Hey everybody, mac os 10 point 15 Catalina is here.
We've been beta testing it since early June.
And so we have some insights on what's in it and the best new features you're going to be most interested in.
Overall, there's some new Mojo in the Mac universe right now after the launch.
Of the new Mac Pro, which is basically a supercomputer for your desk, and the Apple Pro Display XDR, which is pushing forward the technology for desktop screens in ways most of us didn't expect.
Of course, all that massively powerful hardware needs software to take advantage of it.
And that's where Catalina comes in.
At Apple's annual WWDC developer conference where Catalina was announced, Apple's Tim Cook said the new Mac experience was inspired by pro users, but designed for everyone.
So let's talk about the top three features that will make the upgrade worth looking forward to for most users.
[UNKNOWN] Number one, Sidecar.
By far the biggest and most useful feature in Catalina is the ability to connect an iPad as a second display for your Mac.
Using a new feature called Sidecar.
Apps like Duet display and Luna display have been doing this for years.
But Apple has made it fast, easy and seamless.
And it's added Apple Pencil support, which means creatives can now use their iPad as a drawing tablet for the Mac.
There are a ton of other uses for Sidecar as well, from using it to view documents while writing a message.
To viewing videos on the side, to just having more windows open when you're multitasking.
Even if you've never been a multiple monitor person.
You'll probably find a lot to like about this feature, and it's a way to give your iPad a lot more use.
Number two, iOS apps on the Mac.
there's been plenty of buzz as well as some confusion around Apple bringing iOS apps to the Mac.
Last year's four apps Apple news stocks home and voice memos were disappointing, but the new generation of IOW apps on Mac including Twitter, trip it, Rosetta Stone DC Universe Jira cloud and game off asphalt nine racing game.
Look a lot more promising.
You won't see this until the final version of Catalina arrives in the fall.
But the early previews look like they're gonna bring a lot more interesting, helpful and fun stuff to the Mac experience.
Number three, the replacement of iTunes.
It's no secret that iTunes has been called out in recent years as a bloated and cumbersome player for managing music and other media.
So in Catalina, Apple has finally delivered its successor in the form of three new apps, music, podcasts, and Apple TV.
All in all, this is a much cleaner and simpler way to access your entertainment.
It automatically syncs with your other Apple devices.
So your progress on a podcast or a movie, for example is carried over from your iPhone or your Apple TV to your Mac.
It also automatically imports your whole iTunes library.
Even old CDs you've earned.
And when you plug in your iPhone or iPad to your Mac, your backups and updates can now be handled through the Finder rather than the iTunes app.
Well, those are the big three.
There's some other great Catalina upgrades as well, including voice control has been greatly expanded as an accessibility feature.
The new find my app for locating the last Mac even if it's offline, a redesign for the reminders app, shared folders and a new gallery view in notes and screen time is now on the Mac as well.
The biggest disappointment in Catalina at least in the beta is that Apple News still hasn't gotten enough of an overhaul to make it as good as it is on IOS let alone take advantage of extra capabilities on the Mac with the launch of Apple news plus this makes a Mac overhaul for the news app.
Even more urge.
Nevertheless, Catalina takes the Mac OS forward in ways that a lot of Mac users will appreciate.
Just remember not to install the beta on a production machine you use to get work done every day.
Wait for the final version this fall before you do that.
All right, that's the word on MacOS Catalina, thanks for hanging out with CNET, and we'll see you next time.
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