I was struck by many features I thought I would never use, when I read over my review for this one.
I thought I might use a tool like that. I could see myself becoming focused. I was certain I would tag my notes. I assumed Portrait Mode would be used all the time. Tab groups made me think about moving toSafari. Apple's navigation software was very tempting to switch to because of the new cards. I don't use any of the features since, but I still use both of them daily. I don't mean that I was dishonest in that review. I will keep working the way that I work.
I think about the difference between essential and cool. As product lines mature, their devotees develop their own ways of using them, and they expect the continued opportunity to use those products in those ways. New features may be easy to use, but that doesn't mean they're filling holes in the system.
In the grab bag of updates, there is a representation of cool. It's called the essential. Some changes have been made to bring apps in line with the other two operating systems. Features are meant to be paper over the limitations of the MacBook. Doodads are used to distract. There has been an update to the application.
I don't think much of this will change my daily process. Ventura will have its loud advocates, but I think there are many people who will not benefit from it. That may be a good thing. It could be that macOS knows what it needs to be.
This part is out of the way. Stage Manager is a problem on the iPad. The Stage Manager on the MacBook works as it should. I don't like it very much. It's my business. The review is working as it is supposed to.
Stage Manager is a system that organizes apps. It puts the app in the center of the screen and puts the apps in the left column. Unless you hover your mouse over them, they are invisible. Grouping two or more apps together will cause them to open in the same pile. The dock can't do what the piles can. I would like them to be smaller or translucent so they don't obscure things.
It is straight forward, but here it becomes chaotic. The icon will expand if you drag it from the piles to the center of the screen. If you drag another app to the center of the screen, the first one becomes a group. Instead of dragging the second app to the center, you just open it from the dock, and the first app is sent back to its pile, and the second app becomes a new pile. At any time, full-screen an app, it exits Stage Manager and becomes its own thing.
A pile is supposed to be its own virtual space. You can work as you please within that area. When opening a new app doesn't simply open it into the current space but instead pushes everything you were looking at aside, it's hard to fully get into that mindset. It speaks to the arbitrariness of the ruleset that Apple made that decision, having any app you open automatically group with whatever else you are running at the time.
Getting a tab out of a group is harder than getting it into one, which causes me a lot of headaches. You are supposed to drag it back to the pile. It worked for some of the apps I tried it with. It didn't work with a single Chrome tab. It is not possible to minimize them because they are hiding it and keeping the rest of their pile in play. They are not removed from that pile in a sustainable way.
This feature would have been great in high school. I was trying to get everything else out of the way so I could concentrate on my term paper. I would have liked to sit down and learn this new thing. I no longer have the patience for this new system when my current setup works just fine, and I now work in elaborate tab setup referencing multiple documents at once and quickly tabbing in and out of other apps, and I also no longer have the patience for this new system when my current setup
That doesn't mean you can't use stage manager Go ahead and do it. It is not easy to accidentally enable it, and that is the nice thing about it. You have to go into the control center to turn it on. It is working as intended. There were no crashes or freezing when the apps were closed and reopened. Everyone, go crazy.
POV: the owl is hopping on the screen to remind you to use the Continuity Camera while doing your French lesson.
The M2 MacBook Air has a built-in camera, so you can use it to take a French lesson.
Older Macs that people will be running Ventura on may still have subpar ones, despite the fact that the newest MacBooks have decentWebcams. As long as you have a MacBook, you can use the Continuity Camera to use your phone as aWebcam. The two should connect automatically if you have a phone near your MacBook and theiOS version is current. You receive a pop-up on the phone.
Continuity Camera works the same way as any other externalWebcam. It can be selected in camera-leveraging utilities. Center Stage pans to keep you in frame as you move around, Portrait blurs your background, and studio lighting makes me look a bit dreary, but it supports other tools. TheDesk View is supposed to do what the name implies, but it ended up showing my crotch area because my laptop is on my desk. Don't be foolish out there.
There is a mount that affixes a phone to your laptop. I was impressed with how it worked on my M2 MacBook Air, even though it was reviewed separately. I was worried that it would make the lid too heavy, but it hasn't. It is small and simple to misplace, so make sure you have a place to put it if you misplace it.
Continuity Camera is the part of the OS that I am most likely to use going forward. It would be nice for important calls, but it seems like it's too much for every meeting. At its most generously imagined, the Apple system is at its peak. It works in a way that few other things do.
There is a new fancy thing coming to the video calling service. Handoff is a tool that will allow you to easily transfer calls between your MacBook and a nearby device. A notification will pop up on your computer when you are on a call if you decide to switch. The call will appear on your phone if you click that. It is quick and easy to swap you over.
I am pretty sure I would use this a lot if I ever had to use it. I have to choose between carrying my computer with me or leaving the call when I need to answer a door. I'd rather swap those calls to my phone for nothing. If it worked anywhere besides FaceTime, this feature would be one of the most significant features to come out of a recent MacOS update. My friends and co-workers don't use it.
People who aren't like me may be interested to know that you can now start a call from a shared Tab Group or from a collaborative file, even if you're not in the same room. You will be able to start a session from the new Freeform app when it is released.
The System Preferences app was redid and that has been a journey. It's a step forward, but still not horizontal, given how much scrolling is involved in getting down to the keyboard and trackpad settings. You can see the hierarchy of categories in Finder if you do the latter.
The system settings is similar to the settings app in theios This hasn't been a problem for me because I just search for what I need. There is an argument to be made that the interface should be laid out so that people who are used to the phone can use it better. It seems like a layout that is meant for a phone instead of a computer.
For example, keyboard, Trackpad, and Printer settings are now at the very bottom, and you have to scroll past every setting under the sun (including all kinds of other things that don't seem like they should be high priorities on a computer that people use for professional work, such Menu Bar settings, which used to be grouped with Dock, are now hidden in a "Desktop & Dock" panel, but Screen Saver, which used to be grouped with Desktop, isn't there. Extensions, which used to be their own thing, are now buried at the bottom of Privacy and Security under things like HomeKit and Contacts.
The System Preferences app was redid and that has been a challenge.
Software Update, Time Machine, Startup Disk, and Date & Time are all buried in General, where they used to be their own section. I don't see how burying the controls in favor of giving a whole section to Game Center would make sense.
System Preferences has been around for a million years and is getting a new look. I don't think it made sense to port over to theiOS menu.
Some of the changes here and there are playing catch-up with Apple's mobile device operating system and some of them are playing catch-up with the internet giant. I was surprised to learn that Mail didn't have Scheduled Send, Undo Send, and follow-up prompt for messages that haven't been responded to. Mail has all these things for a long time. The search in the Mail app has improved. The suggestions bar now contains some context in each of its results, which will help you narrow your search.
MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac Pro, Mac Mini, and Mac Studio are MacBooks and MacBooks Air are iMacs.
Messages received some changes to their appearance. 15 minutes after you send the message, you can change what the recipient sees, which can lead to some amusing results. You can mark things as not being received. I haven't been able to get SharePlay to work yet, but it can theoretically start from a Messages thread. Everyone in the chat who wants to join the SharePlay needs to have a subscription in order to do so. Smaller chats may be the best way to go.
Sharing libraries on the cloud are a thing. If you want all photos of your daughter in a shared library, it could do that automatically. You can move over if it doesn't work out.
Passkeys is the biggest news on theSafari front. Safari is always released at the same time. Passkeys are a new passwordless sign-in standard that stores keys on your iCloud Keychain instead of in places that are vulnerable to data breeches It is not certain if it is ready for prime time. I was able to get a passkey for my account, but when I tried to sign in, I was told I couldn't. Several other websites that are supposed to support the standard didn't give me the option to set a passkey up. We are still waiting on this.
It would be great if you could share Tab Groups with a group. It allows you to see what other people are watching.
It's definitely true. I think it won't break your device. At this point, it feels like it has been around for a long time.
Every smart device has a set of terms and conditions that you have to agree to before you can use it. It is not possible for us to read and analyze all of them. We started counting the number of times you have to agree to use devices when we review them, since these are agreements most people can't negotiate.
You have to agree to the following in order to use macOS Ventura.
There is a software license agreement.
It is a requirement to use macOS Ventura.
The good stuff is prepared this year. The big question mark that Monterey was at release was taken over by that. The only thing I might use a lot is Continuity Camera, and that is still a possibility.
The rest of it doesn't feel essential. Upgrading to Ventura will help you take better advantage of your phone. I wonder if Apple is at its limit with big, important stuff that really impacts the macOS experience at home.
The fact that this update bores me isn't a big deal. Apple didn't have to move heaven and earth. There wasn't much that needed to be fixed for people like me. macOS has found its footing, and this is just some extra stuff.
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