Apple Announces macOS 13 Ventura with new Continuity Features

Apple has unveiled today macOS Ventura, the next version of macOS that will be released later this fall. The major update was announced alongside new M2-powered MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models that will start shipping next month.

There’s been renewed interest in Macs and macOS since Apple shipped its first Apple Silicon Macs back in Fall 2020. This year, Apple delivered a much-anticipated feature with Universal Control, which allows Mac users to have their pointer and keyboard move between any nearby Mac or iPad. Even though Universal Control was delayed for a couple of months, this feature was a great example of Apple’s ability to integrate hardware and software together.

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With macOS Ventura, Apple will introduce a new multitasking feature named Stage Manager that’s also coming to iPad OS 16, where it will allow users to have up to four overlapping apps on their iPad screen. Another big new feature in macOS Ventura is the ability to use an iPhone as a Mac camera, and Apple gave a pretty seamless demo of this new Continuity feature this morning.

You can find a recap of the main new features in macOS Ventura below:

Stage Manager: This new multi-tasking feature will allow Mac users to focus on the app they’re using without distractions, moving all other apps to the left side of the screen. Stage Manager will let Mac users group apps together when working on specific tasks, and the feature will also integrate with the exiting Mission Control and Spaces features on macOS.

Continuity Camera: This feature will let you use your iPhone as your webcam on your Mac. The OS will automatically detect the iPhone wirelessly, and the integration will support iOS Camera features such as Center Stage, Portrait Mode, and Studio Light. Continuity Camera will work with any video conferencing app, and Apple is working with Belkin to create special iPhone stands for Macs.

Handoff support for FaceTime: macOS Ventura will let users start a call from an iPhone and then pick up the call on a Mac, and vice versa.

Spotlight improvements: The system-wide search engine on macOS is getting more powerful with the ability to search the text inside images and display more content from the web including snippets from articles.

Mail: The macOS mail client is getting support for Undo Send, Message Scheduling, Follow-up suggestions, and Reminders. Search has also been overhauled to show better suggestions

Safari: Apple’s web browser is getting support for the same Shared Tabs Group feature that’s also coming to iOS 16 and iPad OS 16, which will also let Mac users see which tabs their friends are looking up in real-time. Apple also announced Passkeys, a next-gen credential system that will replace passwords with Touch ID or FaceID authentication. Apple plans to make Passkeys work across platforms using QR codes.

Gaming: Apple’s new Metal 3 API will bring support for a new MetalFX Upscaling feature that will work like Nvidia’s DLSS or AMD’s FSSR feature. We saw today some gameplay footage of No Man’s Sky and Resident Evil: Village, which are both coming to the Mac.

Overall, macOS Ventura should be a pretty big update for Mac users, and a first beta will be available for developers today. The first public beta will follow next month, and Apple will do the same for the first iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 betas.

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Conversation 12 comments

  • fishnet37222

    Premium Member
    06 June, 2022 - 5:04 pm

    <p>Can’t you already focus on the current app in macOS by maximizing it? I don’t see the point of Stage Manager in macOS.</p>

    • Stabitha.Christie

      06 June, 2022 - 5:09 pm

      <p>I’d suggest watching the demo, the description above is accurate but when you see it it makes more sense. </p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      07 June, 2022 - 8:23 am

      <p>It is also about making sets of windows that can be shown together. As Stabitha says, take a look at the demo video, the description, whilst accurate, isn’t easy to visualise, how it should work.</p>

  • dftf

    06 June, 2022 - 5:46 pm

    <p><strong>Supported models for macOS 13:</strong></p><p>• 2017 iMac/iMac Pro or later</p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">• </span>2018 MacBook Air or later</p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">• </span>2017 MacBook Pro or later</p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">• </span>2019 Mac Pro or later</p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">• </span>2018 Mac mini or later</p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">• </span>2017 MacBook or later</p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">• </span>2022 Mac Studio or later</p>

  • mclark2112

    Premium Member
    06 June, 2022 - 6:06 pm

    <p>For some reason it reminds me of the Vista Aero flying windows scrolly thing. Looked cool in demos, but useless in real life.</p>

  • spiderman2

    07 June, 2022 - 3:00 am

    <p>"Stage Manager" Windows 11 says hi!</p>

  • Donte

    07 June, 2022 - 6:09 am

    <p>Exactly none of those features speak to me. </p><p><br></p><p>On my Mac I do not use Mail or Safari as they are just so bad. Stage manager looks like it will take up way to much space. I can’t remember the last time I used FaceTime as well. Spotlight seems fine already and the iPhone as a webcam seems like it would be a cluster to use. </p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      07 June, 2022 - 8:25 am

      <p>There are already various apps that let a smartphone (Android and iOS) be used as a webcam – they became successful partly due to the lack of camera availability during the start of the pandemic.</p>

    • rob_segal

      Premium Member
      07 June, 2022 - 11:26 pm

      <p>There is an option to hide recent apps in Stage Manager in Control Center. Turn this on and you can see your open apps by moving your mouse to the left edge of the screen.</p>

  • iAlrakis

    Premium Member
    07 June, 2022 - 6:37 am

    <p>Stage Manager seems interesting. On many occasions I used to minimize programs to keep a clean overview.</p>

    • rob_segal

      Premium Member
      07 June, 2022 - 11:24 pm

      <p>There is an option to hide recent apps in Stage Manager in Control Center. When you turn that option on, you can mouse to the left edge of the screen and see your open apps. This could make Stage Manager more useful than Mission Control.</p>

  • F4IL

    07 June, 2022 - 12:58 pm

    <p>Apparently five (5) years of OS updates seems to be the new norm for workstations.</p>

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