macOS Golden Gate: 10 Features to Try First

Apple has unveiled macOS Golden Gate, the latest version of its operating system. This new release is available for download to users with compatible Macs featuring an M1 chip or later, as well as MacBook Neo models. Among the features included in macOS Golden Gate is the integration of Siri AI, which brings a range of improvements and new capabilities.

One of the most notable enhancements is the introduction of Liquid Glass, a new design element that allows users to adjust the transparency level of UI elements. This can be done by selecting a clearer or more opaque version of Liquid Glass, providing flexibility in terms of legibility and visual appeal. Additionally, Apple has refined the overall opacity of Liquid Glass to better diffuse complex content behind navigation bars and buttons.

The new version of macOS also brings various performance improvements and updates to existing features such as Calendar, Reminders, Home, and Safari. These updates aim to enhance user experience and make the system more efficient.

A major highlight of macOS Golden Gate is the advancement of Siri AI. Siri has become smarter and more capable, functioning like a chatbot. Users can interact with Siri using the Spotlight interface, which can be accessed by pressing Command + Space. Spotlight now serves as a unified Search or Ask bar, allowing users to search for files, apps, and other content, or ask Siri to complete tasks or answer queries.

Siri can also be accessed through a dedicated Siri app, which syncs conversations across all devices and allows users to view past conversations and start new ones. Siri can access personal information such as emails, messages, and photos to provide answers and complete tasks within apps.

Visual Intelligence, initially introduced on the iPhone, has been brought to the Mac in macOS Golden Gate. Users can ask Siri questions about what's on their screen using Visual Intelligence, either by selecting the entire screen or a specific area. By pressing Command + Shift + Space or Command + Shift + 6, users can capture one area of the display, and by pressing Command + Shift + 5, they can click on the Visual Intelligence icon to create an adjustable selection square for selecting an area of the screen.

Siri can then search for images, summarize, translate, identify objects, add information from the screen to apps like Calendar or Reminders, answer questions about what's being viewed, and more.

Another notable addition to macOS Golden Gate is Write with Siri, a system-wide feature that extends beyond the Apple Intelligence Writing Tools available in macOS Tahoe. Siri can compose entire emails or messages, provide feedback on writing, change out words, and complete other editing tasks. To use Write with Siri on Mac, users can right-click in an app and select the Ask Siri option.

If text has been selected before the right-click, Siri can offer editing help. When drafting emails or messages, Siri can analyze past communications and generate content in the user's own writing style. Additionally, Apple has expanded spell correction in macOS Golden Gate, providing grammar suggestions and fixes.

Lastly, iPhone Mirroring has been enhanced in macOS Golden Gate, allowing users to resize the iPhone Mirroring window by dragging at the corner to make it larger or smaller. While some apps may have limitations related to aspect ratio, other apps support iPad or landscape layouts. This feature, likely added for the iPhone Duo, is a welcome addition for any iPhone user.