14 DAY TRIAL // Apple today released the final build of the highly anticipated macOS High Sierra 10.13 operating system for Macs, a major release that adds support for new technologies, updates numerous of the pre-installed apps, and introduces new features.
Dubbed High Sierra, macOS 10.13 comes with support for the latest Metal 2 graphics API, which boost the performance of your graphics card, support for Core ML to allow for easy integration of machine learning models into apps, virtual reality support, as well as the ability to access services or apps directly from the Photos app thanks to the implementation of Photos Project Extensions.
"macOS High Sierra gives developers and content creators the ability to create stunning video and 3D content using the whole new level of interactivity that VR provides," said Apple. "With the power to harness External Graphics and the HTC Vive VR headset, content creators can use apps such as Final Cut Pro X, SteamVR, Epic Unreal 4 Editor, and Unity Editor to create immersive 360° video and advanced 3D content."
Swift 4 support, Xcode 9 IDE, WebKit enhancements, external GPU support
Among other features introduced by the macOS High Sierra 10.13 update, we can mention support for external GPUs, which might come in handy if you develop and test demanding graphical apps like VR content creation, WebKit enhancements to allow web developers to create richer web experiences for Safari, and support for the latest Swift 4 programming language and Xcode 9 IDE, bringing stability and efficiency to your code.
macOS High Sierra 10.13 also brings a new file system, Apple File System (APFS), which promises to make your SSD drive more secure and responsive under high workloads, as well as support for the next-generation High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standards-based video compression technology, which offer up to 40% better compression than the H.264 codec.
macOS High Sierra 10.13 is available worldwide on supported Macs and can be installed via Mac App Store on all Macs introduced in mid 2010 or later, as well as MacBook and iMac computers introduced in late 2009. To update, simply open the Mac App Store, go to the Updates tab, check for the new version and install it. Your Mac will be rebooted automatically a couple of times during the update process.
