Apple is hard at work in perfecting its next software update for its Mac devices. While there is still no word on when MacBook and iMac users can expect macOS Sierra 10.12.4 to arrive, there’s plenty of information about what kind of features and changes this update will bring with it. Apple is currently on its third pre-release version, and it just seeded this to developers who are part of the Apple Developer Program. Public beta testers, on the other hand, will likely get their hands on the third beta either this Tuesday or this Wednesday.
Ever since the first macOS Sierra 10.12.4 beta arrived, tidbits of what’s to come to Mac devices have already been uncovered. The star of the next software update is said to be the Night Shift mode, which basically adjusts the display of a Mac device after sunset. Apple is introducing this feature because it has learned of studies claiming the bright-blue light of displays affects the circadian rhythm and causes people to experience difficulty in falling asleep. Night Shift is designed to work only at nighttime, so users can expect their devices to return to regular settings the following day.
Aside from Night Shift, other changes outed by the first beta include: dictation support for Shanghainese, updated PDFKit APIs for PDFs in apps and the addition of the Indian Premier League and International Cricket Council to Siri’s supported sports governing bodies. The latter simply means Mac users can from now on ask Siri for a rundown on cricket scores and details regarding the schedules and player rosters, as reported by 9To5Mac.
When the second beta version of macOS Sierra 10.12.4 was released, it brought with it a couple of changes as well. First is how iCloud Analytics became an opt-in step at setup. The other one pertains to how the Volume slider already shows volume levels. Another feature that the second pre-release version outed was the Touch Bar support for the Mac App Store. This is expected to make it easier for owners of MacBook Pro with Touch Bar to navigate the App Store.
According to MacRumors, developers who want to download and install the new beta software may do so in two ways. First, they can directly download macOS Sierra 10.12.4 beta 3 from the Apple Developer Center. The second option is to access the software update mechanism found in the Mac App Store. The latter is only available to developers who have already installed the previous beta version on their device.
More details about macOS Sierra 10.12.4 beta 3 will be provided here once they are available.
Apple is rolling out a new beta version of the upcoming macOS Sierra 10.12.4 update. Photo: YouTube/MacRumors
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