Catalina's Apple MacOS has finally arrived and you can install it on your Mac now, as long as your device is new enough to install. We'll dive into macOS Catalina, all its features, and how to download it, but first a bit of history.
MacOS Catalina was introduced at the WWDC 2019 conference held in San Jose, California earlier this year, during which the company introduced some of the exciting new features offered by macOS Catalina, including its ability to use the iPad as a secondary display. .
So after a wait that seems like forever, we can finally download the update. This update is huge too, because thanks to a new feature called "Project Catalyst," iOS 13 and iPadOS developers can easily transfer their work to the macOS environment. This means that if you update your Mac today, you may want to wait, you should have access to a lot more Mac applications.
However, some things go wrong. For example, iTunes, the multimedia software used for almost two decades, has faded into this long night. Instead, however, we have a new Mac-flavored Apple Music app, featuring podcasts from Apple and Apple TV. So don't worry, you can still listen to your music and watch the new season of The Good Place.
All of this is just the tip of the MacOS Catalina iceberg. Don't worry, we're going to explore everything that macOS 10.15 has to offer, from the features that Macs can download. And don't forget to bookmark this page, as we'll keep it updated with the latest MacOS 10.15 Catalina news as soon as they appear.
Cut to the hunt
- What is macOS 10.15 Catalina, successor to macOS 10.14 Mojave
- When did he come out? Oct 7, 2019
- How much will it cost? Nothing. Apple software updates are always free
(Image credit: Apple)
macOS Catalina release date
Apple hosted its iPhone 11 event on September 10, but the show came and went without mentioning macOS 10.15. However, Apple's Catalina macOS 10.15 page has been updated with a release window of "October 2019". Apple does not share more specific information about the version, we were all surprised by its release.
Fortunately, this means that you can download macOS Catalina now, as long as you have a compatible Mac. You may want to wait until the next update is released, just to make sure all critical bugs are removed. We will update this hub as soon as a new update is available, but if you want to live dangerously, go ahead, click the download button. We will show you how.
MacOS Catalina compatibility
If you want to get the latest macOS update, you have to make sure your Mac really supports it. Fortunately, if you have already installed macOS Mojave, it will probably be clean. Unless, of course, you've bypassed Apple's restrictions.
But, for the sake of security, we have listed all the Macs that are compatible with Mac OS 10.15 Catalina:
- 12-inch MacBook (2015 and later)
- MacBook Air (2012 and later)
- MacBook Pro (2012 and later)
- Mac mini (2012 and later)
- iMac (2012 and later)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- Mac Pro (2013 and later)
What will Apple Music be like?
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What will Apple podcasts be like?
(Image credit: Apple)
Goodbye iTunes - Hello Apple Music, Podcasts Books & TV
It's official, iTunes is gone. However, from their ashes, the new apps for Mac OS: Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Podcasts, and Apple Books are refined versions of those already on iOS.
Apple Music allows MacOS Catalina users to access their entire music library, whether the tracks have been downloaded or are streaming. It also contains music extracted from CDs, assimilated in the same libraries.
Apple TV, on the other hand, hosts the app's channels and offers more than 100,000 iTunes movies and TV shows, which you can browse, buy, or rent. And content will be available in 4K HDR video and Dolby Atmos audio, if applicable. Apple TV + will also be accessible through this app as soon as the service rolls out later in the year.
Meanwhile, Apple Podcasts brings more than 700,000 podcasts, as well as new episode updates, to the Mac in a completely new interface. This version of the app also offers better search features that can show host episodes, guests, or even discussion topics.
Last but not least, Apple Books includes all the audiobooks that you can buy, download, and listen to. Like the other new apps, it also offers a familiar interface for anyone used to iTunes.
Worried about all your existing music and playlists, as well as gift cards and iTunes credits? Stay calm. All your music and playlists will transfer to the Apple Music app on macOS 10.15 Catalina. Also, any unspent iTunes gift cards or iTunes credits are still valid for use in these new apps.
In macOS 10.15 Catalina, the iTunes Store, accessible through the sidebar of the Apple Music app, can still be used to buy new music. And of course you can also subscribe to the Apple Music streaming service through the app. If you do, you can hide the iTunes Store for a cleaner and more minimal interface.
You will synchronize your devices through the Finder in macOS Catalina.
(Image credit: Apple)
When iTunes comes to an end, the Finder app now handles device syncing on macOS Catalina. You can back up and sync these devices. According to Apple, it will also be easier to drag and drop files for quick transfers.
Apple Sidecar at work on macOS Catalina.
(Image credit: Apple)
Sidecar turns your iPad into another screen
Without a doubt, this is the most interesting update proposed by macOS 10.15 Catalina: the ability to extend the screen of your Mac to a nearby iPad, with or without cable. Many MacBook users are already iPad owners, which means that a significant number of mobile workers have just received a free secondary display.
Probably even more important to designers, this connected iPad can also be used as a graphics tablet with several specifically supported apps. Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Illustrator, and iWork are the first applications listed to support this feature.
We currently don't have the official word on which iPad models will support the Sidecar feature. However, we can assume that it will probably be the models that will also be able to use the new iPadOS, which is also planned for the end of the year.
Apple says the following Mac apps will support Sidecar's Apple Pencil capture and other improved features:
- Adobe: After Effects, Illustrator, Premiere Pro
- Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo
- 4D cinema
- CorelDRAW
- DaVinci Resolve
- Final Cut Pro and Motion
- maya
- painter
- principle
- Sketch
- Substance designer and painter
- ZBrush
Screen Time for macOS has a special "One More Minute" feature.
(Image credit: Apple)
Screen time comes on macOS
Screen Time, one of the biggest changes made by Apple to iOS 12, was Screen Time, an app that tracks the usage time of your iPhone or iPad and provides an overview of trends. This time, this feature will come not only on macOS with Catalina, but it will also offer a new "One Minute More" feature, giving you more time to save your work or complete a game.
This information will also be synced with your other Apple devices, so you have a complete profile of how often you view their collective screens, as well as tips on how to use this information. In addition, it will also include parental control over the time spent on a Mac, as well as the contacts that children can interact with on these devices.
The return of Twitter on macOS was made possible by Project Catalyst.
(Image credit: Apple)
Project catalyst
Thanks to Apple's new Project Catalyst initiative, macOS 10.15 Catalina will soon be completed with a ton of iOS and iPadOS apps. Several of them are available at launch, but the real promise of this initiative is that it opens the door for all kinds of applications to be accessible for Mac.
For developers, it all seems to start by simply checking a box in the Xcode app on macOS 10.15 Catalina. Then a number of new features and new protocols are available to the application during the development phase, from which the developer can choose to add to their applications, presumably with additional, but lighter coding.
This seems to make the process more seamless and even faster - even similar Twitter users are using the tool to more easily retrieve their native macOS app from iOS.
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A new desktop theme for MACOS Catalina.
(Image credit: Apple)
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The new organizational Photos features of the macOS Catalina app.
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The new Safari home page in macOS Catalina.
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Notes has a new look in macOS Catalina.
(Image credit: Apple)
Other fun improvements
The Safari browser now has a new home page that uses Siri Suggestions to display websites, bookmarks, iCloud tabs, and frequently visited sites.
Mail now allows users to block messages from senders, prevent message threads from issuing push notifications, and send app unsubscribe requests to mailing list providers. diffusion.
Finally, Reminders is being redesigned from the visual interface to allow users to easily create, track, and organize their reminders.