Mac users got a major update recently, macOS Ventura, named after the place in California,
not the pro wrestler who dabbled in politics. Since this is a full blown new version of macOS,
instead of an update to an existing one, there are a lot of changes, many of which
are pretty cool and one that's already proven to be very divisive.
But before we get into all the changes, it helps to know if you can even run it.
Most MacBooks and iMacs from 2017 and onward are compatible, though if you have a MacBook Air,
you'll need something from at least 2018. Mac Minis from 2018 will also work,
as well as the new Mac Studio, naturally. Let's start out by talking about a hardware
improvement that Ventura offers. It's a feature called Continuity Camera. If you're unhappy with
the quality of your webcam built into the Mac, Continuity Camera connects to your iPhone and
lets you use its far better camera instead. It also enables a cool feature called Desk View,
which uses the iPhone's telephoto camera to create a top-down view of your desk if you have
something to share during a video call. But surprise, these will only work if you have an
iPhone XR or newer. Speaking of video calls, another feature called FaceTime Handoff can
seamlessly switch a FaceTime call from your iPhone to your Mac without having to hang up.
Useful if you like to sit down at your computer for longer calls.
Well, let's switch gears now and talk about some features that might remind you a bit of
other certain platforms that Apple competes with. There's a change coming to iCloud called
the Shared Photo Library, which allows you to share photos and videos with up to five other people
who can also contribute to the shared library. Kind of like the Shared Folders feature in Google
Photos. Still, it's a great feature. Next, there's a UI enhancement called Stage Manager,
which was previously an iPad-only feature. Instead of having to dig through the dock at
the bottom of the screen when switching programs or Windows, Stage Manager keeps small previews of
everything you have open on the left side of your screen. Although this is kind of like the Alt
Tab Live previews who get in Windows 11, Stage Manager features smaller previews that just
persistently stay in a column on the left side of your screen. So you don't have to switch out of
whatever it is you're doing in order to see what's open at a glance. Apple has also improved the
Spotlight feature, which is their combined system and web search feature. The format has been tweaked
to give more information for a given search, but perhaps more notably, you can now use Quick
Look in Spotlight, allowing you to do a quick peek of a search result like a YouTube video or a file
on your local drive just by hitting spacebar. Cool stuff, but there's another major change that,
while meant to be more useful, is already ruffling feathers. The System Preferences app
has been reinvented as System Settings, which looks a lot more like the Settings app in Windows
in that you have a big list of categories on left side and actual settings to toggle on the right.
Previously, System Preferences was more like the Windows Control Panel, so the change does make
tweaking your computer feel more like a modern experience, if you will. However, one big gripe
users have is that it seems to be based off the iOS Settings app, which doesn't translate perfectly
to a desktop environment. Users are frustrated with the massive amount of empty space, as well as the
fact that many common settings have been moved around, making them tough to find for long-time Mac
users. It's like someone just comes to your house and rearranges their furniture for no reason.
But there are a slew of other changes that are less controversial, yet still worth mentioning.
If you've bought further into the Apple ecosystem with AirPods, you'll now have full control over
them in Ventura, whereas previously, settings like Double Tap and Noise Control were unavailable on
desktop. The Mail app is also getting a Gmail-like Cancel Send feature, so that's a godsend.
There's finally a full-blown Weather app, and you even get Lockdown mode, which restricts programs
and connected devices if you think you're at risk of being attacked. And for gamers,
Apple's new Metal 3 API is supposed to more effectively use the GPU on Apple Silicon Ships,
which will hopefully entice more developers to release games for Mac. Resident Evil Village has
already gotten a Mac release, partly as a result, and No Man's Sky should be coming soon.
And while these games aren't super bleeding edge, it's exciting news for folks who have been waiting
to play AAA titles on Apple hardware. But it might take a while for Macs to shoot up the Steam
hardware charts. Oh wait. So thanks for watching guys. If you liked this video, hit like, hit
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in the future.