macOS Sonoma is official with new Game Mode

At WWDC today, Apple announced the next version of macOS, which is being called Sonoma. It’ll be available this fall as usual, with the developer beta going live later this week. And a public beta launching next month.

So what’s new in macOS Sonoma? Well, not a ton of new features, but we are getting some enhancements to iMessage, big updates to Safari, a Game Mode, and some aerial screensavers. The aerial screensavers doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is the first time we are getting them on the Mac. They’ve been available on tvOS for a while.

The iMessage apps are also being hidden away in a sub-menu, for a cleaner and simpler overall design on the desktop.

Apple is focusing a lot on gaming

With macOS Sonoma, Apple is really focusing a lot on Gaming, with a new Game Mode this time around. This new Game Mode will take full advantage of the Mac’s hardware when you are playing games. It also has enhancements to Metal and a new API that will let developers port Windows games to Mac.

Apple is also adding some changes to Safari, allowing you to lock the browser window when you are in the Private Mode. So people can’t open up your incognito tabs. It’s also adding Family Passwords and Profiles. Apple is also giving everyone a faster way to access your favorite websites, using web apps. You can add specific websites to the dock. This is a feature that has been available on iPhone and iPad for many, many years. So it’s good to see it available on the Mac now with Sonoma.

As mentioned before, the first developer beta will be available later today, with the first public beta coming next month. It’s a good idea to skip the first beta, as it can often be pretty rough.