Apple is expected to preview the next-generation version of macOS, macOS 10.14, at the keynote event for the Worldwide Developers Conference, set to be held on June 4. Though the keynote is less than two weeks away, we've heard little about what we might expect to see in the new version of macOS aside from the possibility of cross-compatible Mac and iOS apps.
With so few rumors about macOS 10.14 available, we turned to the MacRumors community to ask our readers what they would like to see the most in the next version of macOS.
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- Unified macOS and iOS design - With rumors of apps compatible with both iOS devices and Macs, MacRumors reader Glmnet1 would also like to see a more unified design between Macs and iOS devices. What that might look like is unclear, and while it could happen at some point, it's not likely for this year as we're not expecting major design changes with iOS 12 or macOS 10.14.
- Apple iOS apps for Mac - In the same vein, based on cross platform app rumors, several MacRumors readers would like to see iOS-exclusive apps like Apple News, Health, Activity, and Home made available on the Mac. A dedicated Apple Music app that's separate from iTunes is also on at least one reader's wishlist, as is an improved version of iTunes.
- HomeKit - A way to control HomeKit devices on Mac is a highly requested feature, either through the aforementioned Home app for the Mac or through Siri. At the current time, while Siri is available on macOS, the personal assistant can't control HomeKit devices from the Mac.
- Complications as Menu Bar items - Complications are limited to the Apple Watch, but since the device's debut, Apple Watch users have been hoping for their expansion to other platforms, including macOS and iOS. MacRumors reader ButteryScrollin would like Apple Watch-style complications to be added to the Mac's Menu Bar, introducing new quick-access shortcuts.
- Split-Screen improvements - MacRumors reader bmac89 would like some iPad-like improvements to the Mac's split-screen functionality, with options for dragging to resize or dismiss a split-screen view, opening apps into a split-screen view from the Dock or Spotlight, and initiating split-screen in the same way.
- APFS improvements - With macOS High Sierra, Apple introduced a new Apple Filesystem. The rollout of APFS was something of a nightmare for Apple customers who have Fusion drives that combine SSDs with traditional hard drives, and to this day, Apple has not implemented APFS support for Fusion drives. MacRumors reader Ncrypt would also like to see Apple use APFS to allow for macOS updates to install in the background to cut down on installation times.
- Group FaceTime - Group FaceTime is on both the macOS 10.14 and iOS 12 wishlists, and while it's something Apple is rumored to be working on, it's not clear if this is a feature that's ready for debut.
As with iOS 12, many readers listed performance and stability improvements at the top of their wishlists for macOS 10.14, and it's likely this is on Apple's to-do list as well. Apple is rumored to have delayed some macOS 10.14 and iOS 12 features to 2019 in order to focus on internal improvements following a slew of high-profile bugs that have impacted iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra.
What new features are you hoping Apple adds to macOS 10.14? Let us know in the comments. Make sure you check out our macOS 10.14 roundup for more on what we might see in the update, including possible naming choices. We've also got a separate iOS 12 wishlist that has a list of what MacRumors readers are hoping will come to iOS in 2018.
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* Stream iOS widgets to macOS's Today view. This may become less relevant if porting from iOS to macOS becomes easier, but right now, the disparity is unfortunate.
* Make network shares more reliable. This has been an issue since 10.0, and they've made tweaks here and there, but I still frequently run into weird glitches where stuff doesn't show, some process needs to be killed, I need to wait for a timeout, or whatever. This worked better in Windows 98.
* Speaking of which, one of the things Windows does that macOS (and Unix in general) does not is just treat a network share as a path. You don't have to actually mount it; you can just transparently access files from it. Having to mount and unmount is a weird 1970s'-era anachronism. This isn't a floppy disk…
* Make Console more useful again. Unified Logging is great on paper but has made tracking down problems so much harder since Sierra. Don't have Console running and recently had an issue? You're probably out of luck. Have Console running? Welcome to the firehose; good luck setting up appropriate filters.
* Make Continuity more reliable. My Watch unlock stopped working a few days ago. Why? Lord knows. Maybe it's because I tried a screensaver; that's when I first noticed. But I have since shut that off again. Universal Clipboard works 80% of the time. Handoff works 60% of the time. Stuff is amazing when it works, and infuriating when it does not. Give use better diagnostic tools (such as a useful Console!) to figure out why stuff isn't working.
* Sometimes, my Watch shows up in Console. I've never gotten that to work, ever. It either claims after several minutes of spinning that I need to confirm the trust prompt on the Watch (I'm not getting one!), or it just shows an empty log. Always. No matter what I do or don't do on the Watch. (Meanwhile, the iPhone is rather chatty even when idling, so this isn't plausible.) Continuity's fault? Who knows.
* Let me backup from iOS to macOS Server.
* Mail still occasionally has a hard time counting. Title bar says x items unread, Dock icon says y items, and actual mailbox shows zero items.