Apple provided a preview of the upcoming macOS 11 Big Sur at the first Virtual World Wide Developer Conference WWDC. The operating system that will appear in the fall has been redesigned from scratch.
In addition to the fact that macOS 11 can run on Apple’s new ARM chip, the most important news is: macOS Big Sur comes in a completely new design. Apple manager Craig Federighi calls it “The Biggest Design Update Over 10 Years.”
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Apple redesigns Big Sur
This affects the complete user interface with all control and desktop elements. Even the sound changed Apple. Focused on maintaining consistency across all Apple devices. In fact, macOS Big Sur is very similar to the new versions of iOS and iPadOS.
In fact, the new UI looks very modern and smooth. The new menu bar is translucent. Each app is provided with sidebar and key colors for identification. The icon has more space. Transitions, like transitions in the Photos app, animate smoothly. Buttons and controls appear when you need them and disappear when you don’t.
This will set the goal of the work, but still get used to it. The goal of the designer was to reduce visual complexity and focus on user content. According to Apple, each macOS app solved the problem and in some cases was completely renovated.
IOS and iPadOS users are already familiar with the major visual innovations of macOS. So Big Sur gets a configurable control center on iOS, and improved widgets and notifications find their location in the old notification center. You can freely configure it as intended on the upcoming iOS and provide users with more relevant information at a glance.
Apple is using Catalyst technology for system apps for the first time
News app is greatly boring. We have already reported on this in t3n. The new app on macOS is not a reading app, it can do almost anything iOS has to offer.
The Maps app also has similar enhancements. So-called expert guides suggest places and activities. Create a list of your favorite restaurants or vacation spots and share them with friends and family.
The new all-round view allows users to view their travel destinations 360 degrees. For example, detailed indoor maps for large airports and shopping centers are available. Plan your bike tour and electric car ride route on your Mac and send it directly to your iPhone for mobile.
The cause of the sudden functional explosion is called Mac Catalyst. Mac Catalyst is software that can be used to port apps from iOS to macOS. New developer experience With Xcode 12 and Catalyst technology, developer apps written for iOS and iPadOS can also run on macOS with minor changes.
Later macOS apps are based on the same project and source code as the mobile version. Choosing the “Mac” selection option in Xcode is an essential step to go to the Mac app. In this way, Twitter has already brought the app to the Mac.
For Big Sur, SwiftUI receives a significant upgrade to make it easier for developers to write whole apps using shared code for all Apple platforms. You should be able to easily add certain Mac features like the settings window. SwiftUI is used to operate new widgets for Mac, iPhone and iPad with shared Swift code from different locations.
This is the first time for Apple. So far, manufacturers haven’t replaced their existing native apps with iOS ports. New media applications, especially music applications, have also been implemented with native Mac programming.
The Safari browser sees many features of Chrome.
According to Apple measurements, Big Sur’s new Safari is 50% faster than Chrome. The main feature of the new Safari should be very similar to that of Chrome or Firefox, and it should be a new extension that applies to a separate section of the Mac App Store. You should be able to easily migrate existing alternative browser extensions to Safari. Developers use the WebExtensions API for this.
However, unlike competition, users can specify that additional restrictions apply to extensions. For example, users can define extensions to be granted for only one day. This corresponds to Apple’s enhanced security philosophy.
New privacy reports, extended security reports on websites visited, and passwords used allow Safari users to see more transparently which websites use which tracking methods.
In addition to themes and background images, the new configurable Safari configurable start page, personalizable with websites and widgets, should also be interesting to use every day. This will be familiar to Chrome users. With integrated translation, Safari should be able to recognize and translate entire websites in 7 languages with one click.
Anyway, Apple boss Tim Cook certifies that the new Safari browser is the browser’s biggest update. Real Mac fans use Safari anyway. Everyone else should consider this because of its extensive privacy features.
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The developer beta version of macOS Big Sur is now available to Apple Developer Program members. The public beta version will be available for Mac users next month. macOS Big Sur will be released as a free software update this fall.