14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has officially released today the final version of the highly anticipated macOS Catalina 10.15 operating system for Mac computers, a day after seeding the GM (Golden Master) build to developers.
Officially unveiled by Apple earlier this summer during the WWDC (Worldwide Developer Conference) event, the macOS Catalina 10.15 comes as an upgrade to the macOS Mojave 10.14 operating system series, which introduced a new Dark Mode, desktop stacks, and a bunch of other enhancements to make your Mac experience better, faster, and more productive.
macOS Catalina 10.15 double down on macOS Mojave's new features by introducing several new apps and technologies to put your Mac in line with your other devices, such as the iPad, by allowing you to extend your workspace and expand your creativity. It also introduces new and revamped apps, as well as many other improvements for the next-generation Mac computing.
Here's what's new in macOS Catalina 10.15
Probably the biggest change in the macOS Catalina 10.15 release is that iTunes is now split into three new apps, Music, Podcasts, and TV. The good news is that the Music and Podcasts apps borrow the iTunes design, so it will be quite familiar to use them, and every song, podcast, or movie you had in your iTunes library is still accessible in each of these apps.
On the downside, you now have three different apps to handle for your music, podcasts, and TV shows and movies. However, the new TV apps makes its debut on the Mac and will synchronise with your other devices to make it easier to watch your favorite shows and movies everywhere, including 4K titles with Dolby Atmos.
Another exciting new feature in macOS Catalina 10.15 is the ability to run your favorite iPad apps on your Mac. Among some popular iPad apps that are already available to run on your Mac with macOS Catalina, we can mention Gameloft's Asphalt 9: Legends car racing game, Twitter, DC Universe, American Airlines, Post-it, Morpholio, TripIt, Jira, Crew, Fender, and others.
"They run natively alongside your existing Mac apps so you can drag and drop content between them. They take full advantage of the larger screen and powerful architecture of your Mac. And because they are built from their iOS versions, they provide a seamless experience across your devices," said Apple.
More iPad apps will be ported to macOS in the coming weeks and months through the Mac Catalyst project. It's all about apps in macOS Catalina, so Photos got a new immersive, dynamic look similar to that available on iOS/iPadOS 13, Notes are now easier to find and share, browsing with Safari is faster and more secure, and there's all-new Reminders and Find My apps.
Also, the Screen Time app from iOS and iPadOS makes its debut on the Mac as well to give you an insight into how you spend your time on your computer. But that's not all, because macOS Catalina 10.15 makes it possible to use your iPad as a secondary display for your Mac, enhanced security protects macOS against tampering by running in its own read-only volume, and enhanced accessibility.
Here's how to install macOS Catalina 10.15
Before attempting to install macOS Catalina 10.15, you should first check if your Mac computer is supported. According to the official Apple website, macOS Catalina 10.15 is only supported on MacBook Air 2012 and later, MacBook Pro 2012 and later, Mac mini 2012 and later, iMac 2012 and later, Mac Pro 2013 and later, iMac Pro, and the 12-inch MacBook.
If you own any of the Mac computers mentioned above, you can install macOS Catalina 10.15 right now by opening the App Store app and then searching for macOS Catalina. Click the "Get” button and then click on “Download" when prompted to download the macOS Catalina 10.15 installer on your Mac.
Please note that a new macOS installer will take some time to download as it has approximately 8GB in size. Once the new macOS Catalina installer was downloaded, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation, which should take up to an hour. Don't forget to make a backup before starting the installation, just in case anything bad happens.
