About macOS 10.14 Mojave (WWDC 2018)

With the new operating system macOS 10.14 Mojave for the Apple Mac, the apple technology giant from Cupertino presented many improvements at this year's June keynote at the start of WWDC 2018. In this post I have compiled details of the presentation and the new features that will be available for Apple computers and notebooks from autumn.

macOS 10.14 Mojave - Into the desert with "Dark Mode"

With the upcoming operating system macOS 10.14 Mojave for Apple Mac, iMac and MacBook Cupertino now said goodbye to the mountains and wanders through the desert. The developers and programmers were particularly fond of the night, which is why there will now (finally!) be a dark mode in macOS, which previously could only be brought about by additional apps or other tricks.

It's no wonder that macOS Dark Mode will be available for darker windows, menu bars, menus, backgrounds and icons - the iMac Pro, for example, is explicitly aimed at creative people, such as photo artists. Those who deal with pictures and colors prefer a darker environment. But developers can also use dark mode when writing code and in the Interface Builder in xCode. Otto normal users benefit from it in mail, iTunes, calendar and so on.

Little gimmick - dynamic desktop in Mojave

So-called “dynamic desktops”, ie backgrounds that change their appearance according to various criteria, are not entirely new and are known, for example, from some smartphone backgrounds for iOS and Android. In macOS 10.14 Mojave, the dynamic wallpapers should adapt to the time of day and, for example, display the new symbol image - a sand dune in the desert - in appropriate lighting (morning, midday and evening sun as well as twilight and moonlight).

New features for desktop, finder and quick look

Those who often create new files, edit them, use copies of them to create new versions and so on, like to save their intermediate results on the desktop / desk. There is quickly a chaos from the most diverse projects, files and file formats. With the new "Stacks" function (in German: "Stack") this should be an end. With stacks, files can be combined into stacks; arrange individually according to file format, date, day (and thus according to project) or other criteria.

Also the Finder should ensure more order with macOS Mojave. In addition to the current views (list, icons, cover flow), there will be a gallery view in which there will be thumbnails on a lower bar - unlike the list in cover flow. In addition, the side bar, the right sidebar, will now be able to display all metadata and there will be "quick actions". Quick Actions are buttons for preset or self-assigned commands and actions. This can be a time-saving shortcut, especially for photo editing.

Speaking of photo editing: there will also be extensive innovations in Quick Look that are intended to significantly improve the workflow. The new "Mark Up" function allows you to highlight parts of a document with a virtual marker, insert a signature and carry out other actions. In addition to images, videos can also be edited using Quick Look under macOS 10.14. At least cutting video files can be done quickly and easily.

Screenshots and continuity are also improved

Screenshots (screen recordings) and Continuity (continuity) are further areas for which improvements were desired and which will be received in macOS Mojave. After taking a screenshot, it is displayed, for example, as a preview image in the lower right corner of the desktop. So you can click and edit it directly. In addition to the screenshot as an image file, from autumn there will also be the option of recording self-defined areas of the screen as a video - this is then called "video capture".

As part of the continuity, the images and videos created in this way can be integrated directly into projects by dragging the preview image from the bottom right into a presentation or web construction kit. The same applies to content that is created with the iPhone connected (via iCloud). Taking a photo or scanning a document with the iPhone camera as well as editing and further processing the results on the Mac is seamlessly possible. 

Phase 1 of iOS apps on Mac - native Apple programs

Craig Federighi gave a very clear “No.” in response to the question of whether macOS and iOS should be merged in the future. Nevertheless, there is an effort to make iOS apps accessible on the Apple Mac, iMac and MacBook. But this is a multi-year project that is currently starting in the first phase. Developers can participate from 2019; For its part, Apple presents with apps such as News, Stocks, Voice Memo and Apple Home. With Apple Home and Siri, the smart home can finally be controlled from the Mac. But you can also look forward to other practical helpers from Apple and other developers who have been running on iOS in the future on the Mac.

More security and privacy under macOS 10.14 Mojave

The security of the system and the protection of personal data should continue to play a major role on the Mac, which is why it will be further expanded under macOS 10.14 Mojave. In addition to location, contacts, photos, calendar information and reminders, the camera and microphone will also be better protected from autumn. 

The access notices and warning messages that you always get when a program, a function or a web application wants to access local things, will then also be available for the microphone and cam - so you can individually agree or decline, if the appropriate Hardware is controlled. Furthermore, the improved security is extended to the following points:

• Mail databases
• Message history
• Safari data
• Time Machine backups
• iTunes device backups
• Locations and routines
• System cookies

Safari is equipped against "fingerprinting" and tracking

The Apple WebBrowser “Safari” has been taking action against personalized advertising for some time now. Your viewed products, services and offers on the web should not be passed on and used for advertising banners and other advertisements. As of fall 2018, the quest for more privacy in Safari will go a few steps further. User and device data should only be simplified and thus passed on anonymously. 

The so-called “fingerprinting”, which works with the help of the individual data of the device used including the recognizable hardware and thus already provides a lot of information about the user, should be prevented. Fewer details about the Mac, its version, the hardware and software used (operating system, browser, etc.) should be passed on, so that certain Mac models “all look the same” on the Internet. 

Furthermore, an additional "Intelligent Tracking Protection" technology is used in the new Safari, which prevents the user from being recognized via the Like and Share buttons and comment fields. Like and share buttons on websites are already a topic at GDPR warnings. Apple is proactive here and wants to prevent the transfer of user data via these web objects in the browser.

New Mac App Store

The Mac App Store gets a complete make-over in Apple macOS 10.14 Mojave. Not only will there be a new design, but also completely new possibilities for developers to present their apps. In the future, there will also be demo videos that show the apps and games in action and thus better illustrate the benefits the user can derive from them. In addition to the "Categories" tab, there will also be the areas "Create", "Work", "Play" and "Develop" (or their counterparts in German). 

In order to further illustrate the approach to iOS apps, the Mac App Store is also being given some content that we already know from the current iOS App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch: a Discover tab to discover, Stories from developers, top charts and the like. The offer should therefore be more user-friendly and interactive. In addition, Microsoft Office 2018 and Adobe Lightroom will also be available directly from the App Store later in 365.

Background technology and information for developers

Craig Federighi concluded the remarks on Apple macOS 10.14 Mojave with information and details on background technology and possible applications for developers and users. So he went into the fact that Macs and MacBooks can draw the services from "Metal" for rendering digital content and virtual worlds from external graphics cards. The use of so-called eGPU devices shows an enormous boost in graphics performance for all devices. 

With "Create ML" there is also a Swift tool that is specially designed for machine learning. This allows smart or learning apps to be created faster and made smarter. The new core technology "Core ML 2" even ensures that the processes run 30% faster and the models could be reduced in size by up to 75%. Don't nail me down to that though; the information pertains to the conclusion of my notes that I received at WWDC Keynote made and the around 1.800 words comprise :D

Apple macOS 10.14 Mojave Summary

In Apple macOS 10.14 Mojave we will see many improvements that will benefit ordinary users, creatives and developers. The use of iOS apps on the Mac is also slowly getting started. There is also more security and privacy - if only when using the Internet with Safari. The dark mode as well as the new functions of desk, finder and quick look will certainly have a positive effect on the workflow for many. So, overall, there are many reasons to look forward to macOS Mojave. What do you think: did Apple do everything right or forgot an essential point? Feel free to leave a comment on the topic!

Johannes Domke

[On vacation] After graduating from high school, Johannes completed training as a business assistant specializing in foreign languages. But then he decided to research and write, which led to his independence. He has been working for Sir Apfelot, among others, for several years now. His articles include product introductions, news, instructions, video games, consoles and much more. He follows Apple keynotes live via stream.