Apple releases macOS Big Sur for Mac users

Big Sur brings the biggest update to Safari since its original launch in 2003, making it even faster while maintaining industry-leading battery life. It features a customizable start page for a more personalized browsing experience and when hovering over tabs more tabs onscreen, and page previews will appear. Apple says Safari's JavaScript engine helps it outperform other browsers on Mac and PC, and loads frequently visited sites an average of 50 percent faster than Chrome.

Apple has rolled out macOS Big Sur, the latest version of macOS, for Mac users as a free software update. The latest update brings a fresh, new design and enhancements to key apps including Safari, Messages and Maps along with new privacy features.

The new design makes navigation easier and gives more control to users. Buttons and controls appear when needed and recede when they are not, thereby bringing the most relevant content to the forefront. The new Control Center provides quick access to controls for Do Not Disturb, displays, keyboard brightness, and more options, right from the menu bar. The updated Notification Center now includes interactive notifications and redesigned widgets, offering offer users relevant information at a glance.

Big Sur brings the biggest update to Safari since its original launch in 2003, making it even faster while maintaining industry-leading battery life. It features a customizable start page for a more personalized browsing experience and when hovering over tabs more tabs onscreen, and page previews will appear. Apple says Safari's JavaScript engine helps it outperform other browsers on Mac and PC, and loads frequently visited sites an average of 50 percent faster than Chrome.

Messages on the Mac will now allow users to pin conversations to the top of their Messages list so that they can easily stay in touch with family, friends, and colleagues. Users can create and customize Memoji on the Mac, and share Memoji stickers that match their mood or personality and with a new photo picker, users can easily share images, GIFs, and videos.

Redesigned maps bring exciting new features like custom guides to help users discover and learn about destinations, Look Around that provides an immersive 360-degree view of a destination. And for the first time, cycling and electric vehicle trips can be routed on a Mac and sent directly to the iPhone.

Image Credit: Apple

On the privacy front, Big Sur brings new levels of transparency and gives users more control over their data. Later this year, the Mac App Store will add a new section on each product page showing a developer-reported summary of the privacy practices of an app.

Big Sur introduces Rosetta 2 technology that enables existing Intel apps not yet upgraded to Universal to run seamlessly on Macs with the M1 chip. Apple claims developers will see some of their most graphically demanding apps perform even better under Rosetta 2 than they did running natively on previous Macs with integrated graphics.

Big Sur has been engineered to take full advantage of the M1 chip that powers the new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 13 and MacBook Mini.