
So now I don’t have a persistent WiFi symbol in my menu bar, but it’s quickly available under the Control Center. Like on the iPhone, Control Center offers one-click access to WiFi, Bluetooth, AirDrop, Do Not Disturb and multiple other controls.įor example, I’m at home pretty much constantly now, so I don’t change my WiFi settings… ever. That’s still the case, but there’s a way to make the menu bar a lot less cluttered while still having quick access to loads of settings. For years, the Mac menu bar has hosted a variety of system controls like battery, bluetooth and WiFi as well as plenty of third-party utilities. Instead, they’re core changes to the UI: say hello to the new Control Center and Notification Center. While a bunch of Apple’s default apps, including Messages and Maps, have gotten significant updates, two of the most useful changes aren’t specific to any one app. But fear not - just about everything is still where you’d expect it to be. Apple has also updated the macOS system sounds, so things don’t just look different, they sound different too. A bright desktop background, translucent menu bar, uniform icons in the Dock, rounded window edges and revamped toolbar buttons all immediately make Big Sur stand out.

I dug into Apple’s Big Sur redesign extensively earlier this summer, but suffice it to say that there are a number of elements subtle and significant that make the OS feel different than its predecessors.
MACOS BIG SUR REVIEWS HOW TO
Apple has all the details on how to install and what Mac models are supported here, but basically any Mac released in the last five years will work. After downloading, it took around 45 minutes to install Big Sur. If you’re on an older system, you’ll find it in the Mac App Store. While the macOS and iOS get closer than ever in terms of design, Big Sur still feels unmistakably like a Mac - just with a fresh coat of paint.Īs usual, upgrading to Big Sur is a pretty simple process - if you’re running macOS Mojave or Catalina, you can install Big Sur through the System Preferences app. As with most recent macOS releases, Big Sur tweaks some things for the better without fundamentally changing how the system works.
MACOS BIG SUR REVIEWS SOFTWARE
If you’re used to how your Mac works and are concerned that the new software will be too much of a change, fear not. I’ve been using Big Sur daily since the public beta was released this summer, and I’ve had the final version for a few weeks. Add it all up, and Big Sur feels like one of the more significant macOS updates in years. It’s not just visual, though Big Sur also features major updates to key UI elements like notifications and control center as well as changes to core apps like Messages and Safari.

That’s a little bit of a stretch, as 2014’s macOS Yosemite brought major design influences from iOS to the Mac, but Big Sur’s changes are nonetheless dramatic and significant.

MACOS BIG SUR REVIEWS MAC OS X
Big Sur is different from Apple’s usual annual macOS upgrades: the company calls it the “biggest design update” since Mac OS X arrived way back in 2001.
