All the latest coverage from Apples WWDC annual developers conference.
The announcement came during Apples Worldwide Developers Conference, which for the first time took place as a virtual event due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Apples MacOS, first released in 2001, powers the companys computers like the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and iMac.
Safari Update As Its
The hardware giant billed the Big Sur update as its biggest design change since OS X first came out nearly 20 years ago, with tweaks to the curves of the window corners, dock icons and colors of the operating system.
The App Store is getting a new category for Safari extensions, and it will let you customize which sites and times each extension is used, instead of all the time youre surfing online.
A customizable Safari start page will allow you to pick from a curated group of wallpapers or use one of your own photos.
Other changes include the ability to create and change Memojis and a refreshed Maps app, which allows you to create your own guides of restaurants and parks, and save important locations like home and work.
The Messages app was refreshed so you can pin important conversations to the top of the app (a similar feature was announced Monday for the new mobile iOS software) and search was reorganized so you can see results in categories of links and photos.
Years back, Steve Jobs touted that MacOS served as the basis for Apples iOS iPhone software.
Over the years, Apples focused on building apps and features for its MacOS that complemented its other devices, including its marquee iPhone, in a bid to bring more cohesion to its different families of devices.
That included bringing over more mobile-centric apps like its iMessage communication service, FaceTime video chat and App Store, which all first launched on iOS.
In last years Catalina MacOS update, the Mac lineup was tied in more closely to the iPad.
The iPad could also be used as a drawing tablet for the Mac.
It was broken up into a variety of more easily manageable apps: Music, Podcasts, TV and Books.
Despite Apples popularity, and the success of its iPhones and iPads, the companys Mac computers still only represent less than 10 of computers being used today.
The Mac lineup, too, represents a small part of Apples revenue, with iPhone sales accounting for the biggest chunk, by far.
Last fiscal year, Mac sales accounted for just under 10 of Apples sales, roughly the same as the year before, while services sales and accessories and wearables sales showed healthy growth.
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