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Apple

Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

By Brandon Vigliarolo September 26, 2016, 12:47 PM PDT on Twitter bviglia

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Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Siri

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​Siri

There are a lot of new features in macOS Sierra to be excited about. What follows is a detailed tour through the features Apple has brought to its latest OS, starting with the addition of Siri.

Siri can be conjured in macOS Sierra by holding down Command and the spacebar. She’ll appear in the upper right hand corner of the screen, and you can ask whatever you wish.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Create reminders with Siri

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​Create reminders with Siri

Of course, reminders you create in macOS will be shared with your mobile devices as well.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Some Siri searches can be saved

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​Some Siri searches can be saved

Say you search for all the NCAA games coming up next weekend. You’ll notice a “+” in your Siri results. Click on that to add the search to your Today window, which slides out from the right hand side of the screen.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Searches saved

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​Searches saved

There it sits, giving you weekly updates of upcoming games.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Control music playback with Siri

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​Control music playback with Siri

If lifting your finger all the way to the function keys is too exhausting let Siri do the heavy iTunes lifting. Tell her to pause a song and she’ll pause a song.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Siri can skip tracks too

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​Siri can skip tracks too

Not only will Siri control playback, but she’ll also change tracks or play any artist you request.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​"Read that back to me"

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​"Read that back to me"

Tell Siri to show you your new email and she’ll slowly read the subject line and sender of each one. Tell her to read the whole message and she’ll do that too.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Universal cut and paste

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​Universal cut and paste

Have you ever copied a link on your phone and wished you could paste it onto your desktop browser? Apple thinks you have, so it added universal cut and paste to Sierra.

As long as you have handoff configured on your iPhone and Mac you’ll be able to cut and paste text right from one device to the other.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

iCloud syncing gets new features

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

iCloud syncing gets new features

You can now sync the contents of your Documents folder and your Desktop right to iCloud.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Storage management

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​Storage management

New storage management options appear as well. Click on the Storage tab in the About This Mac window. You’ll see a new Optimize option.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Storage optimization

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​Storage optimization

Optimization can move unnecessary files to iCloud, automatically clear the trash, and remove old files you don’t need.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Photos gets an overhaul

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​Photos gets an overhaul

The Photos app is boasting a lot of improvements that bring it in line with the iTunes version. The memories slideshows are featured on macOS now, allowing you to watch the simple presentations on a bigger screen.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Photo searching

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​Photo searching

Searching through your photos has gotten smarter as well: Photos recognizes location and faces.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

Photos by location

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

Photos by location

There’s a neat location option too–see where on the map you took a shot!

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Tabs galore

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​Tabs galore

Tabs aren’t just for web browsers anymore: they’re in a lot of other macOS apps too, like Finder and Maps.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​iTunes overhaul

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​iTunes overhaul

Apple is really pushing its Apple Music subscription service, so you’ll see the same view whether you’re a subscriber or not.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Suggestions for subscribers

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​Suggestions for subscribers

If you are a subscriber you’ll notice a new look on the Suggestions and Browse screens.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Picture-In-Picture

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​Picture-In-Picture

You can do it on your iPad, and now you can do it on your Mac as well: picture-in-picture is finally here.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
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Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​PiP limitations

​PiP limitations

Unfortunately, there are a lot of limitations to Apple’s PiP system: it’s an API that websites have to add in order for it to work. Right now the biggest name to offer PiP is Vimeo, so don’t count on undocking those YouTube videos anytime soon.

Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Messaging changes

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​Messaging changes

Apple seems dead set on overhauling Messages with a bunch of features of questionable use. While not all of them have made the leap from iOS to macOS there are a couple that have, and they are definitely some of the better ones.

Videos, for example, can now be played inside the Messaging program itself.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Bigger emojis

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​Bigger emojis

When you’re just sending an emoji as a response it will show up nice and large.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Individual read receipts

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​Individual read receipts

Want to make sure one particular person is seeing your messages? Now you can turn on read receipts by person instead of across the board.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Apple Pay on the web

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​Apple Pay on the web

Some websites are adding the ability for customers to check out using Apple Pay. Click the button at checkout, and you’ll use Touch ID on your iPhone to complete the transaction.

The number of stores is currently a bit limited–here’s hoping it grows with time.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​No more disappearing folders in Finder

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​No more disappearing folders in Finder

Tired of sorting by name and having all your folders get mixed in with your documents? Those days are over with macOS Sierra.

Open up Finder Preferences, click on Advanced, and check the Keep Folders On Top When Sorting By Name option.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Collaboration in Notes

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​Collaboration in Notes

A lot of work is done on the web, and that means an increased need for collaboration. Apple has added the ability to share Notes with other macOS and iOS users so that you can both collaboratively work on documents.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Safari extensions exit the web, join the App Store

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic

​Safari extensions exit the web, join the App Store

It hasn’t been implemented yet, but soon Safari extensions will leave their home on the web for greener App Store pastures.

Image: Brandon Vigliarolo/TechRepublic
Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra features

​Unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch

Image: Taylor Martin/CNET

​Unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch

Good news for owners of the Apple Watch: you can configure it to unlock your Mac when you come within a certain distance.

Hopefully you don’t have a Mac made prior to 2013, though: 2012 and older models aren’t compatible with the auto unlock feature.

Image: Taylor Martin/CNET
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By Brandon Vigliarolo
Brandon is a Staff Writer for TechRepublic. He's an award-winning feature and how-to writer who previously worked as an IT professional and served as an MP in the US Army.
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