Each June, Apple unveils details of the next major update to its various operating systems. Apple shares tons of information with developers at WWDC (its global developer conference), and the rest of us will learn what new software features will appear on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watches and everything else.
So we won’t know exactly what new features will be coming to the Mac until Apple reveals them in the WWDC opening note, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make some predictions based on features that are still missing from macOS 12 Monterey . In this article, we will discuss the most plausible rumors and the most desired new features that could come in macOS 13.
macOS 13: Release date
While Apple will discuss the features coming to the next version of macOS during the main speech of WWDC 2022 on June 6 at 10 am PT. The software will not be released to the public until much later in the year.
Once Apple visualizes the new OS, there will be a beta program that developers and public beta testers can sign up for (here’s how to participate in Apple’s beta program). The developer beta is likely to be available shortly after the main note, while the public beta is likely to arrive in July.
The final version of macOS 13 is likely to arrive in late October or early November. In 2021, macOS Monterey arrived on Monday, October 25, so expect a similar time frame for macOS 13.
macOS 13: Name
Apple will probably keep the tradition of giving each version of macOS a name in addition to the version number. This time the version number will be 13 (unfortunately for some, but that did not stop Apple from calling the iPhone 2021 iPhone 13). As for the name, we assume it will be named after a landmark or area in California, as is the tradition since the launch of Mavericks in 2013. Previously, big cats were used as names for Apple Mac operating systems.
9to5Mac has learned that a company called Yosemite Research LLC has the right to name computer systems extended to the term “Mammoth”. You might assume that this means that Apple cannot use this name – but this company has already acquired other naming rights and transferred them to Apple. Yosemite Research LLC also acquired the rights to the names “Monterey” and “Redwood” for computer systems, but no longer extended the rights to the latter name. Maybe Yosemite Research LLC really is Apple …
The term “Mammoth” means “Mammoth Lakes”, a winter sports resort in eastern Sierra Nevada. So it may be that the next macOS will bear this name, which can be seen to mean that it is a big update. However, while Mammoth can mean huge, the name can lend itself to jokes that macOS is a missing operating system, so we’re not convinced that Apple will use the name.
macOS 13: Compatibility
Apple had already done most of the work of adapting macOS to the M1 chips before the first Macs with Apple Silicon were released in 2020. However, the development of chips at Apple has not stopped – Apple developers will continue to adapt and optimize the operating system and programming interfaces to the next generation of processors.
But not only the M1 and M2 generation chips that Apple will have to support with macOS 13. Apple will also need to continue to support Intel processors and make sure they can handle the next macOS.
Here is an overview of Mac that can work with Monterey:
- MacBook models from 2016 or later
- MacBook Air models from 2015 or later
- MacBook Pro models from 2015 or later
- Mac mini models from the fall of 2014 or later
- iMac models from the fall of 2015 or later
- iMac Pro (all models)
- Mac Pro models from 2013 or later
- Mac Studio (all models)
There is no reason to assume that these Macs will not be supported from the next macOS, especially since the 2014 Mac mini was sold until 2018 and the Mac Pro from 2013 to 2019. Given this, Apple cannot remove these Macs from the list when people may have bought the model so short ago. However, even if these Macs are supported, you can expect that they will not support some of the new features as was the case in macOS Monterey.
macOS 13: Wish list and rumors
If you look at the innovations brought by macOS Monterey, you will notice that the new features in FaceTime, Messages and the Shortcuts application are borrowed from the iPad and iPhone. In recent years, we’ve been able to search iOS and iPadOS for clues about other features that might come in handy on the Mac. However, there aren’t many more options for aligning macOS apps with iPadOS and iOS – most of the work is already done.
Any further development of applications that can be found on all three platforms is likely to take place in parallel. For example, SharePlay is a new feature shared by macOS Monterey, iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. Live Text & Visual Look Up was shared on all three operating systems. Changes to FaceTime and Safari came in all three operating systems in 2021.
However, we can make some predictions about features that could come to macOS later in 2022, based on the best features of iOS and iPadOS not yet on the Mac, and drawing inspiration from our our own wish list of software features we’d like to include on our Macs.
Interface and design
The appearance of macOS Big Sur was significantly different from previous versions, so it was no surprise that the visual differences in macOS Monterey were small. We do not believe that there will be further fundamental changes in the design of the user interface in 2022.
One of the reasons we think Apple can avoid making too much of an interface change is that when Apple tried to make a fundamental change to the design of Safari in macOS Monterey (and iOS 15), there was a protest that meant he had to redo the old version by default, and the new one was just an option. As a result, we don’t expect any fundamental changes in other applications that significantly change the way you work, but there may be new options for other Apple programs to adapt the interface to your own preferences.
Launchpad meets the application library
One feature that Apple can borrow from iOS and iPadOS is the app library. Apple can replace the Launchpad on the Mac with the App Library, so that programs can be sorted by category, such as iPad and iPhone.
Launchpad on Mac would be much more useful if you can logically group applications.
Control center
The presentation of the Control Center in Big Sur was great, but one thing we’d like to see in macOS 13 is the ability to remove items we don’t use. This is a retrospective of the stock issue in the old version of iOS, but one that can be changed with very little effort by Apple.
We’d also like to see the Control Center support third-party applications so we can further tidy up our menu bar – and this would be especially useful for MacBook Pro owners who have the ability to compete.
System preferences
System preferences are an integral part of the way you manage your Mac’s settings – so we wonder why Apple hasn’t renamed Settings yet.
A time machine
One thing we’ve wanted for centuries is the ability to back up Time Machine directly to iCloud. While we appreciate that the first backup can be awkwardly large, due to the way Time Machine backs up gradually, it can be a great solution.
There are many benefits to cloud archiving. For example, this will ensure that if your Mac has ever been lost in a fire or flood, then the Time Machine backup will not be destroyed at the same time. The same cannot necessarily be said of the physical device that most of us keep very close to where our Macs live.
We think we should be able to recover Mac from the cloud in the same way we can with our iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Apple will no doubt have good reason not to offer this yet – but we really think it should!
If you like this idea, here’s a selection of the best cloud storage services for Mac. We also have this guide on how to use iCloud to back up your Mac.
iCloud +
We look forward to seeing more options for storing data in iCloud +. They may include more intermediate data levels, as for some users 50GB or 200GB is too little, while 2TB is too much and too expensive. How about Apple’s 1TB level? And if our desire to back up Time Machine comes true, then maybe an even bigger option.
Unlock with your iPhone
While more and more Macs already have a fingerprint scanner (as does the Apple Magic Keyboard 2021), you can now use your Apple Watch to automatically unlock your Mac, so why not use your iPhone to do the same ?
Android phones can unlock Chromebooks, so we think it’s high time Apple introduced this feature, especially when you think a lot more people own an iPhone than Apple Watches. There are some third-party applications that do this, but we would like an official version of Apple built into macOS.
Sensor controls
Yes, we realize that this is a hardware upgrade rather than a software upgrade, but since the M1 Mac now runs on the same basic platform as the iPhone and iPad (or at least very compatible), we think the convergence between apps and services has been discussed for so long , may be on the verge of becoming a reality.
If Apple ever plans to update its Mac lineup to include touch screens, then macOS will need to be able to accept these touch commands along with keyboards, mice and trackpads.
We’d like another way to interact with our Macs other than typing and using the mouse.
More control over font sizes
Big Sur was a very beautiful version of macOS, but in some cases choosing a font size can make it difficult to read for those who are not blessed with a 20/20 look. Unless you enter the accessibility settings, there is no easy way to adjust the scale and …
Add Comment