Apple Officially Releases macOS Sierra, Bringing Siri, Apple Pay, and More to Your Mac

At approximately 12:01 am Tuesday morning, while most of us were sound asleep, Apple officially began seeding its highly anticipated desktop operating system upgrade — macOS 10.12, also known as macOS Sierra, to the general public.

By far the most broad and sweeping desktop software update in recent years, macOS Sierra ushers in a slew of exciting new features for users of compatible iMac, MacBook, and Mac Pro computers, including the first iteration of advanced Siri integration on the desktop, Apple Pay compatibility on the web — via the revamped Safari browser, in addition to a myriad of new cross-platform continuation features, among hundreds of other system-wide enhancements.

One of the most robust new additions to the recently rechristened OS is Siri integration, which works much akin to the way she does on Apple’s iOS devices. For instance, by activating Siri on your Mac, you’ll be able to browse for files, folders, applications, and tweak settings via the Mac Finder utility; search for digital content, such as music, videos, and photos; and even make restaurant reservations via the Mac Maps app, among other things.

As far as the enhanced continuity features are pertinent, macOS Sierra boasts a plethora of cross-platform integrations, including proprietary iOS to macOS Clipboard syncing feature, a new picture-in-picture feature similar to that employed on iOS 9, deeper iCloud integration between iOS and macOS, as well as the ability to unlock your Mac using a dedicated Apple Watch utility.

macOS Sierra also boasts a myriad of the same features recently brought to the iOS 10 platform, such as iOS 10’s revamped ‘rich Messages’ experience on the desktop, improvements in Photos, Music, and much more.

macOS Sierra is a free update, downloadable from the Mac App Store, and is compatible with 2009 iMac desktops (or newer), as well as 2010 MacBooks, MacBook Airs, MacBook Pros, Mac Minis, and Mac Pros (or newer).

Have you downloaded macOS Sierra 10.12 yet? Let us know in the comments!