MacOS Mojave release date confirmed for September

Evan Gower June 4, 2018

Apple the unveiled macOS Mojave update at WWDC 2018, and its release date was finally confirmed at Apple’s autumn event.

MacOS Mojave release date confirmed for September

Set to release on 24 September as a free update, macOS Mojave comes with a wide array of new features for Mac users to delve into, including a brand-new dark mode.

Tim Cook‘s company also unveiled the brand new operating system alongside the iOS 12, the iPhone Xs and the iPhone XR.

We’ve collated you everything you need to know about the brand new macOS from Apple. From a Dark Mode to new security and privacy measures, we’ve outlined what’s new in Mojave and when you can get it.

macOS Mojave release date

The developer preview of macOS Mojave is available to Apple Developer Program members now, with a public beta made initially available in June 2018 at beta.apple.com. Several iterations of the beta version of macOS Mojave have since been released; the latest was the macOS Mojave beta eight (for developers) and seven (for the public), which were rolled out in late August.

Tonight, at Apple’s fanfare-worthy “Gather round” event, we’re hoping to see Mojave make its full debut, along with a roster of several state-of-the-art Apple products and services.

When the macOS Mojave release date does finally come around, you’ll get it as a free software update for all Macs launched from mid-2012 onwards, plus 2010 and 2012 Mac Pro models with recommended Metal-capable graphics cards.

What’s new in macOS Mojave?

Back in June, WWDC 2018 gave us some long-awaited insight into what to expect from Apple’s new macOS. Dark Mode was the first new tool shown onstage by Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering. It’s essentially a desktop redesign with a darker colour scheme, transforming the dock and taskbar into a shady grey. It’s not the most revolutionary of features, but it’ll be a welcome addition for late-night computing. Easy on the eye, literally.

mojave_dark_mode

The desktop App Store is getting a substantial redesign, bringing it closer in line with the iOS app store. Aside from new categories of featured apps and games, the shopfront will be getting Microsoft’s Office 365 and Adobe’s Lightroom CC. Mojave also comes with a new way to declutter files by using ‘stacks’, which are essentially automatic groupings of files types, as well as items with specific dates and other tags.

While a full-on iOS and MacOS merger was definitively shut down (Federighi: “Are you merging iOS and MacOS? No.”), Mojave will be getting a number of iOS apps – starting with Apple’s own News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home. New developer frameworks for Mac Apps in late 2019 will broaden this to make it easier for third-party devs to bring apps to both iOS and Mac.

Among the most intriguing updates in Mojave is the inclusion of additional privacy and security measures in Safari, where Intelligent Tracking Prevention will help to block social media “Like” or “Share” buttons and comment widgets from tracking users without permission. The example on-stage was from a Facebook comment thread, as if you didn’t know exactly what company Apple is taking aim at. New data protections in Safari mean apps will need to get user permission before using the Mac camera and microphone.

There were a handful of other tweaks and useful updates, from closer continuity between iPhone cameras and Mac editing software to better doc markup tools.

Another key update would be the much-discussed one to FaceTime, which would see calls of up to 32 simultaneous participants made possible. That being said, this FaceTime feature was removed from the macOS Mojave beta seven edition of the software, so we’re hoping it makes a reappearance when the real thing emerges.