Apple is not only striving for a paradigm shift in the hardware of the Macs – the software is also being fundamentally revised. First of all, the name of the next macOS generation has been revealed. The first version of macOS 00011 will be given the suffix Big Sur. So you stay true to the naming in the form of Californian sights.

The most noticeable change is the new design. macOS approaches iOS and iPadOS in terms of optics. It should sound familiar, but at the same time be new. Control elements should only be displayed when they are really needed. The many curves on the windows and icons are particularly striking.

macOS Big Sur will also receive the control center known from iOS and iPadOS. In addition, a number of the system apps are being revised – some of them can be adopted almost 1: 1 from the mobile platform. Apple helps here with its own Catalyst interface, which was designed precisely for this purpose.

macOS Big Sur is used on some Macs from model year 884 to run. This applies to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. The MacBooks are supported from 2015, the Mac mini is it the model year 2014 – just like the iMac. Anyone who has an iMac Pro will also be able to update and with the Mac Pro Apple goes back to the model of 2013.

The free update of the desktop operating system will probably be delivered from autumn. Unlike the iPhone and iOS, Apple is not so closely tied to a new generation of hardware here. A beta for developers will be available next week.

macOS 11 is in the first version will be the first macOS that will support the new ARM Macs. A corresponding version was already running in the demos of the Apple Silicon.

Apple Privacy

As part of the operating system updates, Apple once again addressed its own ideas regarding the privacy of its own users. Work is being carried out on minimizing the data to be processed externally, keeping data on the device and seeing the transparency of the data as the key to user confidence. For Apple, privacy plays a role in all areas – in the hardware and software, but also in the services that are offered.

Sign-in with Apple is already available with 200 Millions of accounts used. The new function is to transfer an existing account to Sign-In with Apple. The aim is to encourage even more users not to distribute their own data widely with many providers.

Individual functions are intended to build trust in the use of the software. iOS 14 gets a display, for example, when the microphone is being used. A small orange point in the status bar informs about the use.

HomeKit is already well secured according to its own information, but this does not always make it easy for external providers to address the HomeKit API – despite everything Attempts from Apple. Therefore, Apple is now working with Amazon and Google in this area. SmartHome hardware from both companies and many more should now work quickly and easily with HomeKit. Cameras with HomeKit support get functions such as activity zones and face recognition. The analysis of this data takes place exclusively on the Apple devices. So no sensitive data is transmitted.

The AppleTV takes over some of the important new functions of the HomeKit extension. The camera feeds can also be viewed via AppleTV. A picture-in-picture is displayed when an activity zone is entered.

Update: Release date

As Apple announced today as part of its “One More Thing” keynote, Big Sur will start this Thursday, 12. 11. 2020 for download. An exact time has not yet been announced, but it can be assumed that the update will be available in the evening, as is so often the case.