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Apple brings Siri, and more, to the Mac with macOS Sierra

macOS Sierra

With a brand new name Apple have announced the next major software update for the Mac will be called macOS Sierra (previously OS X), bringing big new features to the Mac including new updates to the photos app, deeper iCloud integration, universal clipboard and Siri for the first time.

“With macOS Sierra, you can get information, find files and multitask using Siri, access your Desktop and Documents from anywhere, copy and paste between Macs and iOS devices, and rediscover precious memories in Photos.” – Apple

Apple’s music streaming service, Apple Music, along with news aggregator Apple News will also receive an all new look to bring greater clarity and simplicity to the experience of using those services.

Major New Features

macOS Sierra includes a long list of new features to both end users, and developers who create apps for the Mac, which will allow them to create even better, more advanced apps for the Mac.

The biggest addition to macOS Sierra is Siri, which will now arrive on the Mac after being available to iOS for the last couple of years. With Siri on the Mac you will be able to ask Siri to find files, send messages, ask just about any question, and more.

macOS Sierra Siri

Your Desktop and Documents will also be integrated with iCloud with a new feature that will automatically sync files to your iCloud Drive, making them available via the iCloud Drive app on iPhone or iPad.

Siri On the Mac

  • Quickly locate information and files
  • Ask Siri questions, and get answers
  • Send messages via Siri

Apple Pay

  • Shop online through Safari and pay with Apple Pay
  • Authenticate your purchases with Touch ID from your iPhone, or Apple Watch

New Photos App

  • Help find your favourite memories, and occasions from your photos with the new Memories feature in the Photos app
  • See your favourite events, trips, and people
  • See photos you’ve taken from a certain place or by a person using facial, object and scene recognition

More Features

  • Unlock your Mac automatically when wearing your Apple Watch
  • Automatically free up storage space with a new Optimised Storage tool
  • New Apple Music design in iTunes
  • Picture-in-Picture

You can see all the new features of macOS Sierra from Apple Australia.

Release Date

At this stage macOS Sierra is only a ‘preview’ and will go through a testing process by developers, and those on public beta. While no date has been set the availability of the new update worldwide (including in Australia), it will be sometime in early Spring.

  1. Why do you (and lots of other companies) insist on using seasons as a release date? The world has seasons at different times depending on your hemisphere. How hard is it to just use a particular month or even a quarter to tell us of your release dates? This article on Sierra informs us of a Spring release date. Is that northern or southern hemisphere?

    1. Hi Harry,

      I understand where you’re coming from but this is the only information Apple has given me so far (Spring here in the southern hemisphere and Autumn in the north).

      Apple is likely to give a closer release date at their usual keynote in September. If you’re interested there is a public beta of Sierra here: https://beta.apple.com but yes it’s only a beta at this stage.

      Thanks,
      Ben

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