MacOS Monterey proves you can make big changes with baby steps

3 years ago 272

Jack Wallen shares wherefore the macOS Monterey upgrade is simply a tiny measurement guardant for creators, yet offers a large interaction connected creativity and workflow.

For me, macOS serves 2 precise circumstantial purposes: Book penning and video editing. Granted, wrong those 2 categories, there's overmuch to beryllium done (which includes email and rather a spot of probe via a web browser.) And up until the latest macOS upgrade, I person a beauteous circumstantial workflow.

SEE: Feature comparison: Time tracking bundle and systems (TechRepublic Premium)

That each changed past week erstwhile some my MacBook Pro and iMac received the Monterey upgrade. Some of the tweaks to my workflow were rather subtle, portion others were subtraction by summation (more connected that successful a bit). But all-in-all, the latest from Apple proves you tin marque large changes with babe steps.

This won't beryllium a emblematic review. I'm not going to database retired each the caller features and however Apple either succeeded oregon failed with each. When you archetypal commencement your caller Monterey-powered MacBook oregon iMac, you'll beryllium greeted with a invited instrumentality that'll explicate everything to you.

What I privation to bash is amusement you wherefore this upgrade was peculiar for idiosyncratic who uses Apple hardware part-time (but that part-time enactment is perfectly crucial).

The large happening for me, and I marque perfectly nary bones astir this, is I request to beryllium capable to enactment with a ridiculously precocious level of efficiency. Part of that is due to the fact that I'm truthful busy. I nutrient astir 30 pieces of contented a week (between articles and videos), connected apical of penning novels. I've spent a agelong clip honing a workflow that makes it imaginable to bash truthful without ripping my hairsbreadth out. The bulk of that workflow is spent successful Linux, which allows maine to crook and twist the OS and apps to perfectly acceptable my needs. Other operating systems don't connection specified flexibility, truthful erstwhile a institution releases an upgrade that does marque it imaginable for maine to marque the level enactment with maine (instead of against me), it's special.

MacOS Montererey has done conscionable that.

But it's besides due to the fact that my encephalon tends to enactment faster than my fingers. Because of that, I request tools that are close astatine my fingertips. In that 2nd it takes maine to deliberation astir which instrumentality to usage (or wherever to find the tool), I mightiness person mislaid the thread of thought. In my world, that could mean the quality betwixt enactment flowing similar a stream oregon a trickle from a faucet.

My favourite additions

So, what precisely did Monterey alteration to assistance with my idiosyncratic workflow? Two caller additions person made it imaginable for maine to truly get productive with macOS: Shortcuts and Tabgroups. I'm going to code some of these successful abstracted how-tos, truthful I won't spell into excessively overmuch item here. However, here's the gist:

Shortcuts allows you to make shortcuts for elemental oregon analyzable actions that tin beryllium activated with either a keyboard shortcut oregon from a top-bar drop-down.
Tabgroups is much similar what Opera did with Workspaces, truthful it's a tiny summation that has a monolithic interaction connected however overmuch much organized your Safari tabs tin be.

There are different tiny additions that marque Monterey a beast for productivity. Features similar Quicknotes (hover your cursor astatine the bottommost near of your show to adhd a speedy introduction successful the Notes app). Another bully interaction is allowing users to specify a Do Not Disturb period, a diagnostic which is called Focus successful the Notifications sidebar.

SEE: Feature comparison: Time tracking bundle and systems (TechRepublic Premium)

Of course, you'll find different improvements successful the migration from BigSur to Monterey, but the biggest betterment is however each of it comes unneurotic to marque everything truthful seamless and efficient. And if I had to springiness a one-word reappraisal of Monterey, it would beryllium Efficient due to the fact that with this caller merchandise my fingers tin support up with my caput and my travel doesn't get bogged down with the process. To immoderate creator (regardless of the medium), that's the nirvana of productivity. You privation to hitch distant each of the distractions, beryllium they interruptions from notifications, hiccups successful the workflow oregon inefficiencies successful design. Monterey has done conscionable that by taking the smallest babe steps guardant ... each the portion making the astir retired of the momentum it ekes retired of the improvements.

Every operating strategy improvement squad would bash good to wage attraction to what Monterey has brought to the table. Apple has proved you don't person to marque monumental changes to adhd monumental improvements.

Apple Silicon vs. Intel

One happening I volition notation is that I'm utilizing Monterey connected some Apple Silicon (MacBook Pro) and Intel (iMac) hardware. My iMac runs an Intel 3.8GHz 8-Core i7 with 32GB of RAM, and the MacBook sports the M1 spot with 16GB of RAM. Apple worked immoderate superior magic due to the fact that Monterey works astir identically connected some machines. Even with the MacBook having fractional the magnitude of RAM, it performs arsenic good arsenic the iMac.

SEE: The iPhone, iPad and Mac users usher to Microsoft 365 (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

The 1 quality I person noticed is that (for immoderate reason) the Quick Notes diagnostic doesn't enactment connected the M1 MacBook but does connected the Intel iMac. There are different shiny caller objects successful Monterey recovered successful apps and functionality that I simply don't usage (like Facetime—sorry, I'm an Android guy). However, with Monterey, users tin invitation non-Apple users to articulation Facetime utilizing the latest versions of either Chrome oregon Edge. The caveat is that either browser indispensable beryllium moving connected Windows oregon Android devices (so, inactive nary emotion for Linux).

Creators rejoice

MacOS has ever been a precise creator-centric platform. It doesn't substance if you make books, videos, music, applications, spreadsheets oregon website content, Monterey goes a agelong mode to simplify your workflow (without forcing large changes connected you). In the end, this caller iteration of macOS is each astir simplicity and efficiency, with a dash of elegance mixed in.

Subscribe to TechRepublic's How To Make Tech Work connected YouTube for each the latest tech proposal for concern pros from Jack Wallen.