But for now, these are the five most important things I noticed while using Big Sur. Once the OS arrives in its final form, we’ll take another look. This isn’t a comprehensive review, but rather a rundown of the things that stood out to me as the most important right. While it’s not final software, there’s enough here for us to understand where Apple is taking the Mac over the next year. That all sounded great when Apple announced it, and I’m a sucker for a meaty software update, so I’ve been testing the public beta of macOS Big Sur for about two weeks now. Some of the most important built-in Mac apps like Messages and Safari are getting major upgrades, while new UI elements like Control Center and a revamped notifications area promise to make some common tasks more efficient. But the update isn’t just about aesthetics.
The OS ushers in a new design language, which Apple’s SVP of software Craig Federighi described at the time as “the biggest change since the introduction of MacOS X,” way back in 2001. Apple first introduced macOS Big Sur back in June, lauding it with all the usual flowery language.
