CUPERTINO – Apple released it’s newest software update called macOS Catalina.
New features include Apple Arcade, New Mac versions of Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and Apple TV apps, Sidecar, Screen Time, and the Find My app comes to the Mac.
The update is only available for Macs and MacBooks introduced mid-2012 or later.
Some apps may not work with the new software version either unless they’re updated.
Apple Arcade
With a monthly subscription of $4.99 per month, Apple Arcade gives you unlimited access to a catalog of games on Mac, all of which can also be played on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple TV.
Games can even be played across devices, so players can pick up from their last game save, whether they’re at home or on the go.
On Mac, games can be played with keyboard and trackpad or mouse, and many games support controllers as well, including Xbox Wireless Controllers with Bluetooth and PlayStation DualShock 4.
Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and Apple TV come to Mac
Courtesy: Apple
Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and Apple TV now replace the iTunes app.
The new Music app features over 50 million songs, playlists, and music videos. Users will have access to their entire music library and new music can still be purchased from the iTunes Store.
Apple Podcasts offers the option to automatically be notified of new episodes as soon as they become available. The app also features new show categories, curated collections, and advanced search tools to allow you to search episodes by current events, people and phrases.
The Apple TV app brings together different ways to find and watch movies and TV shows in one app and features Apple TV channels, personalized recommendations and more than 100,000 iTunes movies and TV shows to browse, buy or rent.
Apple TV+, Apple’s original video subscription service, will also be available in the Apple TV app for Mac starting November 1st 2019.
Sidecar: Expand your Mac workspace with your iPad
Courtesy: Apple
The new Sidecar feature extends your Mac workspace by using an iPad as a second display.
With Sidecar, you can use an iPad display for tablet input to draw, sketch or write with Apple Pencil in any Apple or third-party Mac app that supports stylus input.
The Sidecar feature can be used via a wired or a wireless connection.
Screen Time: Monitor Mac Activity For The Entire Family
Courtesy: Apple
macOS Catalina brings Screen Time to Mac for the first time.
The idea is to give you insight into how you’re spending time with apps and websites.
A feature within Screen Time called ‘Downtime’ lets you schedule time away from your Mac.
You can also use the ‘App Limits’ feature to control how much time you or others who use your mac can spend with specific apps, websites, and categories of apps.
Using iCloud, Screen Time combines all usage and syncs Downtime settings and App Limits across devices and with Family Sharing, Screen Time gives parents visibility for their kids’ activities across all of their Apple devices.
Find My app comes to the Mac
Courtesy: Apple
The new Find My app combines Find My iPhone and Find My Friends into a single app on Mac, iPad and iPhone.
Find My can help you find a missing Mac, even if it’s offline and sleeping, by sending out Bluetooth signals that can be detected by Apple devices that are in use nearby and then relaying the detected location of the Mac to iCloud so you can find it.
