The next version of Apple’s operating system for the Mac is called. While the OS is mostly about software refinements, it also lays the foundation for future innovations in the worlds of VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality). You can learn more by taking a look at our favorite High Sierra features listed below. That’s followed by an FAQ, where you can get details on High Sierra’s release date, system requirements, installation instructions, and more. MacOS High Sierra: The Macworld review Here's our. High Sierra is mostly an under-the-hood upgrade that sets the Mac up for the future. There are cool features in Photos and Notes, and Safari 11 has controls for autoplay videos.

Read our review to learn more. A new file system Ever since System 8, the Mac has used the HFS+ file system to keep our documents and directories running smoothly, but at last year’s WWDC, a new (APFS) was announced. It made it into iOS with the, and with High Sierra it’s also coming to the Mac. But where the changes to iOS are largely behind the scenes, you’ll really get it see it in action in the new macOS. One of the main tenets of High Sierra, APFS will be new the new default file system, bringing an advanced 64-bit architecture and a responsive design to cut down on the time it takes to do common tasks.

Apple VP Craig Federighi quickly demoed how fast files are copied, and it should save quite a bit of time, even on older Macs. APFS also brings some heavy-duty security, including built‑in encryption, crash‑safe protections, and simplified data backup on the go.

Best Video Software for the Mac How To Run MacOS High Sierra or Another OS on Your Mac Best Graphic Design Software the Mac Stay Safe with Best Free Password Managers for. Mac; Odin Application.

APFS works with SSDs, and when you, the SSD will automatically be converted from HFS+ to APFS. APFS does not work with Fusion Drives and hard drives, so those storage devices will continue to use HFS+.

A recent states that some games have problems running on APFS. Unity recommends that developers working on games based on the Unity Engine (such as Cities: Skylines) should not upgrade to High Sierra or upgrade to Unity 5.5. AppleInsider also states that other games that have problems since the APFS upgrade include Civilization V, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Half-Life 2, and Team Fortress 2. Better Photos Photos is rapidly becoming one of the most used apps on our Macs, and in High Sierra it looks we’ll be spending even more time with it. A slew of new features await us in the new OS, including better organization, looped Live Photos, and new Memories categories. It’ll also be easier to identify who’s in your photos with more accurate People identification and cross-device syncing for albums. The new Photos app in High Sierra features new pro-level editing tools.

But the coolest feature may be a set of new built-in editing tools. Photos already lets us make some awesome adjustments to our snapshots, but High Sierra seriously ups the game with powerful pro-level tools—like a curves palette for fine-tuning color and contrast, a selective color dropper to home in a specific hue, and new filters that will make your photos fit for an art gallery.

And for all your gallery- and album-worthy photos, Apple has now partnered with third-party apps to give you more publishing and printing options. Speedier, smarter Safari Apple’s browser always gets a tune-up whenever a new version of macOS comes out, but this time around Federighi says the improvements coming in High Sierra actually make it the world’s fastest desktop browser. It features 80 percent faster JavaScript performance when compared to Chrome, which should help us surf way quicker. But we’re more interested in two new features that address what it’s like to use the Internet in 2017. The first will eliminate one of the more annoying features of the modern web: autoplay videos. Where Safari in Sierra tells you which tab is playing audio, in High Sierra, it will shut the video down before it can start. Autoplay blocking will detect which sites are delivering unwanted videos, and then press the pause button for you.