At #WWDC2020 on June 22, Apple previewed next-generation macOS Big Sur (Veriosn 11.0) the successor to macOS 10.15 Catalina.
Big Sur comes with the brand new design which also includes the biggest Safari update ever and powerful enhancements to Messages, Maps, and privacy.
It is named after the coastal region of Big Sur in the Central Coast of California.
System Requirements
Before jumping into the features of Big Sur, here is the list of a supported system that can be upgraded to macOS Big Sur.
- MacBook (2015 or newer)
- MacBook Air (2013 or newer)
- MacBook Pro (Late 2013 or newer)
- Mac mini (2014 or newer)
- iMac (2014 or newer)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- Mac Pro (2013 or newer)
Big Sur is a major upgrade with several features and enhancements that users can take advantage of.
The following are the list of features and enhancements that Apple highlighted during #WWDC20 keynote.
Key Features and Enhancements
Refined User Interface
Until macOS Catalina, Apple has inconsistency between its Mobile OS and Desktop OS. With the help of macOS Big Sur, Apply has finally addressed that issue and fill that gap by implementing major UI changes.
- Floating Dock
- New icons for apps
- Lighter window appearance
- Redesigned sheets
- New and updated sounds
- Full-height sidebars
- New symbols throughout macOS
Apple macOS Big Sur → Redesigned Apps & Floating Dock
Control Center
Designed just for Mac, the new Control Center consolidates your favorite menu bar items into a single place to give you instant access to the controls you use most. Just click the Control Center icon in the menu bar and adjust Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirDrop, and other settings — without opening System Preferences.
Apple macOS Big Sur → Control Center
Notification Center
A redesigned Notification Center puts all your notifications and widgets into a single, dedicated column. Notifications are automatically sorted by most recent, and redesigned Today widgets deliver information at a glance.
- Interactive notifications
- Grouped notifications
- Redesigned widgets
- Customize widgets
- Discover more third-party widgets
Apple macOS Big Sur → Notification Center
Safari
- Customizable start page
- Improved tab design (More tabs at once, favicon in tabs and website preview)
- Import passwords and settings from Chrome; Easily import history, bookmarks, and saved passwords from Chrome into Safari.
- Built-in webpage translation into English, Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Russian, or Brazilian Portuguese. [Currently in Beta]
- Password monitoring
- Improved performance and power efficiency
- Enhanced privacy features such as “Privacy Report”
- Extension privacy management
- Safari extensions on the App Store
- WebExtensions API support
#big-sur #wwdc #apple #macos #ios
