Following 2020’s Big Sur release, which massively overhauled the macOS interface and introduced support for M-series (Apple silicon) Macs, we have macOS 12 Monterey. Although the look and feel are quite similar to Big Sur, Monterey adds refinements, improvements, and interesting new features to books your productivity and your privacy.
As was the case for Big Sur, we’re not publishing a separate Take Control of Upgrading to Monterey book. Instead, complete upgrading instructions are included here, along with details about what to expect before, during, and after your Monterey installation.
Note: The latest version of this book now covers Monterey through version 12.5.
Among the many subjects covered in this book are:
- How to tell whether your Mac is compatible with Monterey
- Steps you should take before upgrading
- How to perform an in-place upgrade—or do a clean install and migrate your old data from a backup
- Improvements to FaceTime, such as updated audio and video options, scheduled meetings, and SharePlay
- New Messages feature, including Shared with You better handling of photos, and new Memoji options
- Changes in Safari 15—including the new interface for tabs
- How to use Universal Control to share a keyboard and pointing device among multiple Macs and iPads
- The Focus feature that takes Do Not Disturb to a new level
- Shortcuts, which has made its way from iOS/iPadOS to macOS and added new features
- What’s new in the Maps app, including more city detail, Driving mode, and better transit support
- Small but interesting changes throughout macOS, such as AirPlay to Mac, iCloud+, improved password support, and Quick Note
- Improvements to bundled apps, including Books, Finder, Mail, Notes, Photos, and more
Take Control publisher Joe Kissell has written more than 60 books about technology, including many popular Take Control books. He formerly wrote for publications such as Macworld, Wirecutter, and TidBITS. He lives in Saskatoon with his wife, his two children, and his cat.
What’s New in Version 1.2
Version 1.2 of this book covers most of the major changes in Monterey since the version 12.0.1 release:
- At some point—I’m unsure exactly when—Live Text support was extended to all Macs that can run Monterey (see “Live Text”).
- macOS 12.1 added quite a few new features:
- SharePlay (see “Share Media Experiences with SharePlay”)
- Child safety features in Messages (see “Child Safety Features”)
- A Digital Legacy feature (see “Digital Legacy”)
- Support for Hide My Email in the Mail app (see “iCloud+” and “Mail”)
- The capability to delete or rename tags in Notes and Reminders (see “Notes” and “Reminders”)
- Updated Memories features in Photos (see “Photos”)
- Minor improvements to the Stocks app (see “Stocks”)
- A Store tab in the TV app (see “TV”)
- macOS 12.3 added support for Universal Control (see “Universal Control”) but dropped Python (see “Disappearing Scripting Languages”).
- macOS 12.4 removed the “beta” designation from Universal Control and improved its compatibility (see Universal Control), and enabled you limit the number of downloaded episodes in Podcasts (see “Podcasts”).
I also corrected instructions in “Kernel Extension Blocking” that should have applied only to M-series Macs and were previously described as being needed for Intel-based Macs too.
Posted by Joe Kissell on September 4, 2021
Broadcasting once again from his temporary digs in the Black Lodge, Joe Kissell joined Chuck Joiner on MacVoices to discuss macOS 12 Monterey and his new book Take Control of Monterey.
In part one, Joe talks about Monterey generally and discusses features such as SharePlay that aren’t quite ready yet.
In part two, Joe covers changes to Monterey apps such as Safari and Apple Mail, and the new macOS Shortcuts app.
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