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Apple released the eighth beta of macOS Monterey to registered developers yesterday evening. Now, the preview of Apple's next Mac operating system has revealed "High Power Mode." In January 2020, it was reported that Apple was working on a kind of "Pro Mode" that would allow MacBook users to achieve maximum performance by ignoring some power-saving restrictions. However, the feature was never released. Now, there are new clues in the macOS Monterey code.
Originally, hints were already provided in macOS Catalina 10.15.3 discoveredHowever, a "Pro Mode" has not yet been officially confirmed. Internal macOS code at the time described this option as a way to run apps faster, but also warned of reduced battery life and increased fan noise. After the code for the feature disappeared at some point, it has now resurfaced – in the current macOS Monterey Beta, as reported by the US blog 9to5mac. reported.
macOS Monterey Beta: Feature to enable more performance
Interestingly, Apple now refers to the feature as "High Power Mode." While "Low Power Mode" already exists and reduces the performance of MacBooks to conserve battery life, "High Power Mode" is intended to do the opposite by allowing users to run apps at full power even when the Mac is unplugged. The newly discovered code, however, does not provide details on how it works. 9to5mac believes it forces the CPU and GPU to operate at their peak performance, regardless of whether the Mac is plugged in or not. It could also activate the fans to prevent thermal throttling issues, although these are less common on Apple Silicon Macs anyway.
Will Apple introduce the new power mode?
As already mentioned, the feature isn't officially available but is included in the code of the current macOS Monterey beta. Whether Apple will introduce the feature and which Macs will ultimately receive access to "High Power Mode" is currently unknown. Since various reports suggest Apple is planning to introduce new MacBook Pro models with the so-called M1X chip, "High Power Mode" could be intended exclusively for these devices. So, the whole thing certainly remains exciting.
