OS X is now macOS, but that name change certainly isn’t the biggest news about the upcoming next significant release of the Mac operating system. MacOS Sierra, as it will be known, will come with new Continuity and iCloud features, plus support for web-based Apple Pay.
Universal Clipboard will enable productivity users to automatically copy and paste text, photos and other data from an iPhone to a Mac. The storage service iCloud Drive, meanwhile, will become fully accessible across both macOS and iPhone.
An array of retail websites have signed up to support Apple Pay – and, to make use of it within Safari on the Mac, you will simply have to click on a “Pay with Apple Pay” button before authenticating the purchase using Touch ID on an iPhone or Apple Watch paired with the computer.
The availability of that familiar virtual assistant, Siri, is another headline addition with macOS Sierra. Siri is available from the macOS menu bar and in the display’s top-right corner, and can be used for speedily searching the web, messaging, finding movies and other purposes.
MacOS Sierra will become available as a beta for developers today, while the public version will be launched as a free update in the fall.