Written by
Amanda Wong
Apple released its new macOS 14 namely Sonoma as the successor of macOS Ventura on the 2023 June WWDC. It delivers dozens of nifty features that enhance all aspects of the experience for Mac users. Some people may have installed macOS Sonoma Beta on Mac, and the official release of macOS 14 will be on September, 26.
However, with every new macOS version, Apple phases out the support for some old Mac models. macOS Sonoma is not compatible with all Mac models. And some macOS Sonoma features are not available on Intel-based Macs. Though some could contend that this is an instance of deliberate obsolescence, the truth is that it couldn't be more straightforward. Most probably, performance factors are involved.
Some of the newest operating system features are incompatible with older processors(Intel chips). They may lack essential components, such as Apple's Neural Engine, which is a component of their system on a chip that conducts machine learning operations, or they may be too slow to operate some functionalities.
Some of the new macOS Sonoma features require a Mac with an Apple Silicon chip and it is likely that Intel Macs will not receive many additional features in the future. None of these stand out, but Apple does promote some of them because they are a little flashy.
Now, let's see these macOS Sonoma features unavailable on Intel Macs:
1. Presenter Overlay
With this function, you can do presentations while using a video call to share your screen. Your face is highlighted by the overlay, and a second layer frames your screen next to you. Even when presenting, you are free to roam around.
2. High-performance screen sharing
macOS Sonoma introduces a high-performance mode in screen sharing, it uses the advanced media engine in Apple silicon to enable highly responsive remote access over high-bandwidth connections. You can quickly access the Mac remotely if you are using a M1/M2 Mac.
3. Siri without the "Hey"
Instead of saying two words "Hey, Siri, "you can invoke this digital assistant with only one word "Siri" on Apple Silicon Macs running macOS Sonoma. However, this feature is not only exclusive to Apple Silicon Mac, but it is also limited to certain countries. Apple says, “Available in English (Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, U.S.) on Mac computers with Apple silicon.”
4. Game Mode
Game Mode is designed to optimize the gaming experience on Apple Silicon Macs. When the Game Mode is on, the system gives priority for the game to use as much CPU and GPU as possible. In this way, it delivers a constant and fluid frame rate, reduces audio latency, and doubles Bluetooth sample rates.
5. Pair Made-for-iPhone hearing devices directly with Mac
Hearing aids designed for iPhone will be able to pair with a Mac directly, making it simpler to use them for audio and video calls on the Mac. All Macs using Apple silicon do not, however, support this feature. It is compatible with the MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021), MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021), Mac Studio (2022 and later), as well as Macs with the M2 chip.
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