Apple has officially announced the next iteration of macOS and it is known as Catalina. And the first action it will take is to retire the iTunes app. The rumors turned out to be true and the infamous Apple suite is coming to an end. Catalina will have three different apps to replace iTunes including Music, Podcasts, and TV (now with 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos support).
MacOS users used iTunes to sync their iPhones, iPods, and iPad and now that the app is gone, sync options are to be done via another method. MacOS has a special page for that. We will have to wait to see how it turns out on Windows.
Catalina also comes with a new feature known as Sidecar. This feature enables users to use an iPad as a second screen for their MacBook. It also allows an iPad to be used as a tablet input for a Mac. Now, the iPad has reduced Apple Pencil latency of 9ms, this feature should work just fine.
Catalina also comes with a full Voice Control feature. This enables users to control everything on their Mac using their voice. This will sure bring the accessibility options of the OS to a completely new level.
Apple has also changed the name of the Find My Mac feature to Find My. The update will make it even easier to find lost or stolen devices. This can be done even when the Mac is offline. This is because the MacBooks will emit a low-latency signal. This won’t affect the battery life and, of course, it is completely anonymous. This will enable other iDevices to detect it and help the triggered Find My request find your turned-off device.
Apple went even further with Catalina and it added an Activation Lock on all T2-enabled devices. When this feature is enabled, no one will be able to use a stolen Mac ever. That is, of course, until you enter your credentials.
Other updated apps on Catalina include Photos, Notes, Reminders, and Safari apps, as well as Screen Time support.
Project Catalyst is definitely one of the biggest updates in Catalina. This feature allows developers to and iPad apps to Catalina in a flash. According to Apple, most of the apps will be ported in just a few days. This feature will make it possible for one team to manage an app for all three devices.
Apple is expected to release Catalina this fall and it’s going to be free for all compatible Macs. Apple will release the first beta today.
