iCreate - UK (2019-09)

S

afari has grown over time to be

the default browser for many

Mac users who would never

consider looking at the competition. The

improvements continue in Catalina with a

redesigned start page that is much more

than a mere grid of favourites that you

click on. It will now warn you if you enter

a weak password which is an obvious

security improvement and the actual

design feels much more obvious now

than it did previously. It is not obvious in

a visual sense, but in use everything feels

quicker and as if what you need is always

in the right place.

The Siri Suggestions are even more

useful and over time you may find

Even faster browsing

Photos now takes advantage of the bigger Mac screen

Apple is now blurring

the lines between

macOS and iOS

YourMacis nowa capable

andintuitiveTVaswell

Focus on your best photos

iPad apps

on macOS

Apple TV

arrives

P

hotos has always worked well on

any Apple product, but the redesign

in Catalina really does change the

way you navigate and enjoy your snaps.

The new interface enables you to truly

enjoy each photo while at the same time

removing duplicates and all of the clutter

that would otherwise get in the way.

Important events are also highlighted

using intelligence to ensure that the most

memorable days are remembered and

enjoyed long after they actually happened.

The larger previews alone will speed up

your photo navigation and ensure that

Photos really does feel like a new app.

T

he key to this feature is

the ease at which Apple

is allowing developers

to transfer their iPad apps to

work on a Mac. This not only

makes it much more likely that

developers will make the effort

to translate their iPad apps,

but it will greatly enhance

the entertainment and media

flexibility of any Mac running

Catalina. When you consider

the huge range of iPad apps

available today and how linear

the Mac third-party offering

is in comparison, we can

expect a huge change in Mac

functionality very soon. From

games to travel to banking to

education, your Mac will soon

have all of the apps it needs to

help you get things done, and it

may even tempt you to upgrade

to a more powerful option.

T

heAppleTVapparrivingon

macOSreplacesa hugepart

ofiTunes,butit offersmuchmore

thanwaspreviouslyavailable.It willinclude

yourlibraryofTVShowsandMoviesand

alsoworksasa brillianttoolfordiscovering

newmediatoenjoy.4KHDRandDolby

Atmosaresupportedandtheforthcoming

that you come to rely on these as an

automated way to discover new sites and

services. Siri is now so much more than

just a voice assistant and is gradually

creeping into all aspects of macOS.

Cleverly, it will even take links received

in Messages and present them to you

which should ensure that you never

forget to visit a recommendation that you

have been sent.

The one change we would like to see

is the ability to navigate a web page

opened on a Mac in Sidecar mode directly

on an iPad rather than through the Mac

controls. Overall the small Safari changes

do work though.

Apple TV+ subscription service could

make this one of your most used macOS

apps in the future. With the Watch Now

feature allowing you to resume your shows

at any time this app alone will change the

way you use your Mac for entertainment

going forward.