Yesterday’s release of iOS/iPadOS 16.1 also supplemented with the release of the operating system macOS Ventura. An update of Apple computers is expected in the near future, but a new version of the system is already out.

PCMag editor Edward Mendelson summarized the top 10 features of the new system, which he shared on the pages of the media. Mr. Mendelsohn immediately warned that users of macOS Monterey do not have an urgent need to update, because small bugs and problems with third-party programs are possible first. Overall, though, he’s happy with the performance of the new system on his MacBook Air 2022.

This is not a complete list of updates, but only those that Edward noted among all the new features of macOS Ventura:

1. Stage Manager

The best feature is the Stage Manager. It allows you to place the main open windows in the center of the screen, and the others you need at the moment to be displayed on the side in the form of minimized versions and groups of programs. Thus, the system allows you to improve multitasking when you have to work with a large number of programs and tasks at the same time.

2. iPhone instead of webcam

For anyone who isn’t happy with the MacBook’s built-in webcam, there’s now a simple native solution that lets you use your iPhone instead — Continuity Camera. It is enough to simply place the smartphone on the laptop display, then the systems will orient themselves. But such a solution requires separate fastening. For example, Apple proposes one from Belkin for $29.95.

3. Less problems with passwords

One of the new functions of Apple’s operating systems allows you to generate access keys to various services and then access them by confirming your login using only Touch ID or Face ID (as you have been able to access iCloud for some time). Such keys are stored on the device and cannot be stolen. Google and Microsoft also have similar options. But Mr. Mendelson does not advise forgetting about password managers.

4. Canceling and scheduling emails in Mail.app

Users of the native mail client in macOS have only now received support for the ability to cancel sending a letter and postpone it for a certain time. And along with that, the client should remind the user that the text mentions an attachment that they may have forgotten to attach. These have long been basic things for other mail programs and services.

5. SharePlay in Messages

The native messenger has also received some improvements. Despite its weak popularity among Ukrainian users, there are many iMessage users in the States. Through it, you can now send group invitations to work together with documents, cancel sending a message, and invite loved ones to watch a movie or listen to music remotely. But it must be remembered that for all this the user on the other side of the conversation must also be a subscriber to Apple services.

6. Improved search through Spotlight

Built-in system search has now learned to quickly show a preview of search results as it happens in the Finder – “by space”. It can also search for photos by location or keywords (like cat). Of course, with the support of Ukrainian, everything is not as good as we would like. Therefore, it is unlikely that you will be able to find your pet using the keyword “cat”. However, the preview can really save you some time searching for another file you want.

7. Redesign of system settings

System settings underwent serious visual changes. Now the window is divided into a column with the main points on the left, and the settings themselves on the right. And although Apple tried to make the window similar to iOS (the logic is the same there), the window still strongly resembles the one in Windows.

8. FaceTime Handoff and Closed Captions

Handoff with iOS 16 and macOS Ventura now also supports FaceTime. By starting a conversation on an iPhone and then moving closer to, say, a MacBook Pro, the user can easily transfer the conversation to the laptop without having to call the other party. Moreover, the system can make a text transcription of the conversation. This is another function that not only Ukrainians, but also English-speaking users will not be able to call ideal. But improvements in speech recognition are already improving.

9. Shared albums in iCloud

Along with the company’s smartphones and tablets, desktops will now have access to shared albums with photos and videos in iCloud. This will not only allow you to share photos with, say, your family, but all verified users will be able to add to the album and make their own changes.

10. Pinning in Reminders

Finally, active users of the reminder application should evaluate the possibility of pinning the desired list, as it can be done, for example, with a separate contact in messages. A small thing, but it can be very convenient for users who have a lot of different tasks managed in this way.