[ad_1]
Apple just released Big Sur as a free update, marking the biggest redesign for macOS in years. The central system of every Mac computer is now in equal parts a traditional desktop computer and many features will be used to seeing on the iPad and iPhone.
Big Sur marks the end of an era for Mac software in more ways than one. For years, Apple has slowly combined the design and operation of its desktop and mobile software, bringing features from the iPhone or iPad to the Mac, and vice versa. With Big Sur comes a significant step towards the goal of merging the two.
It will be the first macOS to combine the traditional Intel Macs that have been in use since 2004 and the new Apple Silicon Macs, released this week, which are powered by the company’s own ARM-based M1 processors, similar to the A14 chip used in iPhones. and iPads.
Striking colors, greater transparency, and iPhone-like icons
Big Sur is more like an iPad than ever. The translucent menu bar, dock, and interface mimic those found on iPadOS. Even the show’s icons, which are now squirrels (half square, half circle), resemble those of an iPhone but with a little more depth and detail in their designs. Some will hate the new icons, but I think most people will be used to them from the iPhone.
The Mac also inherits the on / off switches directly from an iPhone, which work exactly the same, while the default color scheme for the interface is now colorful, whether in light or dark mode. Apps also look cleaner with toolbars with more icons and full-height sidebars, which look similar to the ones on iPadOS 14.
It’s fresh and more colorful compared to previous versions of macOS, and it leaves the door open for iOS apps to run alongside Mac apps on new Apple Silicon Macs and look like part of the system rather than just random plugins. . But most of Big Sur works the same as previous versions, with the same features in the same places as before, maintaining a familiar feel to anyone who has used macOS before. This isn’t a sea change ready for the iPad to take over the Mac.
Control center
Taken from the iPhone and iPad, Control Center is a collection of settings and switches for quickly changing common things like volume, screen brightness, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc. Most of the settings can be expanded to reveal more options, like toggling between dark mode and night shift.
It’s a useful addition that consolidates a host of quick controls in one place, but for those who like these controls to live in the menu bar, they still can.
The Notification Center has also been revamped. It has iOS-like cards for notifications as they arrive. They can be grouped or expanded and it also features the new unified widgets that were released with iOS 14. They replace the traditional macOS widgets, and while most work the same, some are more interactive. some like the calculator have been removed.
Messages and maps
The Messages app on Mac has finally caught up with the version for mobile devices and iPad. Users of Apple’s iMessage system now get all the new effects, memoji, pinned messages, new group messaging features, including WhatsApp @ -mentions and Slack-like online replies, plus easier GIF messages.
Apple Maps has also been aligned with the iPad version, making it more comprehensive for route planning, shopping for stores, and an enhanced 3D view for exploring streets remotely.
Renovated Safari
Safari has also received a pretty big review. It looks a bit different here and there, with favicon symbols now visible on tabs by default, making it easy to see which site is open, and new pop-up previews appear when you hover over a tab. There are also many new options for customizing the home page, with features such as bookmarks, the reading list, Siri suggestions, iCloud tabs that sync tabs between devices, and the new privacy report.
But the two biggest changes are the addition of Chrome-style extensions and the aforementioned privacy report, which shows all the trackers on a given website and how many are monitoring their movements on the web for the last 30 days. The report is certainly enlightening and is another tool in the privacy arsenal.
Extensions are few and far between as they have been listed on the Mac App Store, but for those who have latched onto Chrome because of a particular extension, there may be fewer reasons to use it now. You can also choose when an extension can run, either all the time or only on particular sites, for further privacy protection.
Finally, Apple’s new translation service is part of Safari, which supports seven languages and works similarly to Google’s translation features in Chrome.
Verdict
Overall, macOS 11 Big Sur manages to blend the visual design of the iPhone and iPad with the functionality of the Mac very well, making it a great starting point for both new Apple Silicon-based Macs and older Intel Macs.
Performance on a 2020 13-inch Intel MacBook Pro matched previous versions of macOS, which is encouraging, but the real test will be how it performs on newer Apple Silicon Macs, particularly compared to traditional Intel machines.
Big Sur may look different on first boot, and some may hate the brighter colors, increased use of transparency, and squircle icons, but it fundamentally works the same as previous versions of macOS, but with some useful additions that you can ignore. for sure if you don’t want them.
-
MacOS Big Sur will run on MacBook Pros and Airs from 2013 onwards, iMacs and Mac minis from 2014 onwards, iMac Pro from 2017 onwards, and Mac Pro from 2013 onwards.
