macOS 13: What We Know So Far

The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple's annual developer and software-oriented conference, is now a week away. We've heard very little about macOS 13 ahead of its announcement this year, so we could be in for some major surprises when June 6 rolls around. Here's what we know so far about the next version of Apple's Mac operating system.

macos 13 text mockup

macOS 13 Name?

Every year heading into WWDC, one question on many Mac fans' minds is what Apple will choose as the name for the next version of macOS. The tradition dates all the way back to the beginning of Mac OS X with its big cat names, and then in 2013 Apple shifted to Calfornia-themed names with the unveiling of OS X Mavericks.

Back in the early days after the debut of OS X Mavericks, we discovered a total of over 20 California-themed trademark applications filed by various limited liability companies that were all but certain to be shell companies created by Apple to hide its identity.

Over time, some of the trademarks like Yosemite, Sierra, Mojave, and Monterey were indeed used by Apple for its major Mac operating system updates, while trademark applications for almost all of the other names have been abandoned, such as Rincon, Redwood, Pacific, and Skyline.

mammoth name trademark
Apart from Mammoth, that is. Mammoth is likely related to Mammoth Lakes and Mammoth Mountain, a popular area for skiing and hiking in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The name saw its trademark application granted in March 2019, and it has since had extension of use period applications approved five times, with the most recent occurring in November 2021. That would seem to suggest that Apple might announce macOS 13 Mammoth at WWDC next week.

Compatibility

With Apple having nearly completed its two-year-long Mac transition from Intel to Apple silicon, the company's future macOS development is now firmly focused on eking out as much performance and efficiency as it can from its custom-designed processors.

macOS Monterey on MBP Feature
That said, Apple needs to make sure that macOS continues to support Intel-powered Macs for a few years yet, so it is possible that macOS 13 will be compatible with a similar range of Macs as macOS Monterey supports:

  • ‌iMac‌ - Late 2015 and later
  • iMac‌ Pro - 2017 and later
  • ‌MacBook Air‌ - Early 2015 and later
  • MacBook Pro - Early 2015 and later
  • Mac Pro - Late 2013 and later
  • Mac mini - Late 2014 and later
  • MacBook - Early 2016 and later

It's worth bearing in mind that there are several features in macOS 12 that are only available to machines powered by Apple silicon chips, so there's a good chance macOS 13 could be the same.

Rumored New Features

Well-connected Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman has claimed that macOS 13 will come with an overhauled System Preferences to bring it more in line with the Settings app on iPhone and iPad, including individual settings organized by app.

system prefs
Gurman also believes we'll see redesigns for other default apps, which puts updates in contention for the likes of Mail, Notes, Reminders, Podcasts, Safari, Messages, Music, and more.

Otherwise, macOS 13 rumors from reliable sources have been few and far between. Some have interpreted this as an indication that Apple has been spending more time optimizing macOS code for its latest Apple silicon Macs and fixing bugs, but we won't know for sure until the company demos the new version of its long-running operating system at next week's WWDC.

Other Possible Features

Last year, macOS Monterey shared several fresh innovations with iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, including new features in Messages and FaceTime, SharePlay, Live Text, and Visual Lookup, along with a dedicated Shortcuts app for Mac.

On that basis, what can we glean from this year's iOS 16 rumors? In truth, not a lot. In previous years, we've had early versions of iOS leak out, giving us a fairly good idea of what to expect. That's not the case this year, and we only have a few details on what could be included in iOS 16.

macos monterey mbp messages hero
According to Gurman, the Messages app in iOS 16 is likely to gain "more social network-like functionality, particularly around audio messages," so that could make its way into the Messages app for macOS 13.

Apple is also rumored to be planning major enhancements to the iOS Lock Screen, including wallpapers that have "widget-like capabilities." Lock Screen enhancements are likely to be exclusive to iPhone and iPad, but there is scope for enhanced Mac widgets. Widgets in macOS currently live in the slide-away Notifications Center, but some users pine for widgets with more flexibility, such as the ability to move them around on the desktop or keep them permanently in view.

music app monterey
Apple is also said to be developing an optional dedicated Apple Music iOS app for classical music. Whether this would also be a separate app in macOS or form part of a (some say much-needed) Music app overhaul is currently unknown.

Release Date

Apple typically previews its next-generation operating system for Macs during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, California in early June, and releases the first developer betas shortly after the event. iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, and tvOS 16 will likely be released in September, followed by macOS 13 in October.

What Do You Want to See in macOS 13?

What new features or improvements would you like to see in the next version of Apple's Mac operating system? Let us know in the comments.

Top Rated Comments

AAPLGeek Avatar
18 months ago
Looks like we’re nearing macOS transformation into toyOS with each of these yearly releases
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
l0stl0rd Avatar
18 months ago
New nothing really.

1. Want better window snapping like Windows
2. Better display / UI scaling
3. Fix bugs
4. New Metal API version
5. Make Homepod mini usable as speakers (they suck as they are).

No specific order really.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HenrikWivel Avatar
18 months ago
MacOS Death Valley?
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ThisBougieLife Avatar
18 months ago
The main thing I want to see in macOS 13 is a revamped Music app. The "embedded browser" model that it is now is clunky and has some issues, in particular with the way searches work. If you search the store and browse it for a while, you must hit "back" many times to be able to search your library. The store is often sluggish as well. Separating various non-music services from iTunes was a good first step, but the Music app is still messy and I think there is a lot of room for improvement.

Looking forward to the new Classical app. This might finally be the change that causes me to switch from Qobuz.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Octavius8 Avatar
18 months ago
After Big Sur broke printer compatibility and it took me weeks to find a more or less stable workaround I decided to “update” very 2 years and only after several month into the release and after checking everywhere “what broke Apple now”. Nothing relevant for me to make want to update.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
18 months ago
Snow Monterey!
Snow Monterey!
Snow Monterey!

...for a year or maybe 2 to get macOS back to fully "just works," optimized to run as fast as possible on the many cores now in play (and apparently more coming), Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 jacks at full "4" speeds ('https://eclecticlight.co/2022/04/18/m1-thunderbolt-ports-dont-fully-support-usb-3-1-gen-2/') and much fewer "disk not ejected properly" unexpected ejections from devices that- hooked to Intel Macs with the very same cables- have no such unexpected ejection frustrations, make the U in USB actually mean what it is supposed to mean instead of being somewhat hit or miss for Silicon Macs, etc.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Details: Action Button, USB-C Port, Face ID, and More

Wednesday September 27, 2023 1:34 pm PDT by
Significant changes are expected to arrive with Apple's fourth-generation iPhone SE, in terms of both design and hardware, MacRumors has learned. The iPhone SE 4, known internally under the codename Ghost, is expected to receive a new design derived almost entirely from the base model iPhone 14. According to our sources, the iPhone SE 4 will use a modified version of the iPhone 14 chassis...
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 for All iPhones and iPads

Tuesday September 26, 2023 12:47 pm PDT by
Apple today released iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 updates, with the software coming five days after the releases of iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1. Today's iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 updates arrive as build 21A351 and can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Note that iOS 17.0.2 was previously made available for iPhone...
iOS 17

Everything New in iOS 17.1 Beta 1

Wednesday September 27, 2023 1:57 pm PDT by
Just a week after releasing iOS 17, Apple has seeded the first beta of iOS 17.1 to developers. iOS 17.1 adds some features that Apple promised were coming to iOS 17 in the future, plus it refines and improves some existing features. This guide covers everything new in the first iOS 17.1 beta. Apple Music Favorites You can favorite songs, albums, playlists, and artists in the iOS 17.1...
iPhone 15 Pro lineup

iPhone 15 Pro Overheating Concerns Highlighted in Two More Reports

Thursday September 28, 2023 6:25 am PDT by
iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max overheating concerns continue to make headlines this week, with the topic highlighted by The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. Both of the reports document anecdotal complaints from customers, and outline potential causes, but it's unclear how many devices are actually affected. Bloomberg said the overheating could be caused or compounded by the iPhone's setup...
iPhone 15 Pro Lineup Feature

Kuo: iPhone 15 Pro Overheating Issues Likely Due to Thermal Compromises, Not 3nm Node

Tuesday September 26, 2023 9:12 am PDT by
Complaints about heat issues with the iPhone 15 Pro models are not related to TSMC's 3-nanometer node that was used for the A17 Pro chip, according to well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo says that overheating could be caused by "compromises made in the thermal system design" that allowed Apple to cut down on the weight of the iPhone 15 Pro models. Kuo says that the reduced heat...
iPhone 15 USB C Port Keynote

Some USB-C Power Banks Fail to Work With iPhone 15

Thursday September 28, 2023 2:06 pm PDT by
Apple added a USB-C port to the iPhone 15 lineup this year, allowing it to work with USB-C cables, USB-C power banks, and more. It turns out that some USB-C battery packs are not working properly with Apple's iPhone 15, resulting in charging issues. As highlighted on Reddit and the MacRumors forums, not all existing USB-C power banks can be used with the iPhone 15 models, perhaps due to the...
Mac Gaming

Apple Explains How Game Mode Works in macOS Sonoma

Wednesday September 27, 2023 2:24 am PDT by
In macOS Sonoma, Game Mode prioritizes CPU and GPU performance for gaming purposes on Macs. For those unfamiliar with Game Mode, Apple on Tuesday published a support document providing more information on how to use the new feature. Game Mode optimizes your gaming experience by giving your game the highest priority access to your CPU and GPU, lowering usage for background tasks. And it...