Apple macos big sur update#
Apple macos big sur mac#

That being said, I didn't find myself using Control Center at all, because my ingrained muscle memory for macOS defaults to using the traditional means. The larger icons aren't just easier to see, they're also a little more finger friendly, suggesting that Macs will some day offer a touch screen. At the same time, these buttons all look a little bigger than they did in previous macOS versions. The best part of this feature is that it's not moving any features away from where they were, but consolidating them under one easy to find area, so users who are more familiar with their iPhone (both place this set of options in the top right corner) may find them faster. macOS Big Sur: Control Center and widgets on the MacĪpple's also imported iOS' Control Center, which collects a lot of system preferences (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirDrop, display brightness, volume, Do Not Disturb, keyboard brightness and screen mirroring) under a Menu Bar button that looks like a pair of on/off toggles.

Apple also claims that Safari is going to last an hour longer on battery than Chrome and Firefox for web browsing, and up to 3 hours longer for streaming video online. If the favicon isn't enough for you to realize what's on that page (it's been enough for me so far), you can hover over a tab to see what that page looks like, as a pop-over image will show a glimpse of said site.Īpple rates Safari on macOS Big Sur as '50% faster on average at loading frequently visited websites than Chrome,' but I haven't noticed any significantly faster performance myself, though I haven't done any testing yet. Apple had made favicons available in Safari previously, but they were in the app's settings, where many people might not poke around and find.Īpple didn't stop at that low-hanging fruit, though, as it's also rolled out tab previews. These make it much easier to keep track of which tab is which, and have been in every other web browser since I can remember. Similarly, I'm saying 'finally' at the sight of favicons - the little icons for each website, like Twitter's bird and Dropbox's opened box - for tabs in Safari. Sure, I won't be able to use it for some work stuff (some of our extensions are Chrome-only), but Safari's finally getting some features it's long needed. And with macOS Big Sur, it feels like I'm going to be spending more time with Safari than ever. It's hard to be especially critical about design, since it's so much more subjective than almost any other aspect of technology, so I couch all of the above in 'your mileage may vary.' macOS Big Sur: SafariĮvery time Apple announces a big new macOS update, I decide to use it as a chance to spend more time with Safari, which often gets more and more perks. Anything that appears in the top right corner is easier to dismiss. For new email notifications, that's not a big deal, but those initial notifications for each app, where they ask for permission to send notifications, I'd rather those appear in the center, where they'd be harder to ignore. The former appear in middle-of-screen boxes, while the latter are smaller in the top-right corner, often times only showing you there's a button to click when your cursor hovers over it buttons. One design discrepancy I've noticed, though, is how macOS handles security alerts and notifications.

The request for notifications should have greater prominence.

Gripes aside, though, I love some of the new stock desktop backgrounds, so play around and find what works best for you. Fortunately, you can switch your desktop background, and Apple offers plenty of options, which can and will change the color of the menu bar text for optimal legibility. Your preference for Apple's changes here - where they're seemingly having the menus recede into the background to make content more prominent - will likely depend on how your eyes like (or dislike) text overlaid on transparent layers.Īt first, I saw the combination of white text on an opaque bright blue background as.

Apple macos big sur update#

I almost worry about the day my parents update to macOS Big Sur, because they're going to call or text and say 'it's so different!' The biggest change from my point of view is the increased use of transparent and translucent layers, which you'll see everywhere from the Menu Bar at the top of the screen to every app's Toolbar, where all of its buttons are found.

Apple macos big sur mac#

While it still runs (albeit a bit slower than it once did), I can see the writing on the walls, and anticipate buying a new Mac soon. Personally, this is the biggest issue I have with macOS Big Sur, as my personal MacBook Pro, the first Retina Display model, came out in 2012. Here's the complete list of Macs that support Big Sur: