Earlier this week, Apple released the latest Mac operating system, Catalina. Why is this worth a special newsletter? Because this is the first operating system from Apple that blocks 32-bit apps. This means some older applications will not work on your Mac until the maker of the app updates it to 64 bit. Since Apple announced this requirement many years ago, most app makers have already made the change. However, there are a few outliers, and some of you may just be using older versions of certain apps (ahem...Word 2008 anybody!)
New Features with MacOS Catalina
Now for the fun stuff. Remember, don't update your Mac to Catalina without first making sure all of your applications are 64 bit (we can help with that!). But once you have updated, here's what you have to look forward to:
- Music, TV, Podcasts: the new update will finally give Music, TV, and Podcasts separate apps. The TV app will be where you can stream Apple TV+ once it releases later this fall (stay tuned for our upcoming "Apple a Day").
- iPad Second Display: with the new feature called Sidecar, you can connect your iPad to your Mac and use it as a second display. You can either extend the Mac's desktop or use mirroring.
- Block Senders: the fight against spam mail is on, and now you can block a sender in the Mail app which sends their mail immediately to the trash.
- Screen Time: if you're a fan of monitoring your screen usage on your iPhone or iPad, now you'll get to do the same on your Mac.
- Photo Organization: there is a variety of new photo organizational tools, such as the ability to sort your photos based on year, month, or day.