Apple’s Latest is Their Greatest
Apple released the very latest version of their California-themed operating system software for Macs, MacOS 15 Sequoia on Sept. 18th. As always, there is a laundry list of new features and shiny things to experience. Whether or not it is a good choice for you to upgrade to MacOS Sequoia has a lot of contributing factors worth considering. Some users experience performance issues after updating their Macs, so it’s worth researching it first before diving in.
Apple’s formal press release for macOS Sequoia boasts that the operating system “takes productivity and intelligence on Mac to new heights,” essentially shifting the company’s previous focus for the last few versions of the macOS from enhancing productivity and creativity to address the explosion of interest in artificial intelligence.
Can my Mac take this upgrade?
Not sure if you’ll have the option? Apple says these are the Macs that will support macOS Sequoia:
- MacBook Air (2020 and later)
- MacBook Pro (2018 and later)
- iMac (2019 and later)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- Mac Pro (2019 and later)
- Mac Studio (2022 and later)
- Mac mini (2018 and later)
As of this writing, Mac OS Sonoma 14.7 is the latest version of their previous Mac OS.
Apple has their own page, MacOS Sequoia, which gives all the highlights.
Reasons to upgrade to MacOS Sequoia
The most substantial addition, without a doubt, is Apple Intelligence, which integrates ChatGPT-based functionality into the operating system to generate text and images and implement actions across applications.
The other promoted new features are minor, but being able to access and use an iPhone from a Mac (iPhone Mirroring) can come in handy as can improvements to Safari, window organization, video conferencing, and more.
As Apple notes in the company press release, Apple Intelligence, as well as Live audio transcription, is limited only to Apple Silicon Macs (M1 and newer processors). Although other regions and languages inevitably will be supported in the future, this initial release of Apple Intelligence also requires Siri and the Mac language to be set to US English. Also, Apple Intelligence won’t be available until Mac OS 15.1 becomes available, probably in October.
iPhone Mirroring
Mac users tend to also use iPhones. iPhone Mirroring allows users to access their iPhones directly from their Macs—literally. The feature allows you to see your iPhone’s screen on your Mac to check notifications, launch apps, and do anything else you’d do if your phone were in your hand.
To use this feature, you do need to meet some requirements:
- Your Mac must be an M-series model or an Intel Mac with a T2 chip
- The iPhone must have iOS 18 installed
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth need to be on
With iPhone Mirroring, your iPhone appears on your Mac and you can use it as if were in your hands–well, almost, because using a mouse/trackpad on your Mac is different from an iPhone touchscreen. MacWorld has a great article describing how to set this up.
Window Tiling
When you drag a window to the edge of the screen, you’ll find a place on the desktop where you can slot that window. You can sort your windows and make it easier to find the one you need.
Sequoia’s window tiling has some limits, but it’ll be good enough for most people. Sequoia’s new feature takes you down the path toward windows sanity.
Safari Distraction Control
Do you wish you could do away with annoying ads, images, videos, and whatever else you run into on the web? You can now make them disappear with a click in Safari in macOS Sequoia (and iOS 18). With Distraction Control turned on, all you have to do is point and click on an element, and poof! It’s gone. The web feels safe again. MacWorld has an article all about it.
New Passwords App
Many people have their passwords written on pieces of paper scattered across their desk, maybe even on Post-It notes stuck to their display. Or they use the same password for all their accounts because it’s too difficult to remember all those complicated letters, numbers, and symbols. Time for a different strategy! Get started with good security habits by using the new Password app in macOS Sequoia.
The Passwords app ties into Safari and it’s also on iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, so your passwords are accessible no matter which platform you are using. If you use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, extensions are available.
Better Notes App
Notes is great for both little bits of stuff you need to stash and for long-form notes–that’s probably true for you, too. With Notes in macOS Sequoia, Apple has added several new features to make it even more useful:
- You can now record audio clips within a note.
- Notes can create a searchable transcript that’s in sync with the audio.
- Sections are collapsible to make it easier to scan your note.
- Math expressions are calculated within your note.
- Support for color highlights to make text stand out.
Here’s a fabulous video highlighting 30 of Sequoia’s new features.
One big reason to upgrade
As Apple releases new models of Macs, from this point forward, they will only run the Sequoia OS. Apple’s security and stability support for previous versions of the Mac OS will dwindle. That makes Sequoia the most stable and secure version of OS software to run on your Mac.
One reason to NOT upgrade
If you have a mission-critical app that you use in your daily business, you may want to wait until the authors of that software have released a version confirmed to be compatible with Sequoia. Reverting your Mac system backwards to a version pre-Sequoia is a non-trivial task. It will likely involve hours of labor and some major headaches.
Also, unless there is a specific new feature in Sequoia that you are wanting to take advantage of, your current Mac operating system will continue to work just fine. It will likely be supported by Apple for at least another two years with small security and stability updates.
An Ounce of Prevention…
If you are ready to dive in, the very first thing to do is to make a solid backup of your existing data, using TimeMachine or other backup software. RoaringApps has a full listing of which apps are compatible with Sequoia and which are not. The installer download is huge, and you will need plenty of hard drive space for the install to complete.
Go to Apple Menu:System Preferences:Software Update or on a newer Macs, Apple Menu:System Settings:Software Update to allow your Mac system to update to Sequoia.
Want some help with that?
Contact Us if you would like some help with making your transition to Sequoia as smooth and as safe as possible. We will get it done!
