Apple Releases Third macOS Sierra Public Beta

What I don't understand, is that despite being MACrumors and not iPhonerumors, people almost never talk about what's new in betas of OS X/macOS. I basically know everything that's new in iOS 10 beta 4, thanks to the 'iOS 10 Beta 4 Bug Fixes and Changes' topic. But, apart from the changed emojis, I haven't read about anything else that's new in the new macOS Sierra beta. And since macOS is 'heavier' than iOS, I don't feel like searching through the whole OS to find that out.

Anyone who can tell me what's new in this build? Again, apart from the changed emojis of course.

I wish you guys would let us know what changed...

I converted to the apple ecosystem in 2012 (current: ipad air2, 15" MBP MY'14, iPhone 6SPlus, 5s), and have been extremely happy but like many, that love is fading. Apple is stagnant on both hardware and software and is allowing the competition to catch up and in some cases surpass them. Sierra has been a disappointment for me. As was Yosemite, which El Captain, made usable again. It would have been more worth while if the new apple file system was in place as default with a matching time machine update that was more modern. I was also hoping for a smoother UI experience now that metal should be more mature. Unless that is yet another apple technology they highlight then stop working on... Still small animation glitches on my MY'14 MBP which I'm frankly getting tired of.

I use siri on my iphone, but so far I rarely use it on the mac. I prefer Launchbar on the mac for most things file workflow/file related. Siri just doesn't fit into my workflow currently but it my have a place.

Sierra also removed PPTP which breaks my VPN, also removed the ability to enter a VPN hostname (only IP address.. wtf). Sierra also broke some of the plugins I use in Lightroom making it unusable for a daily driver.

Unless, the next 15" MBP is really something special, and the supposed redesigned iphone 8 is equally awesome, I'll probably leave the apple ecosystem when it comes time to replace my laptop. Windows 10 anniversary is getting better , and adds continuity with Android (Thanks Apple) which would be a must-have for me at this point. Despite the new name, I find this release very "style over substance" release that offers very little. The next 15 months will be very interesting for Apple.

As far as Mac software goes, what exactly has surpassed it, or even caught up to it? Why is Sierra a disappointment for you? You're complaining about a beta, you know that right? If you're going to complain (versus inform) about glitches in a beta - even a public one - then you really can't expect others to take that seriously. Apple has already said that the AFS will not be on by default even in the main release as it's still in development. As far as Metal goes, that's supposed to be used for gaming. Apple still works on it but it's clear that its adoption on macOS is probably never going to reach widespread adoption whereas Metal on iOS is getting adoption. We don't know if Sierra removed your VPN stuff or if that's not ready yet and therefore not in place for this build - the removal is not in the official documentation from what I've seen. You keep saying Sierra this, Sierra that, but what you really mean is that a beta broke your stuff, which is expected and explicitly warned about.

Sounds like someone should start a similar thread in the macOS section and people should contribute to it, as it's done in the iOS section.

To minimise repetition, such topics are typically closed or merged. (Yesterday I asked for one of my topics to be merged.)

Macrumours lacks details

I wish you guys would let us know what changed...

So what has changed? Do you even know Macrumours?

The dearth of available information is typically because Apple does not make that information available, not even to developers. Space: macOS 10.12 | Apple Developer Forums ('https://forums.developer.apple.com/community/beta/macos-1012') and so on.

if the current Sierra Beta is compatible with

Please subscribe to the topic that was pinned by MacRumors: macOS Sierra 10.12: Compatible Apps ('https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macos-sierra-10-12-compatible-apps.1977335/')

Why can't this technically support …

Please subscribe to the topic that was pinned by MacRumors: MacOS 10.12 Sierra Unsupported Macs Thread ('https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macos-10-12-sierra-unsupported-macs-thread.1977128/')

the issue with using WD my cloud as a time machine

@Jamie-30 to minimise repetition, please consider encouraging readers to continue under your earlier topic Time Machine WD My Cloud issues ('https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/time-machine-wd-my-cloud-issues.1983645/').

Why can't this technically support iMac early 2008?

It probably can run. I have a Mac Pro 2,1 running El Cap, however, many functions don't work because I have old bluetooth, etc. When Apple decides to exclude certain models, it is usually because something they think is a key part of the experience won't work with that model.

I would expect that people will figure out ways to hack your computer to run Sierra, just like the have done with the old Mac Pros.

What I don't understand, is that despite being MACrumors and not iPhonerumors, people almost never talk about what's new in betas of OS X/macOS. I basically know everything that's new in iOS 10 beta 4, thanks to the 'iOS 10 Beta 4 Bug Fixes and Changes' topic. But, apart from the changed emojis, I haven't read about anything else that's new in the new macOS Sierra beta. And since macOS is 'heavier' than iOS, I don't feel like searching through the whole OS to find that out.

Anyone who can tell me what's new in this build? Again, apart from the changed emojis of course.

Completely agreed. It really bugs me that on all the iOS updates so far (developers and PB alike), all updates were shown in the article, but macOS didn't have anything listed. Despite what some people may think, macOS is still important.