At the WWDC 2023 conference, Apple revealed the newest version of its desktop operating system, macOS 14, named after the Californian town of Sonoma, located in the heart of Northern California's wine country.
The upgraded macOS system is designed with a focus on enhancing the desktop experience and attracting game and app developers to the platform, while also introducing interactive widgets and improved teleconferencing capabilities. One of the significant additions is interactive widgets on the desktop, a feature borrowed from the mobile side. These widgets dynamically adjust according to the user's activity and screen usage, avoiding excessive screen domination while working on other tasks. Widgets also offer interactivity, enabling actions such as selecting images directly from the window.
Game mode is another standout feature, tailored for limiting distractions while playing the ever-expanding selection of games on Apple Silicon. In addition, Apple has introduced a game porting development kit to facilitate the migration of existing titles to macOS. This shows the company's will to become a more attractive option for game developers. As an example, the addition of the popular title Death Stranding was revealed during the conference with creator Hideo Kojima himself participating in the presentation.
Apple has also made significant improvements to its teleconferencing capabilities with new enhanced features like an overlay that cuts out the speaker, placing them in front of dynamic backgrounds. Users can also enjoy new effects like fireworks. These enhancements are compatible with standard teleconferencing apps, including FaceTime, Zoom, Teams, and many others.
Another boost to user experience comes with the new macOS desktop browser's enhanced wallpapers, featuring images of Sonoma. Safari has also received various upgrades, with new features such as locking for private browsing, and web apps that can be added to the system’s dock.
In line with the latest macOS advancements, no-code solutions like AppMaster allow developers to facilitate the creation of backend, web, and mobile applications. Tools like AppMaster's no-code app builder combine efficiency and convenience, empowering developers to create visually appealing and highly scalable applications, regardless of the operating system. The public beta version of macOS 14 Sonoma is expected to be released in the coming weeks, with general availability expected later this year. macOS users can anticipate a comprehensive desktop experience with the latest features and improvements.
