A few weeks ago, I covered some of the better features that came with iOS10 for iPhone (and possibly iPad, I have no idea what my iPad is doing half the time). Now, a brand new operating system for desktop has been introduced to Mac users named macOS Sierra, and do you know what it’s alright! So, here are some of the best features of Sierra just in case you’ve been wondering what the differences are between this OS and El Capitan.

Siri For Mac

Chances are, the introduction of Siri was probably the first thing you noticed after updating your desktop to Sierra. Whilst the digital assistant has been available on every other Apple platform in existence, Macs have had to do without until now. That said, macOS Siri is going to have to deal with a lot more requests than any of it’s predecessors so some bugs are expected. If everything works as it’s supposed to though, macOS Siri should be able to do anything from checking the weather to finding files from specific dates and times. Even if it doesn’t work, it’s pretty fun to talk to your Mac like Iron Man talks to Jarvis.

Copy & Paste Continuity Between Platforms

The whole idea behind owning an array of Apple products is the continuity between hardware and software. We’ve been able to talk calls on Mac, start writing an email on one device and complete it on another and so on for a while, but now it has been refined further. Now, there is a universal clipboard for every Apple device you own, meaning you can copy and paste information on your iPad and get it on your Mac etc.

Desktop & Documents on iCloud

Instead of having to faff around moving documents to some sort of cloud service like Dropbox, only to have a somewhat clunky experience betweens Macs, Apple have just moved your desktop and documents to iCloud. That is, if you have iCloud storage. If so, you can now access everything through your iOS device, iCloud.com and even Windows when using the iCloud app.

Optimised Storage

I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for this function! Having had my MacBook Pro for six years, I am constantly getting low storage notifications, so I’m happy there’s finally a built-in, streamlined way to optimise storage without having to download an app which in turn takes up more storage.

Apple Pay on Safari

I’ve never personally utilised Apple Pay, but I know there are many people who do. Since Sierra, you can now use Apple Pay on your Mac to purchase items from sites that accept Apple Pay.

Improved Messaging

It’s not quite as impressive as iOS10 Messages, but it’s worth mentioning that Sierra Messages can now receive some of it’s weird features such as super sized emojis and text effects.

iTunes 12.5

Anyone who actually uses Apply Music will be happy to know it’s got a new design, plus you can now ask Siri to play a particular artist or song for you.

Picture-In-Picture Video

You will have to use Safari’s HTML 5 video player, but being able to pin a video to the side whilst you’re busy doing something else is always handy

Photos

I absolutely hated iPhoto, so I’ve been a fan of Photos ever since it was rolled out. Since Sierra, Photos on Mac now has facial recognition, Memories and the ability to create slideshow videos.