widget get a load of this? — macOS 14 Sonoma: The Ars Technica review If at first you don’t create usable desktop widgets, try, try again.

Andrew Cunningham – Sep 26, 2023 5:08 pm UTC Enlarge reader comments 105 with

I was preparing to write an intro calling macOS Sonomaversion 14.0 of Apple’s desktop operating system, for those of you who can’t keep the ever-lengthening list of California codenames straighta “low-key” or “small” release. Because it definitely feels that way, and it’s tempting to think that Apple is taking it easy on new features for older OSes because it’s devoting so much internal time to VisionOS and the Vision Pro. Further ReadingmacOS 13 Ventura: The Ars Technica review

But looking back, I’ve said something along those lines for each of the last few macOS releases (and several others before that). Honestly, these days, what macOS update hasn’t been “low-key”? Every one since Big Sur (11.0) overhauled the UI and added Apple Silicon support has been content to add a few pieces on top of the foundation, fiddle a bit with under-the-hood enhancements and new security measures, maintain feature parity with iOS for the built-in apps, and call it a day. That’s what Sonoma does, too.

So macOS Sonoma is a perfectly typical macOS release, a sort of “Ventura-plus” that probably has one or two additions that any given person will find useful but which otherwise just keeps your Mac secure and avoids weird iCloud compatibility problems with whatever software is running on your phone. You probably don’t need to run out and install it, but there’s no real reason to avoid it if you’re not aware of some specific bug or compatibility problem that affects the software you use. It’s business as usual for Mac owners. Let’s dive in. Table of Contents System requirements and compatibility Other system requirements, or “the Apple Silicon-only club” “Coming later this year” What should I do with my unsupported Mac? Branding and installation Free space: Not quite 2GB larger than Ventura Widgets: This year’s headliner New-to-Sonoma widgets How iPhone widgets work, and what they can and can’t do Setting up widgets I didn’t need these, but I don’t mind having them A new lock screen and other elementary stuff System Settings revisions Fancy new screen savers macOS uses purgeable storage to “prevent” screen savers from eating up disk space Can you roll your own? Apps: Safari 17 Web apps From Tab Groups to Profiles Private Browsing gets private-er JPEG XL and HEIC image support Miscellany Safari 17 on Ventura and Monterey Other apps Messages Photos Notes Reminders Mail Weather Home FaceTime and video effects Presenter Overlay and window sharing High-performance screen sharing Dynamic disappointments Other Screen Sharing things Gaming features: Game Mode Game Porting Toolkit Security: Password management More data access restrictions USB device access settings Accessibility: Personal Voice and Live Speech Grab bag Less-annoying autocorrect and other typing things Caps lock indicator More backdrop options for system account icons Easier DFU mode restores for soft-bricked Macs Pronouns in the Contacts app Faster video encoding for M1 Ultra and M2 Ultra? Why can’t I set multiple timers? Freeform share widget Pausing GIFs No more legacy Mail plug-ins Conclusions: Business as usual The good The bad The ugly Page: 1 2 3 4 5 … 20 21 Next → reader comments 105 with Andrew Cunningham Andrew is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica, with a focus on consumer tech including computer hardware and in-depth reviews of operating systems like Windows and macOS. Andrew lives in Philadelphia and co-hosts a weekly book podcast called Overdue. Advertisement Promoted Comments cwolf Regarding the screen-saver space-on-disk behavior…

MacOS has had the concept of purgeable files for a while. Files that are designated as purgeable are removed as needed when disk space gets low or some other application needs the space. These files are reported as part of the "Available" space in Finder, Disk Utility will show you Used, Free and Available with a breakdown of how much of the Available space is actually purgeable.

Edited – here’s a link to a somewhat better discussion:
Where does macOS get its volume free space figures from? After studying thousand of log entries in less than 2 seconds, this is how macOS updates its values for purgeable and available space. But who uses them? eclecticlight.co September 26, 2023 at 7:01 pm Tim Buchheim If you try to place a second widget close to that first one, you’ll notice that snap-to-grid outlines appear all around itagain, to prevent overlap but also to keep things from looking too messy.
If you hold down the Command (?) key while moving a widget it will give you somewhat more freedom. (It still snaps into place when you get within a few pixels of another widget, but it greatly reduces the range where snapping kicks in.) September 27, 2023 at 1:10 am Channel Ars Technica ← Previous story Next story → Related Stories Today on Ars