Apple has made a number of significant updates in its latest desktop operating system, including the ability to use your iPhone as a super-powered webcam on your Mac.

macOS Ventura is the official title of the upcoming operating system, in keeping with the Californian place name theme. Below are the major updates to the OS, which sees the humble desktop merge closer to the way in which other Apple devices are used.

STAGE MANAGER

Stage Manager automatically organises open apps and windows much like an old school website, with the menu down the left-hand side enabling the user to quickly switch between tasks, while the current window is displayed prominently in the centre of the screen.

Users can also group windows together when working on specific tasks or projects that require different apps.

CONTINUITY CAMERA

Continuity Camera is Apple’s savvy way to ensure users stay within their walled garden, by giving Mac users the ability to use their iPhone as a webcam. The Mac will automatically recognise and use the camera on iPhone when it is nearby, without waking or selecting it, and the two can connect wirelessly.

The main benefit of this is, aside from the improved camera quality, the ability to use Centre Stage, Portrait mode and the new Studio Light “an effect that beautifully illuminates a user’s face while dimming the background”, and Desk View which uses the Ultra Wide camera on the iPhone.

You can also transfer FaceTime calls on one device, say an iPad or an iPhone and move across to your Mac, or vice versa.

SHARED SAFARI

Safari has even been refresh, with Tab Groups allowing multiple people to share bookmarks, see what tabs others are looking at live, and start Messages conversations and FaceTime calls within the Safari browser window.

Mail has also updated its functionality, with better search results “including recent emails, contacts, documents, photos and more”, automatic suggestions to follow up on emails, the ability to edit or undo a recently sent message, or recover deleted messages.

Spotlight is also updated, to provide a more consistent experience across Apple devices, with a Quick Look for quickly previewing files, searching images across photo library, the cloud, and the net in one search.

PASSKEYS

Safari browsing now has passkeys: unique digital keys that stay on the device and are never stored on a web server, plus Touch ID or Face ID for biometric verification, and iCloud Keychain to sync across Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple TV with end-to-end encryption.

With iCloud Shared Photo Library, users can share a separate photo library among up to six family members, so everyone can enjoy all of their family photos.

HEAVY METAL

Apple’s M1 and M2 silicon is given a boost to, with Metal 3, the latest version of the software that powers the gaming experience across Apple platforms, featuring MetalFX Upscaling, which “enables developers to quickly render complex scenes by using less compute-intensive frames, and then apply resolution scaling and temporal anti-aliasing.

“The result is accelerated performance that provides gamers with a more responsive feel and graphics that look stunning.”

The developer beta of macOS Ventura is available to Apple Developer Program members today, with a public beta will be available next month.

macOS Ventura will then be available later this year as a free software update.