macOS Sierra: Everything We know so far

macOS Roundup:What's Coming with the New Mac Operating System?

- Benjamin Kerry & Gavin Lenaghan

At its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on June 13, Apple announced plans for an overhaul of its OS X operating system. Not only was the firm about to drop the OS X name entirely, but it was ready to unveil a whole raft of changes to the much-loved desktop OS.

THE NAME

One of the biggest changes to macOS this year is, of course, to its name. Since 2001, Apple has been running with the OS X branding for its desktop operating system, and recently crossed over the 10.10 mark. However, with the announcement of macOS Sierra, things are beginning to look a little different. In an attempt to unify the names of its operating systems, OS X has been dropped, with Apple now referring to the system as macOS, bringing it in line with iOS, tvOS, and watchOS.

Apple has, however, continued to name its operating system iterations after famous Californian landmarks. This time, the Sierra Nevada Mountains have been highlighted, forming macOS Sierra.

SIRI COMES TO THE MAC

In perhaps one of the most widely-anticipated and requested updates, Siri is finally making its way to the Mac. The personal assistant – already available on tvOS, iOS and watchOS – will be able to perform all of the same functions we know and love. You can, for example, ask Siri to send a text message, look up football results or add something to your diary, which will be a welcome addition for the many of us who enjoy multitasking when working on an important document.In addition to the host of features we’d expect from Siri, the assistant can search through your entire collection of files and documents to get the exact item you need. It can, for example, respond to queries such as “show me files I worked on last Tuesday”, taking search to the next level.

CONTINUITY