Apple this week introduced the latest version of the operating system that runs on the Mac, macOS. macOS Mojave is Apple's first deviation from mountain-based naming in four years, and the update, with its new name, brings some major changes to the Mac lineup.
We went hands-on with macOS Mojave to check out all of the new features, which range from changes to the desktop and Finder to a systemwide dark mode.
According to Apple, macOS Mojave's new dark mode was inspired by the desert at night. An extension of the dark theme introduced in earlier version of macOS, the new dark mode is systemwide and changes the color of the dock, menu bar, applications, and more. Native apps like Mail, Calendar, iTunes, and Xcode, all change when dark mode is enabled.
Desktop Stacks, a new feature designed to organize files left on the desktop, puts all of your files into neat, easily browsable piles that can be sorted by name, type, date, and other parameters. Dynamic desktop wallpapers are also available, with the design changing over the course of the day.
There's a new Gallery View in Finder for previewing files, and a new Sidebar provides detailed information for files, such as metadata for images. Quick Actions let you do more with your files without ever leaving Finder, while markup integration in Quick Look makes it easier to implement quick edits to a single file.
Screenshots got an iOS-style upgrade with markup integration and new options for recording video, while Continuity Camera lets you take a photo on the iPhone and automatically port it to the Mac.
Several iOS apps are coming to the Mac as part of a new Apple initiative to make it easier to port iOS apps to the Mac, with Apple introducing News, Stocks, Voice Memos, and Home for macOS.
Security and privacy improvements allow apps to access less of your sensitive data, while Safari is gaining new tools that will make you even harder to track across the web.
Finally, macOS Mojave brings an entirely redesigned Mac App Store that will make finding apps on the Mac a simpler experience. The new Mac App Store features editorial content like the iOS App Store, along with new function-specific tabs, video ratings, and more informative product pages.
macOS Mojave is currently available to developers for beta testing, and later this summer, Apple will make a public beta available for its public beta testers. The new software will see an official release in the fall.
macOS Mojave drops support for some older Macs and will run on 2015 and newer MacBooks, 2012 and newer MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac models, the 2017 iMac Pro, and Mac Pro models from late 2013 and mid-2010 and mid-2012 models with Metal-capable GPUs.
