

You can also look forward to features such as native encryption, faster backups, and better behavior in the case of power outages or system freezes (see “ What Apple’s Forthcoming APFS File System Means to You,” 24 June 2016). Because APFS is decades newer than the HFS+ file system that the Mac uses currently, it was designed with modern-day concerns in mind, such as how to best work with solid-state drives.ĪPFS won’t make the Finder look different, but it should provide better performance: a task like displaying the size of a folder or duplicating a large file should go far more quickly. It’s All About Speed - The new 64-bit file system, called APFS, stands for Apple File System, and it’s not just for the Mac - it’s already in iOS 10.3 and will become part of tvOS and watchOS. The upgrade will be free and run on all systems that support macOS 10.12 Sierra. Apple expects to release High Sierra to the general public this fall (expect September or October).

Apple also announced a few welcome tweaks to its core apps.Īpple developers can access the High Sierra developer preview now, and a public beta should be available later in June. They show that Apple is serious about the Mac’s future and about making necessary upgrades for Mac users in graphics-intensive creative fields like animation and virtual reality.

These changes will upgrade the Mac to a modern file system, bring a new industry standard for video compression to the Mac, and provide significantly enhanced graphics processing. Under the hood, macOS 10.13 High Sierra will usher in the new APFS file system, H.265 HEVC video, and Metal 2 graphics. The rest of us might identify with Humphrey Bogart’s character, Roy Earle, who replies, saying “Yeah, ain’t they? You know, Mac, sometimes I feel like I don’t know what it’s all about anymore.” If you’re Apple, and you’re looking for a name for your new version of macOS, which is aimed at being a refinement to the previous version, what do you do? Name it High Sierra and make stoner jokes about how it’s fully baked.įor film buffs, like our own Michael Cohen, Apple could instead have gone with a quote from the 1941 flick “High Sierra,” in which a character named Big Mac says, “Times have sure changed.” #1645: AirPlay iPhone to Mac for remote video, Siri learns to restart iPhones, Apple's Q1 2023 financials.

