Today at WWDC, Apple unveiled the next version of macOS, with Monterey. This new version builds upon the visual enhancements Apple made last year with Big Sur and adds a lot of improvements and changes, rather than big sweeping changes. Just to highlight a few, Apple has made the Mac an AirPlay 2 speaker for your home and some apps get a new lease of life. The biggest new feature is Universal Control, allowing the same keyboard and mouse from your Mac control another Mac or iPad at the same time and drag content between them.

FaceTime

FaceTime received a lot of attention today, for iOS and macOS. With a year behind us, more and more people have been using video calling services and to reflect this, Apple has made a lot of changes to FaceTime. macOS supports SharePlay, allowing you FaceTime other people, share your screen and watch or listen to content together.

FaceTime now has a new grid mode
FaceTime now has a new grid mode

FaceTime also now has some revamped audio features, to block out background noise with Voice Isolation and Spatial Audio.

Safari

Safari for macOS Monterey has been revamped. Apple has added a brand new tab view, making sure more of the tool bar is out of the way and a new Tab Groups option, essentially like workspaces or sessions for web browsing and these sync over between devices too, as do the Safari wallpapers now.

Universal Control

Universal Control will allow the same keyboard and mouse from your Mac control another Mac or iPad at the same time and drag content between them. No set up will be required and once a device is set next to another, it’ll be ready to work.

AirPlay

Macs can now be an AirPlay 2 speaker output for the home, as well as supporting AirPlay from another device, using the screen and speakers to share content. Making the speakers on the new M1 iMac available is a good idea, as they are very good quality.

Do Not Disturb

This section has been updated, with new modes with Focus. Users can use this to filter notifications and it’ll let you focus on what you’re doing, whether it be work or your family. Whatever is set on one device, is set on another.

Extra tidbits

  • Apple has renamed the iCloud storage plans to iCloud+, with the prices remaining the same. This now includes unlimited camera support for HomeKit Secure Video, iCloud Private Relay and Hide My Email.
  • Spatial Audio and head tracking is coming to the Mac, with support coming to AirPods Pro and AirPods Max on M1 Macs.
    Shortcuts now comes to the Mac and overtime, will be replacing the old Automater app.
  • Like on iOS, maps gets a new globe view and more detailed cities.
  • MacBooks now support Low Power Mode
  • macOS now has privacy indicators, like iOS
  • macOS now has system wide translation

Availability

macOS Monterey is available to developers starting today with a public beta in July. General release to everyone else will be as usual, available this autumn. Support for macOS Monterey comes to some different Mac models than with Big Sur from last year, the new minimum list is as follows:

Mac‌ – Late 2015 and later
‌iMac‌ Pro – 2017 and later
‌MacBook Air‌ – Early 2015 and later
MacBook Pro – Early 2015 and later
Mac Pro – Late 2013 and later
Mac mini – Late 2014 and later
MacBook – Early 2016 and later

This new version of macOS drops support for the 2015 MacBook, 2013 and 2014 MacBook Air, 2013 and 2014 MacBook Pro, 2014 iMac and the 2013 Mac Pro.