Software honcho Craig Federighi outlined what’s new in the update, which is arriving now as a developer beta and for consumers in the fall:
• It’s faster; Federighi says it “smokes” Sierra on the same hardware.
• The Safari browser is getting new features such as “intelligent tracking prevention” for snoopy ads and the ability to block sites from autoplaying video.
• The Mail app will put important messages at the top (like Gmail’s Priority Inbox) and has a new split view that lets you compose a message while still seeing your inbox.
• Photos has a variety of improvements including a view of all the photos you’ve ever imported; the ability to filter your view by items such as keywords and media types; new editing options like selective color options; and round-tripping of edits from Photos to pro image editors and back again.
• Federighi stressed that much of the focus is on under-the-surface renovation, including support for the faster Apple File System, H.265 video, and the use of a Mac’s GPU for AI techniques such as machine learning. The operating system will also include “Metal for VR,” a technology that will permit VR authoring using the Unreal and Unity platforms.
