Apple introduced the successor to macOS Monterey during its annual WWDC keynote – macOS 13 Ventura.
Apple has announced giventhat the next edition of the Mac operating system will be called macOS Ventura. Among the many new or improved features is the Stage Manager, which helps manage many open windows. As expected, the new macOS 13 Ventura is a further refinement of the operating system and not the sweeping change that was introduced with macOS Big Sur version 11 in 2020.
New features: Stage Manager and updated Spotlight
The new macOS Ventura adds Stage Manager, a way to manage multiple windows in many apps open at the same time. Craig Federighi explains:
Stage Manager lets you focus on the app you're working with without getting distracted. It automatically arranges all windows to the side and brings the app I'm working with to the foreground.
When a user opens a second app, the first app is "gracefully moved to the left" along with other current apps. The Stage Manager can group all of an app's open windows "into a single stack," and users can drag files directly onto the apps in the stack. Spotlight has also been updated. Apple explains:
Spotlight can now also find images in your photo library, system, and the web, and Live Text lets you search the text in the image. You can also perform actions like starting a timer or running a shortcut right from Spotlight. It's also a great way to get information by using the entire window for better results.
Continuity Camera puts the Mac in the spotlight
The existing Continuity Camera feature lets a Mac control an iPhone to scan documents, but now it's being expanded to let the Mac use an iPhone as a webcam. With Continuity, the Mac can automatically detect and use the iPhone's camera when it's nearby—without having to wake it or select it—and the iPhone can even connect to the Mac wirelessly for even more flexibility. Continuity Camera brings innovative features to all Mac computers, including Center Stage, Portrait mode, and the new Studio Light, an effect that beautifully lights the user's face and darkens the background. The new webcam feature doesn't just bring high-resolution FaceTime images to the Mac. Continuity Camera also uses the iPhone's ultra-wide camera to enable Desktop View, which shows the user's face and a top-down view of the desk at the same time.
New features in Mail
Mail gets new productivity tools, including the ability to retract an email after it has been sent. Like other Mac Mail clients, users have a few moments after pressing Send to undo the action. Like many competing Mac Mail programs, Apple Mail in macOS Ventura lets users schedule the time to send an email. Mail also improves search, which automatically shows the most recently shared documents.
macOS 13 Ventura release schedule
As always, a public beta of macOS 13 will follow at an unspecified date, probably in July. However, that date may change depending on how developer beta testing goes. The final release will likely be in September or October, at which point it will be pre-installed on all new Macs. All compatible older Macs will also receive a software update notification at that time. (Image: Apple)
