Faster browsing, enhanced photo editing, better graphics, and more., Operating Systems<\/b>
\nFaster browsing, enhanced photo editing, better graphics, and more. MacOS Sierra is (nearly) dead; long live macOS… High Sierra! Yes, Apple’s unveiled its yearly update to its laptop and desktop software at WWDC 2017, revealing its latest mountain-inspired name and some of the features that you can look forward to later this year. High Sierra will be available properly in the autumn, but developers and the overly keen can, respectively, grab the beta today or the public beta later this month. But why will it make your Mac much better? Here\u2019s why. One of the most annoying experiences anyone will ever have to endure on a computer, ever, is when they click on a webpage that features autoplaying video. You know, the type that reveals to the rest of the office that you’re browsing the web rather than listening to the boss‘ presentation. Safari on macOS High Sierra will end that torment, because autoplay detection is baked right into it. Show up on a web page that usually starts blaring video and it\u2019 ll be blissfully silent unless you press play. Apple also explained the browser includes \u2018intelligent tracking prevention\u2019 . In other words, look at something on Amazon and adverts from that site won\u2019 t follow you around online until your dying day. Amazon will love that one. It\u2019s unlikely \u2018new file system\u2019 was at the top of most normal people\u2019s macOS wish lists, but file manipulation is something people do an awful lot of, so making it better is good for everyone. Apple File System (APFS) on macOS is modern, 64-bit, and can be insanely fast. Apple demoed a bunch of videos being duplicated in Sierra. It took ages. In High Sierra? Instant. Seriously – you literally select the files, click Duplicate and before your mouse has moved back to its starting position, they’ll be done. Not life-changing, but definitely daily-life-improving. On macOS High Sierra, Apple\u2019s photo manager has smarter organisation, an iPhoto-esque persistent sidebar, and improved Faces support that syncs across all your devices. All of which is nice, but what really blew us away in the WWDC 2017 demo was the app’s new editing smarts. You get a Photoshop-alike curves tool and selective colour, and if you edit with third-party apps any edits you make in one will be present in the other too. Neat. Like going full-screen on your Mac? Mail no longer covers everything with a message compose window, like you\u2019 re sitting in front of a giant iPad. Instead, on High Sierra, compose is a split-screen view, enabling you to keep one eye on your inbox and one on the message you’re writing. The Mail app\u2019s going to be really efficient regarding storage space, too \u2013 to the tune of 35% less space being needed, according to Apple. During WWDC, Apple mentioned that Messages content in macOS High Sierra (and iOS 11) lives in iCloud, meaning conversations sync across devices and only recent ones need to be stored locally. In Apple\u2019s blink-or-you\u2019 ll-miss-it \u2018Refinements\u2019 slide, we caught sight of the phrase \u2018iCloud file sharing\u2019 lurking there, too, which we hope might mean that we’re going to get Dropbox-style document sharing by flinging a link someone\u2019s way. We hope. Everyone ready for a bit of codec chat? Course you are. So, most video uses the H.264 codec, but High Sierra kicks that to the kerb and brings in H.265 (HEVC) in its place. This ramps up compression without wrecking quality, making for smaller videos. Elsewhere, Apple has kitted out High Sierra with the new version of its Metal gaming framework. Metal 2 offers a 10x improvement over Metal 1, and adds VR support from Steam, Unreal and Unity. So whatever you\u2019 re gawking at \u2013 amusing videos of cats; VR games; \u201cbuttery smooth\u201d (as Apple put it) windows slurping into the Dock \u2013 High Sierra\u2019s going to make your eyes that bit happier.<\/p>\n

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