MacRumors

With pre-orders for the Apple Watch Series 7 opening today, dissatisfaction with Apple's new color options has been expressed by some customers and pundits on social media.

The aluminum Apple Watch Series 6 was available in Space Gray, Silver, Gold, Blue, and (PRODUCT)RED aluminum color options, while the aluminum ‌Apple Watch Series 7‌ overhauled the lineup of colors, and is available in Midnight, Starlight, Green, Blue, and (PRODUCT)RED.

These are the same colors offered with the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13, except there is a Pink option instead of Green. The new iPad mini is also available in a mix of colors, mirroring Starlight and Pink from the Apple Watch Series 7 and iPhone 13, carrying over Space Gray, and introducing a new Purple color.

The Apple Watch's Blue and Red tones have been slightly tweaked from last year's offerings, while Green is a totally new option. Midnight replaces Space Gray with a very dark navy, while Starlight replaces Silver and Gold with a subtle champagne color.

With such significant changes coming to the Apple Watch's color options this year, some customers have expressed confusion and irritation with the new hues. The replacement of Silver and Gold with Starlight has attracted particular ire, with some fans of the previous options being disappointed with the single new champagne-style color. Some fans of Silver have criticized Starlight for being too warm, while some fans of Gold have found it to be too desaturated.

While there are still Silver and Gold stainless steel Apple Watch options this year, Space Black has been replaced by Graphite, except on the Hermés models.

Stainless steel Link Bracelet users have also noted incongruity with some Series 7 models. This is particularly evident with the Graphite Stainless Steel Apple Watch, which no longer matches its accompanying Link Bracelet.

Although the Link Bracelet is a stainless steel band designed to twin with a stainless steel Apple Watch, some users have enjoyed using the band with the Silver aluminum Apple Watch in previous years. With Starlight replacing Silver, some users have noted that the cool silver of the Link bracelet now clashes with the warm tone of Starlight.

Other mismatching band and casing combinations have been noted by users across various social media platforms and websites, with some claiming that the Series 7's colors mismatch with more bands, more severely compared to the color options offered in previous years.

There is now an unprecedented level of fragmentation with Apple's color options across its product lines. The iPhone 13 and Apple Watch Series 7 now contrast with the iPad Air and AirPods Max models, as well as the 24-inch iMac and iPhone 12, with other devices like the ‌iPad mini‌ overlapping the divide.

Apple effectively now has three separate color palettes for its devices, in addition to the pre-existing tonal differences with the same shade that was common to see with the likes of Space Gray. Other product lines, such as the iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, and HomePod mini, also no longer have any matching colors with the aluminum Apple Watch Series 7 or standard iPhone 13 models. This appears to have irked some users who like to have matching colors across multiple Apple devices.

As yet, there are no rumors about what colors Apple's redesigned MacBook Pro and Mac mini machines could be available in. When they do arrive, likely at an event later this month, there may be some more clarity about Apple's plans for color options going forward.

The Apple Watch Series 7 just became available for pre-order today, and while there are some carrier deals linked to activating cellular service, we're also starting to see the first straight cash discounts on the new models thanks to Expercom.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Expercom. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

You'll need to sign into your Expercom account to access the special pricing and some models are already selling out, but in general, you'll see the following prices and availability for aluminum models at the time of publication:

• 41mm GPS - $379.05, down from $399 (All colors)
• 41mm GPS + Cellular - $474.05, down from $499 (All colors except Red)
• 45mm GPS - $407.55, down from $429 (All colors)
• 45mm GPS + Cellular - $502.55, down from $529 (Midnight and Blue)

Expercom is currently quoting shipping estimates of 3–6 weeks for new orders, which may not be much different than ordering from Apple considering shipping on some models quickly slipped into November.

Despite speculation that the Apple Watch Series 7 may be thinner or thicker than its predecessors, the latest models have the same thickness as the Series 6.

Now that Apple's official specification pages have gone live, it has been confirmed that the Apple Watch Series 7 models are 10.7mm thick, which is the same as the Series 6 models that have today been discontinued. Both the 41mm and 45mm casings have the same thicknesses.

While early specification documents obtained by MacRumors revealed many aspects that Apple did not clarify during the announcement of the device, such as the S7 chip, the thickness and exact dimensions were unknown until today.

Alleged renders that depicted an Apple Watch Series 7 with squared-off edges suggested that the new model would be 1.7mm thinner, with an overall thickness of 9mm. Contrastingly, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Series 7 would be "slightly thicker overall" than the Series 6. Once it was announced, promotional images of the Apple Watch Series 7 also fuelled speculation that the new models may be thinner. It is now clear that none of these rumors turned out to be correct.

Apple says that the casings of the Apple Watch Series 7 have been refined with softer, more rounded edges, but overall the dimensions are very similar to the Series 6. The Apple Watch Series 7 is available in new 41mm and 45mm size options that are 1mm taller than the 40mm and 44mm options of previous generations.

The smaller 41mm Series 7 model is also 1mm wider than the 40mm Series 6 model, but the 44mm and 45mm models have the same width. Bands from older Apple Watch models continue to be functionally compatible with the Series 7, but these dimensions could indicate that older 38mm or 40mm bands used with the 41mm model may not be completely flush with the casing, although the curvature of the casing may mitigate this issue. This would not be a potential problem with the larger 45mm model since it has the same width as the 44mm model.

The Apple Watch Series 6, introduced by Apple in September of last year, has been discontinued following the launch of the new Apple Watch Series 7.

Following pre-orders of the Apple Watch Series 7 opening up earlier today, Apple has removed the Series 6 from its website, no longer offering it to purchase for customers. The Apple Watch Series 7 replaces the Series 6 and now leaves the Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Series 3, and Series 7 in the lineup.

Apple announced the Series 7 earlier last month but declined to offer availability dates until earlier this week. Between the Series 7's announcement and pre-orders, Apple kept the Apple Watch Series 6 available for purchase on its website, but many models were unavailable and out of stock.

The Series 7 is Apple's most high-end Apple Watch model, featuring advanced health features and display technology. The Series 7 starts at $399, with the most expensive configuration having a $1499 price tag.

The Apple Watch SE is the mid-level Apple Watch model; starting at $279, the SE offers customers basic Apple Watch features without advanced functionality, such as a blood oxygen sensor. The Apple Watch Series 3, introduced five years ago, remarkably remains in the Apple Watch lineup and starts at just $199.

Apple this month started including 7-day complimentary AppleCare+ coverage with new products purchased through its stores in Australia, including any new Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, AirPods, HomePod mini, and more. The complimentary coverage is automatically included with the purchase of a qualifying new Apple product.

The addition was brought to our attention today by MacRumors reader Jack Jacobs, but based on recent updates to the AppleCare+ terms and conditions in Australia, it appears the change was implemented last week, on September 30.

The complimentary AppleCare+ period provides the same coverage as a paid AppleCare+ plan, including coverage for up to two incidents of accidental damage, according to the terms and conditions. After the complimentary coverage expires, customers may purchase AppleCare+ as a one-time purchase or on a monthly basis.

It's unclear why Apple implemented this change, but it could relate to strong warranty protections under Australian Consumer Law. The complimentary AppleCare+ coverage is not available in the United States or other countries that we checked.

Update: The change in policy is due to new requirements for add-on insurance like AppleCare+ in Australia. Under the new regulations, there is a mandatory four-day pause between the sale of a product and any add-on insurance for that product, so Apple is providing seven days of free AppleCare+ coverage to span that gap.

The regulations apply across a broad range of product categories and are intended to help protect customers against high-pressure sales and poor-value insurance products frequently offered at the time of product purchase.

Apple Watch Series 7 pre-orders began minutes ago and some configurations are already facing extended delivery estimates into November on Apple's online store in the United States, including some aluminum and stainless steel options.

Some customers have expressed their frustration that Apple did not provide more details on Series 7 configurations and pricing prior to pre-orders beginning, forcing some people to decide which model they wanted to purchase in the heat of the moment. For customers who did not manage to pre-order their desired Apple Watch for launch day delivery, some configurations will likely be available for Apple Store pickup on launch day.

Apple Watch Series 7 pricing starts at $399 for aluminum models, $699 for stainless steel models, and $799 for titanium models. Apple has finally updated its Apple Watch Studio page that helps with choosing a case, size, and band, and the Apple Watch comparison page is also now updated to reflect the Series 7's tech specs.

Apple Watch Series 7 will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores on Friday, October 15.

Today, pre-orders for the Apple Watch Series 7 began on Apple.com as well as on participating carrier websites. Similar to years past, the launch of a new Apple Watch is seeing a few solid day one discounts from carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile/Sprint.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

For all pre-orders, the Apple Watch Series 7 can be ordered today, and it will begin shipping (and be available in stores) on October 15.

AT&T

AT&T's offer for the new Apple Watch requires you to purchase two models, and then you'll get $200 off in bill credits. This offer supports the Series 3 (up to $289.99), Series 4 (up to $699.99), Series 5 (up to $749.99), Series 6 (up to $799.99), SE (up to $359.99), and Series 7 (up to $799.99).

You'll need to buy two Apple Watch models, and place both on a qualifying installment plan with AT&T. The Apple Watch purchases must be two new lines or a new line and an upgraded line. Certified refurbished watches are excluded from this deal.

After purchasing, your $200 credit will begin within three billing cycles, applied in equal amounts over the entire installment plan term.

Verizon/T-Mobile/Sprint

When purchasing the Apple Watch Series 7 directly from Apple.com (or at an Apple Store) and activating it on a new line with Verizon, T-Mobile, or Sprint, you can get a $100 e-gift card. Full details are available on Apple's site as you go through the model selection and checkout process.

Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

Apple is now accepting pre-orders for the Apple Watch Series 7 models through its online storefront and the Apple Store app. Pre-orders are available in more than 50 countries.

There were no major design changes to the Apple Watch Series 7 as was rumored, but the new models feature a larger display with slimmer bezels and new 41mm and 45mm case sizes.

Charging is 33 percent faster thanks to efficiency improvements, and Apple is using a more durable crack-resistant front crystal. This is also the first Apple Watch to have an IP6X certification for dust resistance in addition to its WR50 water resistance rating.

The Apple Watch Series 7 is available in aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium, with pricing that starts at $399. Apple is also offering Nike and Hermes models.

Apple Watch Series 7 models did not launch alongside the iPhone 13 models because of production issues that may result in supply constraints. For that reason, customers hoping for an Apple Watch Series 7 on launch day should make sure to order early.

Customers who pre-order one of the new Apple Watch models can expect to start receiving their devices on Friday, October 15, the official launch date for the Series 7.

Apple suppliers in China are scrambling to keep production on track ahead of the busy holiday season in the face of widespread power outages in the country, according to a new report from Nikkei Asia.

Widespread power outages in China are reigniting a push by tech manufacturers to shift production away from Asia's biggest economy, with suppliers to Apple, Amazon and others scrambling to keep production on track ahead of the busy holiday season.

At a midsize electronics accessories maker in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, power outages have become the new normal.

One source who spoke to Nikkei said power outages had been sporadic since mid-September, but that now they get notice every week telling them which days the following week that power will be cut. Apple suppliers have reportedly already warned that power cuts threaten supply chain continuity, but concerns have grown that the disruption will last until the end of the year or longer.

Suppliers are also reporting a lack of clarity over who will receive power and who won't from one week to the next.

"It is very chaotic and confusing. Some suppliers managed to secure power supplies based on their friendly relations and negotiations with the local governments, while some were affected badly," an executive at an Apple supplier told Nikkei Asia.

Many large Chinese tech suppliers, such as emerging iPhone assembler Luxshare and its subsidiaries across different provinces, were also spared from the power suspension, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Another unnamed Apple supplier said that local governments are deciding who to give electricity to based in part on the value of the products being made.

Apple is looking to boost initial production of this year's ‌iPhone 13‌ models to 90 million units through the end of the year, an increase of up to 20% over the 75 million units of the iPhone 12 series produced last year, according to Bloomberg. There are also reports that initial stocks of Apple Watch Series 7 will be limited, but we won't know for sure until Apple opens pre-orders later today.

A Google executive is extending an open hand to help Apple adopt RCS, a new communication protocol called Rich Communication Services to iPhone and iPad, that would replace standard SMS and offer improved cross-platform messaging capabilities.

In a tweet, Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google's senior vice president of Android, said that "group chats don't need to break this way," referring to a sub-tweet about the inconvenience Android and iPhone users have in communicating via messages. Alluding to the ‌RCS‌ protocol, Lockheimer goes on to state there is a "Really Clear Solution" and that he is offering an "open invitation to the folks who can make this right," with the "folks" in question being a reference to Apple.

Google has been rolling out ‌RCS‌ for the past several years, and in July, all three major carriers in the U.S. pledged to adopt RCS, which, compared to SMS, offers support for higher quality photos and videos, audio messages, improved security, and better group chats.

With ‌RCS‌, Android to Android messaging communication will become fully end-to-end encrypted. In contrast, Android to iPhone communication often referred to as the "green bubble," will be less secure due to Apple's unwillingness to adopt ‌RCS‌.

Apple's online store is down as of writing as the company prepares to open pre-orders for the Apple Watch Series 7, but unusually Apple still hasn't officially provided full pricing information for the new models.

Despite that, YouTuber and leaker Jon Prosser managed to find out pricing details for the new series and has published a full breakdown for each model and casing.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, prices are basically equivalent to Series 6 models. Apple Watch Series 7 starts at $399 for the 41mm aluminum version, while the 45mm version costs $429. Stainless steel versions start at $699, and titanium versions begin at $799.

• Series 7 – 41mm Aluminum (GPS) $399
• Series 7 – 45mm Aluminum (GPS) $429
• Series 7 – 41mm Aluminum 41mm (GPS + Cellular) $499
• Series 7 – 45mm Aluminum (GPS + Cellular) $529
• Series 7 – 41mm Stainless Steel w/ Sport band (GPS + Cellular) $699
• Series 7 – 45mm Stainless Steel w/ Sport band (GPS + Cellular) $749
• Series 7 – 41mm Stainless Steel w/ Milanese Loop (GPS + Cellular) $749
• Series 7 – 45mm Stainless Steel w/ Milanese Loop (GPS + Cellular) $799
• Series 7 – 41mm Titanium (GPS + Cellular) $799
• Series 7 – 45mm Titanium (GPS + Cellular) $849
• Series 7 – 41mm Nike (GPS) $399
• Series 7 – 45mm Nike (GPS) $429
• Series 7 – 41mm Nike (GPS + Cellular) $499
• Series 7 – 45mm Nike (GPS + Cellular) $529

The ‌Apple Watch Series 7‌ models will be available for pre-order today in more than 50 countries around the world, and will be launching on Friday, October 15. Those hoping for an ‌Apple Watch Series 7‌ on launch day should aim to place an order right when the ‌Apple Store‌ comes up as there have been rumors of supply constraints.

Apple's iPhone 13 series today went on sale in Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Thailand, and nearly 10 other countries and regions. The devices can be purchased from select retailers, while online orders are set to begin arriving to customers.

The iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max first launched on September 24 in the United States and more than 30 other countries and regions.

Key features across the iPhone 13 lineup include a faster A15 Bionic chip, camera improvements, longer battery life, and a smaller notch. The two Pro models also feature a ProMotion display with a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz.

Apple's online store and Apple Store app purchasing system are down ahead of Apple Watch Series 7 pre-orders, which are set to begin at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time in the United States.

"You're... early," reads the ‌Apple Store‌ message when visiting the U.S. website, which comes with a reminder that device pre-orders begin at 5:00 a.m. Apple has been doing new device pre-orders at that time since last year.

The Apple Watch Series 7 models are available for pre-order in more than 50 countries around the world, and will be launching on Friday, October 15.

Those hoping for an Apple Watch Series 7 on launch day should aim to place an order right when the ‌Apple Store‌ comes up as there have been rumors of supply constraints.

Pricing on the Apple Watch Series 7 starts at $399 for the aluminum models, which come in midnight, starlight, green, blue, and (PRODUCT)RED. Stainless steel and titanium models are also available for a higher price.

The 10 year anniversary of Steve Jobs death took place earlier this week, sparking tech leaders to share their stories of Apple's former CEO.

Dell CEO Michael Dell spoke to CNET, reminiscing about the time that Steve Jobs aimed to get Dell to license Mac OS to run on Intel-based PCs and how that might have changed the PC industry.

As the story goes, Jobs first approached Dell about a partnership after being ousted from Apple and establishing NeXT. Jobs wanted Dell to use the NeXT operating system on Dell PCs, and he claimed that it was better than Windows.

Dell told Jobs that it wasn't going to happen because there were no applications for it and "zero customer interest."

After Jobs rejoined Apple, he once again attempted a software licensing deal, trying to get Dell to license Mac OS. At the time, Jobs pushed Dell by telling him PC buyers could choose between Apple's software or Microsoft Windows.

"He said, look at this - we've got this Dell desktop and it's running Mac OS," Dell tells me. "Why don't you license the Mac OS?"

Dell thought it was a good idea and wanted to pay Jobs a licensing fee for every PC sold with Mac OS, but Jobs was worried about PC sales cannibalizing Mac sales because PCs were cheaper. Jobs instead wanted Dell to load Mac OS alongside Windows on every PC, which would have cost Dell hundreds of millions in royalties.

Dell smiles when he tells the story. "The royalty he was talking about would amount to hundreds of millions of dollars, and the math just didn't work, because most of our customers, especially larger business customers, didn't really want the Mac operating system," he writes. "Steve's proposal would have been interesting if it was just us saying, "OK, we'll pay you every time we use the Mac OS" - but to pay him for every time we didn't use it ... well, nice try, Steve!"

The royalty cost dissuaded Dell from the deal, as did the lack of a guarantee that Dell would continue to have access to Mac OS years in the future. Dell customers could be out of luck as the software evolved, with no way for Dell to offer support.

Dell said that had that deal gone through, "It could have changed the trajectory for Windows and Mac OS on PCs." In a 2005 interview, Dell said that if Apple "opened the Mac OS to others" Dell would be happy to offer it to customers, but that did not happen and Apple kept Mac OS exclusive to Macs.

Though a software deal was never reached, Dell said that he remained friends with Jobs over the years despite various arguments. Dell one time was asked what he'd do to fix Apple if he was CEO, and he said "I'd shut the company down and give money back to shareholders," which angered Jobs.

Jobs ultimately used the quote from Dell to motivate his team, which Dell respected. "I probably would've done much the same thing if I was in his position," Dell told CNET. "When the company you started is fighting for its life, you do whatever it takes."

Michael Dell's story about Mac OS X is featured in his newly published memoir, "Play Nice But Win," which also features stories of how he met Jobs, his infatuation with the Apple II, and how he developed a friendship with Jobs.

Apple's in-app purchase requirements are anti-competitive, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has decided, reports Reuters. The ACM has ordered Apple to make changes to the rules that force developers to use in-app payment options.

The Dutch antitrust watchdog has been investigating Apple since 2019, and while the probe started out as a look into whether Apple's App Store practices are an abuse of dominant market position, it was scaled back to focus on dating apps.

Tinder owner Match Group said that Apple's in-app purchase were preventing it from directly communicating with customers about payments.

The ACM told Apple about its decision on in-app purchases last month, and it was the first antitrust regulator to decide that Apple has abused its market power in the ‌App Store‌. Apple has not been fined, but the ACM wants it to make changes to in-app purchase rules.

A final decision on the matter is under legal review and it will be published laster this year.

In related news from Japanese site Nikkei, Japan's Fair Trade Commission is launching an investigation into whether Apple and Google are leveraging their dominance in the smartphone OS market to eliminate competition and limit options for consumers.

The Japanese FTC will conduct interviews and surveys with OS operators, app developers, and smartphone users, and will aim to create a report outlining OS market structure and the reasons why competition "has remained static."

Apple is facing similar antitrust investigations and legal issues in multiple countries, including the United States. Sweeping antitrust legislation has been introduced, and earlier this year, the Epic v. Apple case resulted in a ruling requiring Apple to allow developers to include "external links or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms, in addition to In-App Purchasing." Apple will need to implement these rules starting in December.

Apple's iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro models exclusively support a video recording feature called ProRes, which allows you to capture, edit, and share professional quality video. Here's how to enable it on your iPhone in iOS 16.

Aimed at professionals, the ProRes codec offers higher color fidelity and less compression, and it is often used for commercials, feature films, and TV broadcasts, which is testament to the high quality results that it can achieve.

A one-minute 10-bit HDR ProRes video takes up 1.7GB in HD mode. For that reason, recording ProRes video at 4K at 30 frames per second requires 256, 512, or 1TB of iPhone storage capacity.

In other words, if you have an ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌ or ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ with the base 128GB of storage, you'll be limited to shooting 1080p ProRes video at 30 frames per second.

With that in mind, you can follow these steps to turn it on.

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro.
2. Scroll down and tap Camera.
3. Tap Formats.
4. Under "Video Capture," toggle the switch next to Apple ProRes to the green ON position.

With ProRes enabled, the next time you choose the Video mode in the Camera app, you'll see the ProRes indicator in the top-left corner above the viewfinder. If it's crossed out, tap it to enable the feature. The "Max Time" at the top of the viewfinder also tells you the maximum duration that you can record in ProRes, based on your iPhone's storage capacity.

Along with ProRes, the ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌ and iPhone 14 Pro feature improved Wide, Ultra Wide, and Telephoto lenses with better low light performance, macro capabilities, Night Mode, Cinematic video recording for depth-of-field transitions, Photographic Styles for enhancing images, and (exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro) a new Action mode for stabilizing video.

Update: Apple has now announced its October event for Monday, October 18.

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Apple is rumored to be hosting an event this month to unveil new MacBook Pro models, a redesigned Mac mini, and third-generation AirPods. While the date of Apple's rumored October event has not yet been confirmed, its timing has started to be narrowed down, giving us a hint at when we could see the event take place.

Apple held an event on Tuesday, September 14 where it announced the iPhone 13 lineup, the Apple Watch Series 7, sixth-generation iPad mini, and ninth-generation iPad. Last year, Apple held three events in the fall, coming in September, October, and November. Its first-ever November event introduced the first three Macs with the M1 chip.

This fall, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has suggested that Apple will hold two events, with the second focused on the Mac. An October Apple event in 2021 would also be in line with previous years, since the company has held an event in October in seven of the past ten years:

• Tuesday, October 4, 2011
• Tuesday, October 23, 2012
• Tuesday, October 22, 2013
• Thursday, October 16, 2014
• Thursday, October 27, 2016
• Tuesday, October 30, 2018
• Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Apple typically holds its events on Tuesdays, with invites being sent out to the media one week earlier. It was initially thought that the timing of the company's annual Back to School promotion may have hinted that the event could take place on Tuesday, October 12, but with no invites sent out yet, an event on October 12 can now be ruled out. This means that there are now only two feasible options for an event this month:

• Tuesday, October 5
• Tuesday, October 12
• Tuesday, October 19
• Tuesday, October 26

For an event on October 19 or October 26, we could see invites being sent out on Tuesday, October 12 or Tuesday, October 19, respectively. Google has, however, announced that it is holding its next Pixel event on October 19, and while Apple could choose to go head-to-head with Google's event, Apple seems to prefer dates closer to the end of the month anyway, so October 26 is probably the more likely date at this point. November remains a possibility, of course, but based on past events, it's looking like late October is when we'll see Apple's final products launching in 2021.

We will update this article as soon as we know more about when Apple's October event is set to take place.

For detailed information about what we could feasibly see announced at the October event, see our helpful breakdown.

Apple today seeded a new public beta of the macOS 12 Monterey beta to public beta testers, allowing non-developers to test the new macOS Monterey software ahead of its public release. The update comes just a day after Apple provided the ninth beta to developers.

Public beta testers can download the macOS 12 Monterey update from the Software Update section of the System Preferences app after installing the proper profile from Apple's beta software website.

macOS Monterey introduces quite a few major updates for the macOS operating system. When released, Universal Control will let a single mouse, trackpad, and keyboard be used across multiple Mac or iPad devices, and it's now possible to AirPlay directly to a Mac from an iPhone, ‌iPad‌, or even another Mac.

Safari has an updated tab bar and support for Tab Groups to keep tons of tabs organized, and FaceTime now features support for spatial audio, Portrait Mode (M1 Macs only) and Voice Isolation for cutting out background noise. A SharePlay ‌FaceTime‌ feature (coming in a Monterey update) will let Apple TV users watch TV, listen to music, and share their screens with one another.

Shared With You, another new feature, keeps track of the music, links, podcasts, news, and photos that people are sent in Messages, highlighting it in the relevant apps. Notes has a new Quick Note feature for jotting down thoughts, and the Shortcuts app is now available on the Mac.

A dedicated Focus mode helps people stay on task by cutting out background distractions based on what's going on, and there's an updated Maps app with a whole slew of new features. With Live Text, Macs can now detect text in photos or provide details on animals, art, landmarks, plants, and more in images. The new beta adds Live Text support for Intel Macs.

Mail Privacy Protection hides IP and prevents tracking through invisible pixels, and iCloud Private Relay keeps Safari browsing protected. There are many other new features in ‌macOS Monterey‌, with a complete overview available in our macOS Monterey roundup.