With macOS 12 Monterey on the way, most of the attention is on that future release. However, Apple isn't quite done with macOS 11 Big Sur. The company is releasing a new software update for the desktop operating system, albeit a minor one.
1Password 8, the next major iteration to the popular password manager, is now available for testing on macOS ahead of its public release on Mac and Windows later this year.
Thanks to the new Parallels Desktop 17, macOS users can officially run Windows 11 on their Macs despite Apple not supporting Microsoft's latest operating system via Boot Camp.
It should come as no surprise that Apple has had to go out of its way a bit to offer more context related to some of the newest features coming soon to its major platforms. With it being centered around child protections, but using some invasive efforts to get there, people are concerned the company might be overstepping. In an effort to assuage fears and concerns, Apple's tried to shine as much light on the new features as possible.
Every once in a while, Apple manages to do something that is Very Controversial. It doesn't happen all the time, and usually it's hardware related. Like the butterfly keyboard. Or the Touch Bar. Or how you charge a Magic Mouse 2. Things like that.
Apple this week revealed a new initiative that's meant to help protect children. The Expanded Protections for Children effort is three-fold, each feature baked into Apple's major platforms. Two of the new additions appear to be going over well enough, but it's the other one, the photo scanning one, that's ruffled a lot of feathers.
Yesterday, Apple unveiled new child safety features that are going to be baked into iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS 12 Monterey, and watchOS 8. The goal is to help protect minors from being abused, seeing explicit material, and more. However, to reach that goal, the company has to implement some intrusive features.
User privacy and security is a major focal point for Apple. Safety, too. Making sure that a user is able to keep their data safe, for instance, is one of the selling points of iOS in general. So it makes sense that Apple would want to broaden that scope, especially as it relates to protecting children.
Get the latest Apple security protections by updating your Mac computer to the new macOS Big Sur 11.5.1 software through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences.
Learn how to use the Quick Note feature on iPhone, iPad, and Mac to quickly write down notes from anywhere.
Back in June, Apple unveiled the next major versions for all of its most popular platforms. Since then, Apple has been working on the public launch as it normally does: by seeding betas. And today, the newest prerelease software is now available for public beta testers trying out iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS 12 Monterey.
Learn how to listen to Apple Music songs in Dolby Atmos on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, HomePod, Vision Pro, and Android phone to enjoy an immersive, three-dimensional audio experience.