macOS Big Sur

Most tech communities spend the summer working through the iOS and macOS betas ahead of the fall releases. For something that’s been happening for the last few years, it feels like fall software releases have been part of our lives for decades. As fun as these updates are for general consumers, they can be a significant source of stress for IT departments. As you work through these beta updates to verify compatibility, you’ll want to plan how you will roll out these updates to your inventory. If you are wondering when to install iOS 14, read on to here my testing plans.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple made its public betas available for iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 back in July and we’ve been eagerly awaiting the macOS Big Sur public. Now it’s available giving anyone the ability to test out the all-new design, widgets, Safari experience, and much more.

The fourth developer beta of macOS 11 Big Sur was released yesterday, and it brings a small but notable change. With the latest beta of macOS Big Sur, there is a new option in System Preferences to disable Desktop Tinting while using Dark Mode.

As we covered before, iOS 14 and tvOS 14 now support 4K video playback on YouTube for the first time. With the release of the fourth developer beta of macOS Big Sur earlier today, Mac users can finally watch 4K videos on YouTube using Safari in macOS Big Sur.

The beta testing process for macOS 11 Big Sur continues today with the release of the fourth developer beta. Today’s update to macOS Big Sur beta 4 brings additional tweaks and improvements to the new features coming to all Mac users this fall.

Yesterday evening, Apple released the third developer beta of macOS 11 Big Sur. The update continues to refine the many changes introduced with this year’s macOS update, bringing new icons, battery settings tweaks, and much more.

Expand
Expanding
Close

The beta testing process for macOS 11 Big Sur continues today with the release of the third developer beta. macOS 11 Big Sur beta 3 comes two weeks after the release of the second developer two weeks ago and the original debut of the operating system at WWDC 2020 last week.

Expand
Expanding
Close

When testing out beta versions of macOS, I rarely install them on my main Mac volume containing the current version of macOS. Instead, I prefer to simply create a second volume dedicated to the beta. This option has been available since the release of macOS High Sierra, and makes it extremely easy to install multiple copies of macOS without having to deal with disk partitioning, sizing, etc.

By simply creating another APFS volume on the existing APFS container, you’ll have a dedicated spot for the  macOS Big Sur beta to live. With this method, I can easily keep my production system separate from the beta, and just as easily switch between the current version of macOS and the beta version. In this brief video tutorial, I’ll show you how easy it is.
Expand
Expanding
Close

In addition to watchOS 7 beta 2 and iOS 14 beta 2, Apple today has also released the second developer beta of macOS 11 Big Sur. The release of macOS Big Sur beta 2 comes two weeks after the operating system was officially debuted at WWDC 2020.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple announced macOS Big Sur last month with a redesigned interface, including new icons for nearly all the system’s native apps. And if you don’t like to have new icons mixed with old ones, you can now replace them with a more appropriate version.

Expand
Expanding
Close

There’s been a lot of discussion about the macOS 11 Big Sur icons, much of it heated. Once again, Apple has managed to polarize opinion between those who are heaving a sigh of relief that Apple isn’t bringing completely flat design to the Mac, and those who are just heaving at what they consider ugly and inconsistent graphics.

One designer argued that Apple is on-trend with ‘neumorphism,’ but Apply Pixels icon designer Michael Flarup says this isn’t a new trend, but rather Apple bringing back fun and ‘judicious expressiveness’ to its visual design …

Expand
Expanding
Close

After going in depth with iOS 14 earlier this week, today we focus on macOS Big Sur. The biggest takeaway from my hands-on time with the follow up to macOS Catalina is that Apple’s latest OS is clearly being designed with the future in mind.

Although it’s unmistakably Mac, Big Sur is a departure from previous versions of macOS in terms of aesthetics. Everything, from the dock, to the menu bar, to window chrome, icons, and even sounds have been updated.

Watch our hands-on video walkthrough as we discuss over 85 macOS Big Sur changes and features, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5mac on YouTube for more videos.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple announced macOS Big Sur with a redesigned interface and new features, including widgets, Control Center, and more. The update also brings some important changes that weren’t mentioned on stage at WWDC 2020, such as a system capable of installing software updates faster in the background.

Expand
Expanding
Close

iOS 14 and macOS 11 Big Sur bring improvements to a variety of stock applications, including Voice Memos. With this year’s updates, the Voice Memos app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac is adding support for folders, favorites, as well as a new Enhance Recording feature.

Expand
Expanding
Close

If you’ve never heard of neumorphism, you’re not alone.

One of the visual changes in macOS Big Sur to have attracted a lot of comment is what some have suggested is a partial return to skeuomorphism: icons designed to look like real-world objects. It is, some have argued, Apple coming full circle: from 3D to flat and now back to 3D.

But Jack Koloskus, lead designer for Input and The Outline, says that Apple is moving forwards, not backward…

Expand
Expanding
Close

Following on from John Gruber’s video podcast with Craig Federighi and Greg Joswiak, a Marques Brownlee podcast is next in line, talking through iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and macOS Big Sur with Federighi.

I’ve only had time to listen to parts of it so far, but it’s definitely an interesting discussion. Brownlee starts by sharing my view that the pre-recorded keynote format worked really well, and asking whether this might be a permanent change …

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple has completely revamped the Mac operating system this year with macOS Big Sur, which also adds some interesting new features to the Mac. macOS Big Sur brings Control Center to the Mac for the first time, and just like on iOS 14, Mac users can have quick access to rich, dynamic widgets. Read on to learn more about Control Center and widgets on macOS Big Sur.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Traditionally at WWDC, Apple blogger John Gruber hosts a live edition of the Talk Show podcast, usually featuring one or more Apple executives for an interview on the week’s announcements. Obviously, an in-person wasn’t possible this year. Instead, Apple SVP Craig Federighi and Greg Joswiak join John Gruber for a video conversation.

Topics include the transition from Intel CPUs to Apple SoC’s for future Macs, the new macOS Big Sur visual design, SwiftUI, and more.

Expand
Expanding
Close

While much of the focus in macOS 11 Big Sur is on preparing the Mac for the future, there are a pair of changes that are reminiscent of days gone by. With macOS Big Sur, Apple has added back the Mac’s startup chime as well as battery time remaining estimates.

Expand
Expanding
Close