The beta versions of Apple’s upcoming major operating systems are available to the public on 11th July, making it relatively simple for adventurous users to download and install unfinished software versions. This software will start sometime in the fall, powering Macs, iPads, iPhones, and other devices. The public beta of Apple’s most recent iteration of the venerable Mac operating system, macOS Ventura, is now available. Ventura is macOS’ 19th version, which includes many new features and improvements.
Although the official release of macOS Ventura isn’t possible until this autumn if you’re bold enough to install the public beta directly, you can get a sneak preview of what’s in store. However, Apple’s public beta is relatively stable, and installing beta software on a Mac essential to your day-to-day business is not a good idea because it is incomplete software.
What will you see here?
Interoperability
Although there are many enhancements and new features in macOS Ventura, only a small number of them are specific to Macs. With the release of the public betas for iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 this week, along with the beta for macOS Ventura, Apple is once again simultaneously updating all of its critical operating systems. If you own multiple devices, there is significant compatibility across them, thanks to the fact that many of Ventura’s new capabilities are also coming to iPhones & iPads running iOS 16/iPadOS 16.
In macOS Ventura, FaceTime will also receive an improvement that will increase its usefulness if you also possess an iPhone. From an iPhone/iPad to the Mac and likewise, you may now transfer a FaceTime call. Additionally, having an iPhone or iPad close by will make it much simpler to diagram or doodle your ideas in shared workplaces when Ventura releases its new Freeform collaborative creation tool soon this year.
Continuity Camera
Since Mojave, Apple has included the Continuity Camera function, which enables you to take images with an iPhone or iPad and send them to your Mac. However, Ventura is an update that will allow you to use your iPhone as a live camera during video conversations.
Bring a compatible iPhone (Apple specifies an iPhone XR or later) close to your Mac. Set it instantly as a camera and microphone. This works if your devices are operating iOS/iPadOS 16 or later, logged into the identical Apple ID, connected to the same Wi-Fi network, and Bluetooth enabled.
Even if you already own a top-notch webcam, utilizing Continuity Camera may be worthwhile because it enables you to perform a few tricks using the iPhone’s built-in cameras and image processing technology. These include Center Stage & Desk View, the latter of which uses the iPhone’s ultrawide camera to concurrently provide a live view of what is on your desk. Note that the iPhone XR or newer iPhones are the only ones that support a continuity camera.
Stage Manager
One of the newest Ventura features that one will value the most is Stage Manager, even though it was a little unnecessary when they made an announcement. It’s a utility for managing windows and programs on your Mac desktop that centers the window you’re now focusing on in the middle of the screen while showing a stack of tiny tiles on the left side of the screen that reflect all the other windows and apps you have open.
Any time you click a Stage Manager tile, that software will take over the desktop’s center position, replacing anything previously there and going to the tile pile. You can access your desktop freely while Stage Manager is open by clicking on your Mac’s wallpaper, which will send whatever is in the center to the pile.
Stage Manager is a straightforward tool for navigating and managing current applications. Still, since there are already several macOS tools, this newcomer would turn out to be as easily ignored as the rest can be.
Security Updates
Rapid Security Response, one of Apple’s many Ventura features, is a mechanism for the company to release smaller, more frequent upgrades to macOS without necessitating a system restart. But what does this mean?
Ventura adds specific changes to Big Sur’s Signed System Volume (SSV) security mechanism to deploy updates like this. To summarise, the SSV contains practically all of the system files for macOS. Your Mac is only permitted to boot and run if the volume’s signature shows that the SSV has not been altered.
The SSV is mounted in the background during updates, and files are patched, a new cryptographic signature is generated for verification the following time your system boots, and a snapshot of that newly signed volume is generated for using the following time the machine boots.
Borrowed Features in macOS Ventura Beta
Despite the close integration of Apple’s different software and hardware, there are still few instances where one platform does not provide a feature that another platform holds. These issues occasionally come to mind when users ask themselves, “Why there is no calculator application on the iPad?”
A good number of these problems are resolved by Ventura, in part because Catalyst and SwiftUI have made it simpler for Apple to create a single program that can run across all of its platforms. As an illustration, the new Clock app is a direct copy of the iPadOS version of the same software, and the Weather app from iPadOS 16 is also coming to Ventura.
These programs’ capabilities mostly correspond to those found on the iPad, including the option to use Siri on macOS to set timers and the ability to receive severe weather and precipitation notifications from the Weather app.
Upgraded Safari
With every major macOS release, Safari typically gets a significant upgrade, and Ventura is no exception. With Tab Groups, which group open tabs into collections you can set away and return to later, Apple gave its browser more tricks in macOS Monterey. The feature to share Tab Groups with others and work on them jointly, as well as the ability to pin tabs in a group, are now available for Tab Groups.
With Tab Groups, you may group several helpful tabs for later use, and you can relax knowing they’ll remain there even if you close Safari and return a week later. As I get the hang of setting them up, starting to use Tab Groups more frequently, and rival browsers will soon follow Apple’s lead and include capabilities akin to them.
Supercharged Search and More
In macOS Ventura, Spotlight and Mail receive updates with better search functionality and a few amusing new features. With these updates from Apple, Spotlight has become considerably more beneficial as it now offers better search results and the ability to search much more profound than before.
The spotlight in macOS Ventura can specifically search through image data (including text within the photographs, using Live Text) to perform tasks like showing you all the photos you took of a particular location.
Although it’s cool to be able to preview a webpage before clicking through, it’s a little challenging to utilize. To choose a result, you must have it highlighted and press Space. Otherwise, the file or browser will open, and you will be taken to the desired webpage. To preview a result, search for it in Spotlight, use the keyboard to scroll down the list of results until the one you want is highlighted, and then press Space. Once you get into the routine, it’s not a huge deal.
In macOS Ventura, the Mail app has better search functionality, richer search results, and algorithmically provided corrections and suggestions. Additionally, it receives updates that align with Gmail, such as the capability to plan email send times and set reminders.
Passkey and Freeform
Passkeys function similarly to passwords, and Apple attempts to pitch them as their replacement. On a Mac using Safari, you can choose to generate one instead of a password when you register for a new account on a website that accepts Passkeys.
These Passkeys are encrypted, kept on your device, and then synced with other Apple ID-connected devices via the iCloud Keychain. As a result, they should be far more challenging to crack than passwords because you can’t unintentionally reveal your Passkey to someone else or write it down where a criminal could find it. The implementation of Passkeys will take some time, though, because third-party developers must change their login frameworks to support them.
A distinct feature is called “Freeform,” which gives you a sizable digital canvas that you can fill with text, drawings, movies, music, links, and more. . Later this year, Apple will release Freeform. When it does, you should be able to invite coworkers to a project via Messages or Facetime.
Is the public beta of macOS Ventura stable?
Ventura is the most stable and dependable public beta. The more modest upgrades typically have stable and dependable first public beta releases. Although there are no show-stopping issues or crashes, you shouldn’t immediately upgrade to Ventura.
What is a beta version of macOS?
Apple gives developers early access to beta versions of its operating system so they may test their software and use new features in the next macOS release to improve their programs in preparation for release when the final draft of macOS is ready.
Conclusion
Before macOS Ventura is officially launched, there are still a few months to go, but based on my experience with beta versions, this is a wise upgrade that will improve your Mac as a more powerful machine.
Although many of the most notable new features feel unnecessary, even additions like Stage Manager and Continuity Camera function effectively and are lovely to have. The improvements to FaceTime, Messages, Spotlight, and Mail are fantastic because they increase efficiency and give you more precise control over how you utilize them. Passkeys and Freeform each promise interesting new features for your Mac, though we haven’t had much chance to test them out yet.
