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CUPERTINO, California — As expected, Apple has used the stage at its WWDC 2022 conference to reveal the features and changes that will come to macOS in the upcoming major software update for the platform, macOS 13 Ventura .
The main function of Ventura is a new multitasking interface called Stage Manager. Billing as a way to combat window clutter on a busy desktop: enter Stage Manager mode and one of your windows will float in the center of the screen, pushing the other windows into a compressed navigation column in left of the screen. Click a different application window on the left and it will fly to the center of the screen, entering the application you were using before in the navigation column.
Extend / Stage Manager feature in macOS Ventura.
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Spotlight also gets some useful quality of life updates, adding the ability to Quick Look search results directly from the Spotlight window and the ability to run shortcuts from Spotlight. Safari gets the ability to share tab groups with other users, allowing all users to add and remove tabs. The browser also adds FIDO-enabled security technology called PassKeys, which aims to replace passwords with cryptographically generated keys that sync between devices with iCloud Keychain. Sites that support PassKeys can be opened with TouchID or FaceID.
Ad Magnification / Continuity Camera allows you to use an iPhone as a high-quality Mac webcam.
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Continuity features between Apple devices were also updated. FaceTime calls can be seamlessly delivered between different Macs and iDevices, while Continuity Camera lets you use an iPhone as your webcam (your iPhone’s LED can even be used as a makeshift ring light). The Continuity Camera also supports portrait mode and center stage effects, although they will presumably require newer iPhones with hardware that supports these features.
Other features include a redesigned System Preferences app, now called Settings, which further aligns it with the Settings app on iOS and iPadOS. The Messages app also features new features that Apple added to iOS 16, including the ability to edit and cancel the sending of recently sent messages, and a feature to mark as unread for message threads.
macOS 13 Ventura will be released later this year. The first beta should be available to developers today, and a public beta will follow in the coming weeks.
Apple’s WWDC presentation is underway and this article will be updated with new details as we get them. You can follow it in real time with our liveblog here.