Apple is set to host its annual Worldwide Developers Conference next month where we will get our first glimpse of the next major version of its Mac operating system. WWDC24 begins on June 10, and we expect to see a preview of MacOS 15 along with early looks at updates to the company's other operating systems, including iOS, iPadOS, WatchOS and VisionOS.
We can say with near certainty that generative AI will be a focus of WWDC24, with Apple needing to play catch-up with its competitors. For iPhone,iOS 18 is expected to get a healthy dose of AI features after Google recently showed off updates to its Gemini virtual assistant that will soon arrive on Android devicesanda new slate of Chromebook laptops. For its part, Microsoft just introduced a new category of devices called Copilot Plus PCs that offer new AI capabilities, so Apple is likely feeling the pressure to keep pace and add AI features to its Mac lineup.
If you are curious about when MacOS 15 will be available, what new features it might introduce -- AI and otherwise -- and whether you can run it on your current MacBook, then keep reading. We've rounded up the rumors swirling around the next version of MacOS as we await our first look at it at WWDC.
When will MacOS 15 be released?
If Apple's usual cadence continues this year, the company will release a beta version of MacOS 15 to developers at WWDC. This will be followed by a public beta later this summer, with the final release in the fall. MacOS 14 Sonoma was released last September, and the two previous versions -- MacOS 13 Ventura and MacOS 12 Monterey -- were released in October of 2022 and 2021, respectively.
What will MacOS 15 be called?
Other than after a beautiful locale in California, no one knows what name Apple will use for MacOS 15. According to Parker Ortolani on X/Twitter, Apple has trademarked and yet to use the following California locations:
- Condor
- Diablo
- Farallon
- Grizzly
- Mammoth
- Miramar
- Pacific
- Redtail
- Redwood
- Rincon
- Sequoia
- Shasta
- Skyline
- Tiburon
The past three versions of MacOS have been named after cities: Sonoma, Ventura and Monterey. If that trend continues, then perhaps Rincon, Tiburon or one of the neighborhoods in San Diego -- Miramar or Skyline -- will get the nod.
If AI is the theme, I would point out that Pacific and Redtail are the only names on the list that feature an A followed by an I. Bonus points go to Redtail for having the letters right next to one another, but Apple could use Pacific in a subliminal effort to pacify our trust issues with the recent and rapid rise of AI and our hopes of it being implemented in ways that are more useful than harmful.
What devices will be compatible with MacOS 15?
Here's the current list of compatible devices for MacOS 14 Sonoma:
- MacBook Air from 2018 and later
- MacBook Pro from 2018 and later
- iMac from 2019 and later
- iMac Pro from 2017
- Mac Mini from 2018 and later
- Mac Studio from 2022 and later
- Mac Pro from 2019 and later
I might be worried about making the leap to MacOS 15 if I had a MacBook Air or Pro from 2018 -- those models might get dropped when the next version is released this fall. But we have not reached the point of Apple stopping support for all Intel-based MacBooks; those final Intel models from 2019 and 2020 -- before Apple released the first MacBooks with its own M1 processor in November 2020 -- are safe bets to be compatible with the upcoming MacOS 15.
What are the new features in MacOS 15?
Here's what the rumors say will be added to the next MacOS.
New AI features
The obvious spot for adding AI smarts to MacOS is with Siri. Apple is training Siri on large language models, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, to make the voice assistant smarter and more context-aware so it can answer more complex questions with more nuanced answers.
Apple will likely show these Siri advancements when previewing iOS 18 since more people use the voice assistant on their iPhone than Mac, but a smarter, more conversational Siri will likely also be a part of the next version of MacOS. Siri's menu bar icon is also rumored to get a new flat, black-and-white look.
Gurman also reports that Apple will add AI features to Safari, Photos and Notes. AI will improve search in the Safari browser, aid in retouching images in the Photos app and let you record voice memos in the Notes app with AI-generated transcriptions. Apple will also use AI tools to make Spotlight searches faster and more accurate and also provide summaries of missed notifications and text messages.
According to MacRumors, AI tools will assist with writing in Pages, creating slides in Keynote, and writing code in Xcode. And Apple Music will get AI-generated playlists. Smart song transitions are also coming to Apple Music letting you set the crossfade duration between 1 and 12 seconds so one song blends into the next to your specification.
Accessibility improvements
Not every new feature in MacOS 15 will have AI behind it. MacRumors says the updated MacOS will introduce accessibility improvements, including adaptive voice shortcuts that will let users map a spoken phrase to toggle on an accessibility setting such as VoiceOver, Voice Control or Zoom. You'll also be able to organize Live Speech into custom categories.
The ability to set custom font sizes is an Accessibility setting that's useful for people with impaired vision. Currently, you can set custom font sizes in five Mac apps: Calendar, Finder, Mail, Messages and Notes. According to MacRumors, MacOS 15 will add custom font sizes to five more apps: Books, News, Stocks, Tips and Weather.
Freeform, Calculator and System Settings updates
The Freeform whiteboard app will get a Scenes feature that will let you select and name specific sections of your boards for faster navigation and easier sharing.
Lastly, the Calculator app will receive an overhaul to look more like the iOS calculator and System Settings will get reorganized based on "priority and overall importance," says MacRumors.
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