Apple has recently released macOS Sierra. It has tons of amazing features you can use to make your Mac better.
First, check the list of Macs that will run the new OS. Make sure that yours is one of them.
2009 and later:
- MacBook
- iMac
2010 and later:
- MacBook Air
- MacBook Pro
- Mac Pro
- Mac Mini
How to prepare for upgrade?
- Clean your Mac. You should free some space to download macOS Sierra.
- Back up your Mac . iOS 10 showed us that an OS upgrade is not one of those things you should rush into. If you don't want your Mac to be bricked, you better back it up.
Should you really upgrade to MacOS Sierra? Well, that is totally up to you. If you have a compatible device, and there are some cool features you'd love to use, you're good to go. We'll help you to make the right decision
What are some cool Sierra features?
No more entering passwords
If you are sick of entering a password every time you power your Mac, here's a hint. The Auto Unlock feature in the new macOS senses when your Apple Watch is nearby and automatically logs you in. Cool!
Apple Pay on Mac?
From now, when you're browsing online shops on Mac, look for the Apple Pay button . Just click it to complete a purchase.
However, you're going to need iPhone's Touch ID to verify that it's really you. Hopefully, with the next generation of Macs, you won't need anything except your laptop.
Hi, Siri!
Finally. Siri is available on Mac. Click on the Siri icon in the dock to activate it and use it exactly the way you do on your iPhone.
Since, you have Finder on your Mac, you can use Siri to search certain files instead of looking through a pile of folders manually.
For now Siri only works only with Apple apps. We hope its API will be opened soon allowing you to make the most of its functions in third-party apps.
Picture in picture
If you're watching a movie and want to edit a PDF file at the same time, you can pull the video into its own window. Then you can switch to another app, and your movie will remain on top.
Tabs, tabs, tabs
We all like to think of ourselves as organized people. We try to keep our desktop and working space neat. Somehow it all ends up with dozens of new windows open.
Thankfully, this problem is solved with MacOS Sierra. Every app that supports several windows supports tabs. So, you can keep everything in a single window, just like in Safari.
Messages tapbacks
Messages on Mac don't appear to have all the bells and whistles of iOS 10, but tapbacks are things you can use to add attitude. ‘Let's go out for a party' gets a thumb up, while ‘Could you work late on Friday night?' will get a thumb down. Easy.
Also, Messages now supports rich links and video playback without leaving the app.
Optimized Storage
This is a new feature designed to help you free up space on your Mac. It automatically clears cache and moves read books, old screenshots, duplicate downloads, installers and other unnecessary files into iCloud to create more space on your laptop.
Your desktops look the same
The desktops on all of your Macs are synced in iCloud. Your files and folders are the same everywhere and appear in the same position. When you move, delete or add a new file, it will change on all of your Macs.
Universal Clipboard
This is a classy feature. As long as you're signed into one iCloud account and have all the continuity features enabled, you can simply copy text from one device in another. If you're typing in Notes on your iPhone, select text, tap ‘Copy', then go to Safari on your Mac and click ‘Paste'. It works amazingly.
Sadly, you cannot paste images into Finder this way. It only works for some apps, like Preview or Keynote.
Summary
We're excited for the macOS Sierra since it brings new experiences to the Mac and lets you work seamlessly across all of your devices.
Readdle's PDF Expert 2 is compatible with Sierra, our coming-soon Spark will be too.
If after reading all of the above, you want to upgrade, you're good to go! Just don't forget to make a backup in case something goes wrong.
