macOS Sierra

macOS Sierra is now available as an automatic download

Apple on Monday told The Loop's Jim Dalrymple that the free macOS Sierra software update will be available as an automatic download later today. This means that the software update will download in the background for Mac owners who have auto update downloads enabled in System Preferences.

Apple is being smart about the move and won't download any files to your computer if it's low on storage or does not meet the system requirements for macOS Sierra.

Apple seeds macOS Sierra 10.12.1 beta 3 to developers

A third beta of the first major software update to macOS Sierra since its public release last month was seeded this morning to members of the Apple Developer Program. macOS Sierra 10.12.1 beta 3 build “16B2338c” follows beta 2 which was released six days ago, and the first beta that released on September 22, 2016. The latest beta is available through the Mac App Store's Updates tab on computers running a prior 10.12.1 beta.

MacID update brings improvements for iOS 10, watchOS 3, and macOS Sierra

An important update for the popular MacID utility for iOS and macOS has been released this week with improvements for iOS 10, watchOS 3, and macOS Sierra.

The utility is known for its ability to let you securely unlock your Mac with the Touch ID sensor on your iPhone or iPad, but it also has built-in features that let you unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch over Bluetooth or with a Tap to Unlock gesture on the trackpad.

How to enable “Hey Siri” on Mac

Five years after its introduction in 2011, Siri finally made its debut on Mac with the release of macOS Sierra. Featuring much of the functionality that Siri contains on iOS, such as being able to check the weather forecast or set a reminder, Siri for macOS also has some exclusive abilities, such as handling documents in the file system and being able to pin results to Notification Center.

One feature that macOS's Siri didn't port from its mobile counterpart, however, is the ability to activate Apple's digital assistant hands-free with the "Hey Siri" command. Fortunately, there's a viable workaround available that enables users to invoke Siri in macOS with their voice to give commands from across the room.

60+ new features in macOS Sierra

Apple released macOS Sierra today as a free update in the Mac App Store. Aside from headlining new features such as Siri, Auto Unlock, Universal Clipboard, picture in picture video, tabs in almost every app and so forth, Sierra happens to include a lot of under-the-hood tweaks and enhancements than we originally expected. To help get you up to speed, we've created this detailed overview of everything new in macOS Sierra so give it a read while Sierra is installing on your Mac.

How to invoke Siri with a keyboard shortcut on Mac

Your favorite assistant finally made its way to the Mac, starting with the macOS Sierra software update.

If you have used Siri on your iPhone or iPad before, then you'll probably feel right at home with the assistant on your Mac since it works in a similar way. However, unlike your iPhone, you don't have the ability to invoke Siri on your Mac by saying "Hey, Siri." Instead, you will have to click on the Siri icon in the Menu Bar, or in the Dock.

Another way to invoke Siri is by using a keyboard shortcut. Admittedly, this is my preferred way of activating the assistant as it feels faster and more efficient than reaching for the mouse or trackpad and clicking on the Siri icon.

Tweetbot for Mac updated with support for macOS Sierra, extended Tweets and more

Tweetbot users will be happy to hear that the Tapbots have updated their popular Twitter client today to support the just-released macOS Sierra software. The release brings the app to version 2.4.2, and it includes several improvements.

Among these improvements is support for extended Tweets—a change Twitter made to its service this week that prevents media URLs and Quote Tweets from counting against your 140 character limit. It also now supports extended videos.

macOS Sierra software update is now available

Apple on Tuesday released macOS Sierra for its laptop and desktop computers. The software update is free, and compatible with iMacs and MacBooks from 2009 or later, as well as MacBook Airs, MacBook Pros, Mac Minis and Mac Pros from 2010 or later.

If you own any of the above hardware, you can update to macOS Sierra by navigating to the Mac App Store and locating the macOS Sierra page (or you can just search the App Store for macOS Sierra). Click on 'Download' and follow the on-screen instructions.