From yesterday it is possible to update the Mac to the new version of its operating system released, as every year, by Apple, with the name macOS 10.14 Mojave
The MacOS update can be downloaded directly from the Mac or from the Apple App Store (you can start from the dedicated Mojave page on the Apple website and press Upgrade Now) on all Mac computers released since 2012.
Specifically, the Macs on which MacOS Mojave can be installed are the following:
- iMacs released in late 2012 or newer
- MacBook from 2015 or newer
- Mid 2012 or newer MacBook Pro
- MacBook Air 2012 or newer
- Mac Mini 2012 or newer
- Mac Pro 2013 or newer (2010 or newer with Metal-ready GPU)
- iMac Pro, all models.
As you can see, while up to last year even the Macs of 2010 could be updated, with MacOS Mojave, due to incompatibility with the older graphics processors, the older Macs are cut off.
Obviously, with this new version of the MacOS system, also in Mojave you will find several innovations, added functions, modifications, interface changes and various options that we are going to discover here in a single summary page.
READ ALSO: Top 100 Free Mac Applications on MacOS
1) Desktop cleaning
Stacks is a new desktop feature that groups files by type or by date, clearing up confusion in an instant.
With the desktop in the foreground, press on Vista and then the Stacks option to decide how to organize the icons and files.
You can then click on one of the Stacks to reveal the files it contains.
For example, all random captured screenshots will now be grouped on a stack, as well as downloaded PDFs and so on.
2) Activate the dark mode
The dark theme modes has now become a must for many applications, which allows you to make the screen less luminous in the evening while maintaining the right contrast.
In MacOS you can activate the dark theme from the System Preferences by going to the general options.
You will also be able to adjust some colors to customize the appearance of the operating system a little more than you could ever do before.
3) Apply a dynamic desktop wallpaper
Speaking of the desktop, Mojave supports dynamic backgrounds, meaning they change with the passage of time, every hour.
From the Desktop and Screen Saver screen in System Preferences, you can choose one of the options in Dynamic Desktop (also selecting it from the drop-down menu at the top).
4) Avoid duplicating passwords
On the Mac, as also happens on the iPhone with iOS12, you can receive notifications and warnings if you are using the same password on multiple sites and services, in order to differentiate them and have safer accounts.
This check can also be done manually, by going to Safari, in the Preferences of the Safari menu, in the Password tab.
5) Easily cut audio and video without other programs
Among the new tricks in Mojave there is the possibility to resize video and audio.
With a compatible file selected in the Finder, press Space and in the preview window that appears you can press the button to cut the file.
The editor, very simple, allows you to adjust the ends of the timeline to select only the part to keep, erasing the rest.
It therefore becomes an ultra-fast way to extract parts of videos or pieces of songs and save them as separate files.
6) Make quick changes to screenshots
When you take a photograph of the screen, the image now appears in the corner of the screen so you can open it right away and draw on it.
The option can be disabled by pressing the SHIFT + Cmd + 5 keys together to display the screenshot box, on Options .
7) Insert photos from the iPhone
In Mac programs that support the feature
If you are using a Mac program that supports Continuity, you can insert images directly from the iPhone camera (if the Mac and iPhone use the same Apple ID and are connected on the same Wi-Fi network).
On a program such as Pages, Notes or Numbers, open the Insert menu, select Import from iPhone and then Take photo .
Then switch to the iPhone, and take the photo that is transferred directly.
8) Redesigned Mac App Store
The Mac App Store has a new look that makes it easier to find apps, with recommendations from Apple, themed app collections and better use of images and videos. Updates for the actual operating system, meanwhile, have been moved to the Information dialog (in the Apple menu).
9) Control over app permissions
App permissions already existed in macOS, but in Mojave there are two rather important new ones: access to the microphone and the camera.
After installing Mojave it is possible, therefore that you will immediately receive many requests for permission from the installed apps.
These and all other permissions can be managed from the Privacy tab, in System Preferences> Security and Privacy.
10) Ask Siri for the saved passwords
Siri on macOS can respond to password requests with Mojave, asking by voice things like " what is my Netflix password"> The digital assistant does not respond by voice, but shows the password on the screen in Safari Preferences.
11) Run some iOS apps
While the ability to run iPhone apps on Mac has been postponed for now, there are still some iOS apps that work.
In the launchpad you will find the News, Stock and Voice Memos apps.
12) Smart Home control
Another app that comes from iOS is Home, to check HomeKit-enabled devices from your Mac.
13) Browse files in a gallery view
The new Gallery view introduced with macOS Mojave offers a better view of the files, be they photos or PDFs.
The new button is located on the Finder toolbar, to browse file thumbnails using the mouse or the arrow keys.
14) Group calls with Facetime
As with iOS, group video calls will arrive on FaceTime on Mac as well, but the feature will arrive in the fall.
When the functionality appears, you can chat with 32 different people in the same call, using audio or video chat.
READ ALSO: Clean installation of MacOS on Mac from USB stick
The MacOS update can be downloaded directly from the Mac or from the Apple App Store (you can start from the dedicated Mojave page on the Apple website and press Upgrade Now) on all Mac computers released since 2012.
Specifically, the Macs on which MacOS Mojave can be installed are the following:
- iMacs released in late 2012 or newer
- MacBook from 2015 or newer
- Mid 2012 or newer MacBook Pro
- MacBook Air 2012 or newer
- Mac Mini 2012 or newer
- Mac Pro 2013 or newer (2010 or newer with Metal-ready GPU)
- iMac Pro, all models.
As you can see, while up to last year even the Macs of 2010 could be updated, with MacOS Mojave, due to incompatibility with the older graphics processors, the older Macs are cut off.
Obviously, with this new version of the MacOS system, also in Mojave you will find several innovations, added functions, modifications, interface changes and various options that we are going to discover here in a single summary page.
READ ALSO: Top 100 Free Mac Applications on MacOS
1) Desktop cleaning
Stacks is a new desktop feature that groups files by type or by date, clearing up confusion in an instant.
With the desktop in the foreground, press on Vista and then the Stacks option to decide how to organize the icons and files.
You can then click on one of the Stacks to reveal the files it contains.
For example, all random captured screenshots will now be grouped on a stack, as well as downloaded PDFs and so on.
2) Activate the dark mode
The dark theme modes has now become a must for many applications, which allows you to make the screen less luminous in the evening while maintaining the right contrast.
In MacOS you can activate the dark theme from the System Preferences by going to the general options.
You will also be able to adjust some colors to customize the appearance of the operating system a little more than you could ever do before.
3) Apply a dynamic desktop wallpaper
Speaking of the desktop, Mojave supports dynamic backgrounds, meaning they change with the passage of time, every hour.
From the Desktop and Screen Saver screen in System Preferences, you can choose one of the options in Dynamic Desktop (also selecting it from the drop-down menu at the top).
4) Avoid duplicating passwords
On the Mac, as also happens on the iPhone with iOS12, you can receive notifications and warnings if you are using the same password on multiple sites and services, in order to differentiate them and have safer accounts.
This check can also be done manually, by going to Safari, in the Preferences of the Safari menu, in the Password tab.
5) Easily cut audio and video without other programs
Among the new tricks in Mojave there is the possibility to resize video and audio.
With a compatible file selected in the Finder, press Space and in the preview window that appears you can press the button to cut the file.
The editor, very simple, allows you to adjust the ends of the timeline to select only the part to keep, erasing the rest.
It therefore becomes an ultra-fast way to extract parts of videos or pieces of songs and save them as separate files.
6) Make quick changes to screenshots
When you take a photograph of the screen, the image now appears in the corner of the screen so you can open it right away and draw on it.
The option can be disabled by pressing the SHIFT + Cmd + 5 keys together to display the screenshot box, on Options .
7) Insert photos from the iPhone
In Mac programs that support the feature
If you are using a Mac program that supports Continuity, you can insert images directly from the iPhone camera (if the Mac and iPhone use the same Apple ID and are connected on the same Wi-Fi network).
On a program such as Pages, Notes or Numbers, open the Insert menu, select Import from iPhone and then Take photo .
Then switch to the iPhone, and take the photo that is transferred directly.
8) Redesigned Mac App Store
The Mac App Store has a new look that makes it easier to find apps, with recommendations from Apple, themed app collections and better use of images and videos. Updates for the actual operating system, meanwhile, have been moved to the Information dialog (in the Apple menu).
9) Control over app permissions
App permissions already existed in macOS, but in Mojave there are two rather important new ones: access to the microphone and the camera.
After installing Mojave it is possible, therefore that you will immediately receive many requests for permission from the installed apps.
These and all other permissions can be managed from the Privacy tab, in System Preferences> Security and Privacy.
10) Ask Siri for the saved passwords
Siri on macOS can respond to password requests with Mojave, asking by voice things like " what is my Netflix password"> The digital assistant does not respond by voice, but shows the password on the screen in Safari Preferences.
11) Run some iOS apps
While the ability to run iPhone apps on Mac has been postponed for now, there are still some iOS apps that work.
In the launchpad you will find the News, Stock and Voice Memos apps.
12) Smart Home control
Another app that comes from iOS is Home, to check HomeKit-enabled devices from your Mac.
13) Browse files in a gallery view
The new Gallery view introduced with macOS Mojave offers a better view of the files, be they photos or PDFs.
The new button is located on the Finder toolbar, to browse file thumbnails using the mouse or the arrow keys.
14) Group calls with Facetime
As with iOS, group video calls will arrive on FaceTime on Mac as well, but the feature will arrive in the fall.
When the functionality appears, you can chat with 32 different people in the same call, using audio or video chat.
READ ALSO: Clean installation of MacOS on Mac from USB stick
