcam. Using the Continuity feature, Mac can automatically recognize and use the camera on iPhone when it's nearby.
When connected, Continuity Camera offers existing features like Center Stage, Portrait mode, and more. It'll also use the iPhone's Ultra Wide camera to enable Desk View, showing the user's face and an overhead of their desk.
For FaceTime, you can now start a FaceTime call on one Apple device and transfer it to another using Handoff.
In Safari, Tab Groups will let friends and family share their favorite sites and see what tabs others are looking at live. The group can build a list of bookmarks on a shared Start Page, and even start Messages conversations or FaceTime calls right from Safari.
Similar to the updates coming to iOS 16, Messages on the Mac will let users edit or undo a recently sent message, mark a message as unread, or recover accidentally deleted messages.
macOS Ventura also improves Spotlight with Rich Results, coming to iOS and iPadOS, letting users take actions right from within Spotlight. Spotlight also now indexes more apps, including Photosand Live Text, and more.
As part of macOS Ventura, Apple is also adding big improvements to the Mail app on Mac. Undo Send will let users undo a sent email a few moments after it's sent. Users will now also be able to schedule emails and add reminders to follow-up.
iCloud Shared Photo Library will let family members create and share a photo library among up to six people. Everyone in the library can add, delete, or edit photos, and they can select which photos from their library they want to add into the shared library.
In a bid to enhance security, Apple has introduced "Passkeys" in Safari. Described as next-generation credentials that are more secure than passwords, Passkeys are unique digital keys that stay on device and are never stored on a web server.
Users can easily create Passkeys using Touch ID or Face ID, and iCloud Keychain saves all Passkeys to sync across devices with end-to-end encryption.
Apple also highlighted Metal 3, the latest version of the software that powers gaming experiences across Apple devices. Combined with Apple silicon, the company noted that "even greater gaming experiences" will be arriving on Macs.
Other macOS Ventura updates:
- Live Text now supports paused video frames and can detect Japanese and Korean text.
- Visual Look Up can recognize animals, birds, insects, statues, and more landmarks.
- Weather and Clock apps have been optimized for Mac.
- New accessibility tools include Live Captions for all audio content, Type to Speak on calls, Text Checker, and more.
- System Preferences has been renamed to System Settings, and features a streamlined design similar to iPhone and iPad Settings app.
MacOS 14
The first feature that Apple detailed was new interactive widgets, which can now be placed right on your desktop. Widgets blend into your desktop wallpaper to not be obtrusive when you're working, and with Continuity you can use the same widgets from your iPhone on your Mac.
macOS Sonoma also introduces enhanced video conferencing features, including Presenter Overlay to allow a user to display themselves in front of the content they are sharing. Reactions let users share how they feel within a video session, and Screen Sharing has been improved with a simplified process.
As is usual with macOS updates, Safari is getting numerous new features within Sonoma. There's an update to Private Browsing that provides greater protection from trackers and from people who might have access to the user's device.
Profiles within Safari offer a way to separate browsing between topics, like having one for work and one for personal browsing. There's also a new way to create web apps that work like normal apps and let you get to your favorite website faster.
When you're not actively using macOS Sonoma, the new screen savers feature slow-motion videos of various locations worldwide. They shuffle between landscape, Earth, underwter, or cityscape themes, similar to what you'll see on tvOS.
For gamers, there's a new Game Mode in macOS Sonoma that delivers an optimized gaming experience with smoother and more consistent frame rates. It dramatically lowers audio latency with AirPods and reduces input latency with game controllers, and it works with any game on Mac.
Certainly things was running more smoothly and efficiently for AS Macs from the time Big Sur 11.6 arrived, there were a lot of stiff that Apple got working and made native over the next three years.
I’m us user needing to enter a password on a device which is not Apple. I whip out my phone and decide to look for the passwords app. I do not want to scroll down a long list of arbitrarily arranged icons, I decide to search: _why_ is “screen time” a higher ranking result than the Passwords app??
That’s just one example…
There was nothing wrong with the System Preferences UI dating back to the Leopard and Lion days… everything was glanceable in a single panel. They probably only changed it because it looked to similar to windows Control Panel.
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The new settings app is terrible. I miss the old system preferences. Cannot find anything in the new one, I just search for it.
Ventura & Sonoma systems settings are obviously regressions.
A huge enhancement is needed to the entire SwiftUI frameworks used to build it.
Being able to resize on the horizontal axis would be good…
A huge enhancement is needed to the entire SwiftUI frameworks used to build it.
Being able to resize on the horizontal axis would be good…
Are they finally going to move the Volume feedback indicator to the SIDE of the screen like was rumours YEARS ago? I can't believe it's still in the middle, overlaying any video that's playing.
What would you suggest as an icon for Focus? The moon works for me as a representative icon to know what the feature is.
I suppose Mac OS have expanded, the same with all operating systems, not just an OS any more, like Windows,. More and more is added to operating systems, so they need more settings.
Sad, I know, but that is the way it is. Being a relative new user of macOS, just over a year, I only remember what I have seen on other peoples machines.
I wish we could just go back a biut to when the OS was just an OS and people added what they wanted to run, not have OS producers adding a lot of stuff that some of us don't need.
At least Apple don't try to force an online account onto people, the same way MS is doing these days. but Apple Account is just copying Microsoft account by name, hope that is all it is, and I also hope they don't push AI too much.
I do find the settings can be a bit of a pain in MacOS, but at least they are all in one place, unlike Windows.
I'll give you one item that reveals everything: Since when, and I mean the early 80s GUIs, have you ever clicked on a "circle 'I'" icon, which stands for 'Information', did you ever expect to see vital battery options hidden in there?
I know most overlook the real reason for the downfall of Rome... letting idiots run amuck in places of authority... but that one design item shows SOMEONE in authority at Apple software is a complete ID-10-T Form.
You can also just type ”hot” in the search filed in the upper left corner of the Settings App and it immediately shows up there under Accessibility.
I think at least a part of the problem with the Settings App is that it takes getting used to the change compared to how it was in System Preferences. But I do agree things could probably be re-arranged a bit.
Still had not updated from Monterey. Part of the reason is this new childish “system settings” introduced in Ventura.
When people ask them to bring redesign this is not what they really want
When people ask them to bring redesign this is not what they really want
Makes sense.
Makes sense.
Makes…
…sense, I guess, given Siri‘s new AI features will be provided by a third-party service (Google Gemini or OpenAI) leaking your requests to their „cloud“?
It’s much easier or eyes. They should’ve scrapped the blinding flat mostrosity a long time ago.
Good. I can't ever find anything now without searching. And when you search, you don't learn where it actually is, so you'll just have to search for it next time as well. Why is Time Machine in "General"? Can't it just have its own menu? Why is Spotlight in "Siri and Spotlight"? At this point they just randomly put unrelated things in random categories.
Hell if you want to change how long your Mac waits before going to sleep, guess where that is? It's not in Battery. It's not in Displays. It's not in Sleep because there is no such menu. Where is it? It's in Lock Screen! Why? You don't even see the lock screen as it goes to sleep, the screen just goes black, who would associate sleep with the lock screen, which specifically shows up when your screen is locked but NOT sleeping.
Hey Apple, why not have "Printers & Battery" or "Time & Storage", all filed under "Accessibility > Advanced > More info", in a menu that only shows up if you disconnect the charger and happen to be in the southern hemisphere on a Leap Monday.
Hell if you want to change how long your Mac waits before going to sleep, guess where that is? It's not in Battery. It's not in Displays. It's not in Sleep because there is no such menu. Where is it? It's in Lock Screen! Why? You don't even see the lock screen as it goes to sleep, the screen just goes black, who would associate sleep with the lock screen, which specifically shows up when your screen is locked but NOT sleeping.
Hey Apple, why not have "Printers & Battery" or "Time & Storage", all filed under "Accessibility > Advanced > More info", in a menu that only shows up if you disconnect the charger and happen to be in the southern hemisphere on a Leap Monday.
They did do a design over haul as I noticed on os13 which looks like LINUX. is apple gonna do LESS and be more lazy? Make it look a hell of a lot LESS like a MAC? Take Features OUT? make it it looks bland and cold? MacOS used to be great now it's pitiful and Lame. There is no ability to be customized and unique. What we don't need is a backseat driver looking over our shoulder seeing what were working on and constantly watching.
The menus and UI for Ventura are why I had reverted my new-at-the-time M2 MBA to Monterey. Couldn’t stand it and now I’m happier for it. If they switch it back, I’d consider the newer OS.
An I was hoping they would reverse to the previous setting and drop current abomination UI..