Apple has just released macOS 12.3, the new version of Monterey, the operating system for Mac that brings the most interesting novelties. The most notable and visible is universal control, but the truth is that there is a lots of little details that refine the experience and make this system even more versatile and productive.
Several new features for an already very round system
The list of new features in this update has grown with each of the betas we’ve seen. Gradually added several interesting details. Let’s review the full list:
- Universal Control: Thanks to Universal Control we can now use a single keyboard and mouse to control our different iPads or Macs A system that also allows us to drag files between devices in the easiest way and makes us forget to do the physical change between them.
- Spatial Audio: Spatial audio with head tracking comes to Apple Music every time we use compatible AirPods on a Mac with an Apple silicon chip.
- New emojis: This update comes with several new emoji including new gestures, faces, everyday objects, and more. New skin tones have also been added to some emoji, for example the handshake.
- Podcast filters: In the Podcasts app, we can now filter episodes based on whether we’ve read them, haven’t read them, saved them, or downloaded them. Likewise, we can now only watch certain seasons of the same show.
- More actions in Shortcuts: Now, the Shortcuts app allows us to add, remove, or view the labels we used to organize the different elements of the Reminders app.
- Notes on passwords and recording improvements: In this version of macOS, synchronized with iOS and iPadOS, we can save notes in iCloud Keychain items on our Mac, ideal for saving security questions or recovery codes from the two-factor authentication system. At the same time, the system is improving to avoid saving a password without the corresponding login. If in doubt about where to save a password, Safari will ask us to avoid errors.
- Battery playback improvements: Apple has improved the accuracy of the readings the system can make of battery capacity. This leads to much more accurate approximations of remaining usage time.
- Performance improvements and bug fixes: In this update, Apple also fixed a bug that could prevent the Apple News widget from working properly when you click to open an article, a bug that could distort the audio of the Apple TV app in some cases, or a another which could not allow us to properly organize some photos or videos in the Photos app.
All in all, this is a most interesting update. One that, as always, also contains improvements in the field of security. An update that recommended for all equipment. Remember though that the first few hours of uptime, servers may take a little longer than usual to respond due to high demand.
pictures | Philippe Katzenberger
