MacOS Sierra explained

macOS Sierra
Screenshot Size:340px
Version Of:macOS
Developer:Apple Inc.
Source Model:Closed, with open source components
Latest Release Version:10.12.6 (16G2136)[1]
Update Model:Mac App Store
Supported Platforms:x86-64
Kernel Type:Hybrid (XNU)
License:APSL and Apple EULA
Preceded By:OS X El Capitan
Succeeded By:macOS High Sierra
Tagline:What can your Mac do now? Just ask.
Support Status:Obsolete, unsupported as of September 2019. iTunes is no longer being updated, but is able to download driver updates to sync to newer devices.[2] Drops support for Macs released from mid 2007 to mid 2009.

macOS Sierra (version 10.12)[3] is the thirteenth major release of macOS (formerly known as and), Apple Inc.'s desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers. The name "macOS" stems from the intention to unify the operating system's name with that of iOS, watchOS and tvOS. Sierra is named after the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California and Nevada. Specifically, Mount Whitney is the location for macOS Sierra's default wallpaper.[4] Its major new features concern Continuity, iCloud, and windowing, as well as support for Apple Pay and Siri.

The first beta of macOS Sierra was released to developers shortly following the 2016 WWDC keynote on June 13, 2016. The first public-beta release followed on July 7, 2016. It was released to end users on September 20, 2016, as a free upgrade through the Mac App Store[5] and it was succeeded by macOS High Sierra on September 25, 2017.

System requirements

macOS Sierra requires at least 2 GB of RAM and 8 GB of storage space and is designed to run on the following products:[6]

Sierra dropped support for various Macs released from mid 2007 to mid 2009, the first version of macOS since OS X Mountain Lion, released in 2012, to do so.[7] Support for Xserve was also dropped in Sierra.

Workarounds for unsupported systems

Developers have created workarounds to install macOS Sierra on some Mac computers that are no longer officially supported as long as they are packed with a CPU that supports SSE4.1.[8] This requires using a patch to modify the install image.[9]

Changes

Default wallpaper

The default desktop picture is an image of Lone Pine Peak.

System features

Siri

The user can access the Siri intelligent assistant via the Dock, the menu bar or a keyboard shortcut and results are shown in a window in the upper-right corner.[10] Siri can send messages, search the web, find files and adjust settings. Results can be dropped into other applications or pinned to Notification Center.[10] For instance, pictures from search results can be dragged into a document.

iCloud Drive and Optimized Storage

iCloud Drive can upload the user's documents and desktop directories and sync them to other devices. The System Information application has a new section that gives the user detailed information about space usage per application or file and provides tools and suggestions for freeing up space. For instance, the user can let the system upload old files to iCloud Drive and remove their local copies, keeping them available on-demand in Finder. It can also remove old files from trash automatically. iTunes can delete watched, purchased films and TV programs from its library.[11] [12]

Auto Unlock and Universal Clipboard

Building upon Continuity, an "umbrella term [for] features that facilitate the communication between [Apple devices]" using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, Sierra adds two features.[11] With Auto Unlock, the user can unlock their user account by holding a paired Apple Watch close to the device. Time of flight is used to prevent relay attacks. Auto Unlock requires a Mac that was introduced in 2013 or later. With Universal Clipboard, the user can share the clipboard for cut, copy and paste between macOS Sierra and iOS 10 devices, including text and rich content, such as pictures or videos.

Tabs and Picture-in-Picture

Applications that support multiple windows can support multiple tabs within a single window, allowing the user to keep windows organized similarly to Safari.[13] With Picture-in-Picture, videos can be played in a window that follows the user across the system.[14]

Apple File System

Apple released a preview of a new file system in Sierra, called Apple File System (APFS), to overcome the limitations of HFS Plus. APFS is intended for solid-state drives and flash memory and adopts several features found in modern file systems, such as snapshots and cloning, as well as native support for features that Apple already provides in HFS Plus through supplementary software, such as file-system encryption and TRIM support. The file system was released in macOS High Sierra.[15]

Night Shift

See also: Night Shift (software).

Night Shift is new in macOS 10.12.4, with the same functionality as its iOS counterpart. Night Shift reduces blue light at night to aid sleep. This can be scheduled in the System Preferences app (in the Displays menu) and can be toggled on or off in the Notification Center or using Siri.[16]

Since this feature relies on the Metal framework, Night Shift is not available on all systems that support macOS Sierra.[17]

Application features

Photos

Apple says it has improved the face recognition of the Photos application, adding object and scene recognition. It groups similar pictures together using faces, locations and object recognition to create "memories". Memories contain picture slideshows with transitions and music selected by the algorithm, which can be modified to the user's liking. The "People" album organizes photos by the people in them, and Places shows all photos on a world map.

Safari and Apple Pay

Safari provides an "extension point" which enables developers to bundle Safari extensions within their Cocoa applications and communicate with them directly from the applications.[18] Safari conceals the presence of installed "legacy" plug-ins, such as Adobe Flash Player, Java applets, Microsoft Silverlight, and QuickTime – from websites and requires the user to enable a specific plug-in on a per-use or per-website basis.[11]

Apple Pay allows vendors to embed an Apple Pay button on their websites. In Safari, users can click the Apple Pay button to check out, then complete a purchase using an iPhone or Apple Watch. Apple Pay requires a Mac that supports Continuity (2012 or later models) and either an iPhone 6 or later with iOS 10, or an Apple Watch with watchOS 3.

Messages

The Messages app adds aesthetic effects to messages, such as three times bigger emojis and click back with hearts or thumbs-up on a message bubble.[19] The ability to play YouTube videos and preview links in a conversation was introduced.[20] Users can view interactive content added to iMessage in iOS 10. The app also allows you to turn on or off read receipts on a conversation by conversation basis.[21] [22]

iTunes

Apple Music within iTunes has been redesigned, making it simpler to find favorite songs and discover new ones. A new "For You" tab has been added, which suggests new music the user might like (similar to the existing Genius). A refined MiniPlayer with the ability to view lyrics while listening has also been introduced.

Notes

The Notes app allows the user to share and collaborate on notes. This is done by clicking on a share button at the top of the window.

Other changes

Security improvements

Gatekeeper

macOS Sierra slightly changes the Gatekeeper user interface and adds two new mechanisms. A new default in System Preferences hides the "Anywhere" option which allows the user to disable the mechanism and execute programs from any source without needing to approve each new one individually.

The first new mechanism allows developers to code-sign disk images that can be verified as a unit by the system. This allows developers to guarantee the integrity of external files that are distributed alongside the application bundle on the same disk image. An attacker could infect these external files with malicious code and with them exploit a vulnerability in the application, without having to break the signature of the application bundle itself. By signing the disk image, the developer can prevent tampering and force an attacker to repackage the files onto a new disk image, requiring a valid developer certificate to pass Gatekeeper without a warning.[24]

The second new mechanism is "path randomization", which executes application bundles from a random, hidden path and prevents them from accessing external files relative to their location. To avoid this, the developer has to distribute the application bundle and its external files on a signed disk image or in a signed installer package. The user can avoid this mechanism by moving the application bundle without its external files to a new location.[24]

Directory permissions and sudo

The Unix permissions for writing to the /Volumes directory are now restricted to root and no longer "world-writable".[25] Apple expanded System Integrity Protection to,[26] a directory that contains a list of applications that are allowed to "control the computer", and restricts write access to programs which were signed with an Apple "private entitlement". The file-hosting service Dropbox has been criticized for manipulating the directory to add their Dropbox application to the list, rather than asking the user to do it for them explicitly in System Preferences.[27]

The sudo command-line utility with which a user can execute a command as another user, typically as root, is configured with the "tty_tickets" flag by default, restricting the session timeout to the terminal session (such as a window or tab) in which the user authenticated the program.[28]

Removed functionality

Sierra removes support for garbage collection from the Objective-C runtime,[29] a memory-management system that was added in Mac OS X Leopard (version 10.5) and declared deprecated in favor of Automatic Reference Counting in OS X Mountain Lion (version 10.8).[30] [31] Applications that have been compiled with garbage collection will no longer run.

Apple removed native support for the VPN protocol PPTP and made recommendations for alternatives that it considers more secure.[32]

The battery's "time remaining" estimate was removed in the 10.12.2 update after complaints of the battery life of 2016 MacBook Pros.[33] [34] [35]

The Game Center app has been removed.[36] However, the service still exists.

Reinstallation

Following the download of macOS Sierra (10.12) from the Mac App Store, the installer does not show under a user's "Purchased" tab in the Mac App Store app. Users can still re-download the Sierra installer by visiting the macOS Sierra page on the Mac App Store.[37]

Reception

macOS Sierra has received generally positive reviews. Users and critics have praised its functionality, including the addition of Siri and support for Apple Pay in Safari.[38] Macworld gave it 4.5 stars out of 5.[39] Engadget gave it a rating of 87 out of 100 praising the new features such as Siri integration, Universal Clipboard, and Apple Pay while criticizing the unreliability of Auto Unlock, that "Siri isn't always smart enough", and that some of the Messages features are only available on iOS 10.[40] Developers of apps that rely on the PDFKit library built into macOS have complained that radical changes to PDFKit introduced in Sierra are causing instability and potential data corruption.[41]

Release history

VersionBuildstyle=width:128pxRelease dateDarwin versionRelease notesStandalone download
style=text-align:center10.1216A323September 20, 201616.0.0Original Mac App Store release
style=text-align:center rowspan=210.12.116B2555October 24, 201616.1.0About the macOS Sierra 10.12.1 UpdatemacOS Sierra 10.12.1 Update
16B2657October 27, 2016
style=text-align:center rowspan=210.12.216C67December 13, 201616.3.0About the macOS Sierra 10.12.2 UpdatemacOS Sierra 10.12.2 Update
macOS Sierra 10.12.2 Combo Update
16C68December 14, 2016
style=text-align:center10.12.316D32January 23, 201716.4.0About the macOS Sierra 10.12.3 UpdatemacOS Sierra 10.12.3 Update
macOS Sierra 10.12.3 Combo Update
style=text-align:center10.12.416E195March 27, 201716.5.0About the macOS Sierra 10.12.4 UpdatemacOS Sierra 10.12.4 Update
macOS Sierra 10.12.4 Combo Update
style=text-align:center rowspan=210.12.516F73May 15, 201716.6.0About the macOS Sierra 10.12.5 UpdatemacOS Sierra 10.12.5 Update
macOS Sierra 10.12.5 Combo Update
16F2073June 5, 2017
style=text-align:center rowspan=1610.12.616G29July 19, 201716.7.0About the macOS Sierra 10.12.6 UpdatemacOS Sierra 10.12.6 Update
macOS Sierra 10.12.6 Combo Update
16G1036October 31, 2017About the security content of Security Update 2017-001 SierraSecurity Update 2017-001 Sierra
16G1114December 6, 2017About the security content of Security Update 2017-002 SierraSecurity Update 2017-002 Sierra
16G1212January 23, 2018About the security content of Security Update 2018-001 SierraSecurity Update 2018-001 Sierra
16G1314March 29, 2018About the security content of Security Update 2018-002 SierraSecurity Update 2018-002 Sierra
16G1408June 1, 2018About the security content of Security Update 2018-003 SierraSecurity Update 2018-003 Sierra
16G1510July 9, 2018About the security content of Security Update 2018-004 SierraSecurity Update 2018-004 Sierra
16G1618October 30, 2018About the security content of Security Update 2018-005 SierraSecurity Update 2018-005 Sierra
16G1710December 5, 2018About the security content of Security Update 2018-006 SierraSecurity Update 2018-006 Sierra
16G1815January 22, 2019About the security content of Security Update 2019-001 SierraSecurity Update 2019-001 Sierra
16G1917March 25, 2019About the security content of Security Update 2019-002 SierraSecurity Update 2019-002 Sierra
16G1918March 29, 2019About the security content of Security Update 2019-002 SierraSecurity Update 2019-002 Sierra
16G2016May 14, 2019About the security content of Security Update 2019-003 SierraSecurity Update 2019-003 Sierra
16G2127July 22, 2019About the security content of Security Update 2019-004 SierraSecurity Update 2019-004 Sierra
16G2128July 29, 2019About the security content of Security Update 2019-004 SierraSecurity Update 2019-004 Sierra
16G2136September 26, 2019About the security content of Security Update 2019-005 SierraSecurity Update 2019-005 Sierra

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About the security content of macOS Mojave 10.14.6 Supplemental Update 2, Security Update 2019-005 High Sierra, and Security Update 2019-005 Sierra. Apple Support. September 26, 2019. September 26, 2019. December 21, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201221190905/https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210589. live.
  2. Web site: Home. iTunes.com. August 9, 2020. November 7, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20061107185359/http://www.itunes.com/. live.
  3. Web site: Download - Apple Developer. Apple Developer. June 16, 2016. February 8, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230208042401/https://idmsa.apple.com/IDMSWebAuth/signin?appIdKey=891bd3417a7776362562d2197f89480a8547b108fd934911bcbea0110d07f757&path=%2Fdownload%2F&rv=1. live.
  4. Web site: macOS Sierra FAQ: What you need to know about the new Mac operating system. Loyola. Roman. July 7, 2016. Macworld. July 13, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160715155623/http://www.macworld.com/article/3083346/os-x/macos-sierra-faq-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-mac-operating-system.html. July 15, 2016.
  5. Web site: macOS Sierra will be released on September 20 for free to Mac owners. Majo. Benjamin. September 7, 2016. 9to5Mac. September 7, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160908200817/https://9to5mac.com/2016/09/07/wip-macos-sierra-will-be-released-on-september-20. September 8, 2016.
  6. Web site: How to get macOS Sierra. Apple. September 23, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160924031924/https://support.apple.com/ht201475. September 24, 2016.
  7. Web site: See which Macs will -- and won't -- work with macOS. CNet. June 13, 2016. June 16, 2016. Elliott, Matt. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160616095526/http://www.cnet.com/how-to/see-which-macs-will-and-wont-work-with-macos. June 16, 2016.
  8. Web site: macOS 10.12 Sierra Unsupported Macs Thread. MacRumors Forums. June 22, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160616134930/http://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macos-10-12-sierra-unsupported-macs-thread.1977128. June 16, 2016.
  9. Web site: macOS Sierra Patch Tool . November 1, 2022 . dosdude1.com . February 2, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170202113020/http://dosdude1.com/sierrapatch.html . live .
  10. News: How to use Siri in macOS Sierra. Macworld. February 16, 2017. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170204005925/http://www.macworld.com/article/3088224/macs/how-to-use-siri-on-macos-sierra.html. February 4, 2017.
  11. Web site: macOS 10.12 Sierra: The Ars Technica review. Cunningham. Andrew. Hutchinson. Lee. September 20, 2016. Ars Technica UK. September 28, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160925224854/http://arstechnica.co.uk/apple/2016/09/macos-10-12-sierra-review-os-x. September 25, 2016.
  12. Web site: macOS Sierra: Save Disk Space With the New 'Optimize Storage' Option. Clover. Juli. November 25, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161126064701/http://www.macrumors.com/2016/09/20/macos-sierra-optimize-storage. November 26, 2016.
  13. News: macOS Sierra: Apps Gain Safari-Style Tabs. January 25, 2018. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180126070823/https://www.macrumors.com/2016/09/20/macos-sierra-tabbed-windows. January 26, 2018.
  14. News: macOS Sierra: Picture in Picture Mode for Safari and iTunes Videos. January 25, 2018. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180126070739/https://www.macrumors.com/2016/09/20/macos-sierra-picture-in-picture-safari-itunes. January 26, 2018.
  15. News: macOS High Sierra: You'll Hardly Notice You've Upgraded - The Mac Observer. May 10, 2018. The Mac Observer. October 4, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180511013037/https://www.macobserver.com/news/macos-high-sierra-youll-hardly-notice-youve-upgraded. May 11, 2018.
  16. Web site: Apple Releases macOS Sierra 10.12.4 With New Night Shift Mode. Clover. Juli. April 14, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170401060730/https://www.macrumors.com/2017/03/27/apple-releases-macos-sierra-10-12-4. April 1, 2017.
  17. News: How to Use Night Shift in macOS Sierra 10.12.4. June 13, 2018. en. June 13, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180613161129/https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/night-shift-macos-sierra-10-12-4/. live.
  18. Web site: Safari App Extension Programming Guide: Safari App Extensions. Apple Developer. https://web.archive.org/web/20160708223436/https://developer.apple.com/library/prerelease/content/documentation/NetworkingInternetWeb/Conceptual/SafariAppExtension_PG/index.html. July 8, 2016. live. September 29, 2016.
  19. News: How to use Messages effects in macOS Sierra. iMore. November 22, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161123053103/http://www.imore.com/how-use-messages-effects-macos-sierra. November 23, 2016.
  20. News: 10 tiny macOS Sierra features I love. iMore. December 30, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161230160452/http://www.imore.com/10-tiny-features-i-love-about-macos-sierra. December 30, 2016.
  21. News: 7 hidden features in macOS Sierra you may have missed. Macworld. December 30, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161230230646/http://www.macworld.com/article/3122961/macs/7-hidden-features-in-macos-sierra-you-may-have-missed.html. December 30, 2016.
  22. News: How to Use Read Receipts on the iPhone and Mac. TekRevue. en-US. December 30, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161230160211/https://www.tekrevue.com/tip/imessage-read-receipts-iphone-mac. December 30, 2016.
  23. News: How to configure a software RAID in macOS Sierra's Disk Utility. Macworld. January 7, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170108093537/http://www.macworld.com/article/3095835/storage/how-to-configure-a-software-raid-in-macos-sierra-s-disk-utility.html. January 8, 2017.
  24. Web site: Some nerdy changes in macOS and iOS 10: RAW shooting, a harsher Gatekeeper, more. Cunningham. Andrew. June 15, 2016. Ars Technica UK. https://web.archive.org/web/20160616184734/http://arstechnica.co.uk/apple/2016/06/ios-10-macos-sierra-changes-raw-shooting-gatekeeper. June 16, 2016. live. June 17, 2016.
  25. Web site: macOS Sierra's /Volumes folder is no longer world-writable. Trouton. Rich. September 21, 2016. Der Flounder. September 28, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161008083553/https://derflounder.wordpress.com/2016/09/21/macos-sierras-volumes-folder-is-no-longer-world-writable. October 8, 2016.
  26. Web site: Dropbox's macOS Security Hack. Gruber. John. September 20, 2016. Daring Fireball. September 28, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161001190246/http://daringfireball.net/linked/2016/09/20/dropbox-macos-security. October 1, 2016.
  27. Web site: Dropbox apologies for clunky administrator account access on Macs. Pauli. Darren. September 13, 2016. The Register. September 28, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161002054319/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/13/dropbox_mac_security. October 2, 2016.
  28. Web site: tty_tickets option now on by default for macOS Sierra's sudo tool. Trouton. Rich. September 21, 2016. Der Flounder. September 28, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161008083811/https://derflounder.wordpress.com/2016/09/21/tty_tickets-option-now-on-by-default-for-macos-sierras-sudo-tool. October 8, 2016.
  29. Web site: Xcode Release Notes. Section "Xcode 8.3". OS X 10.11 was the last major release of macOS that supported the previously deprecated garbage collection runtime. Applications or features that depend upon garbage collection may not function properly or will not launch in macOS Sierra. Developers should use Automatic Reference Counting (ARC) or manual retain/release for memory management instead. (20589595). May 29, 2018. Apple Developer. June 9, 2018. August 23, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180823101946/https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/releasenotes/DeveloperTools/RN-Xcode/Chapters/Introduction.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40001051. live.
  30. Web site: Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard: the Ars Technica review. Siracusa. John. October 29, 2007. Ars Technica. At section "Objective-C 2.0". November 17, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161117211233/http://arstechnica.com/apple/2007/10/mac-os-x-10-5/11. November 17, 2016.
  31. Web site: OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: the Ars Technica review. Siracusa. John. July 25, 2012. At section "Objective-C enhancements". November 17, 2016. Ars Technica. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161117211236/http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/07/os-x-10-8/17/#objective-c-enhancements. November 17, 2016.
  32. Web site: Prepare for removal of PPTP VPN before you upgrade to iOS 10 and macOS Sierra. July 16, 2016. Apple Support. https://web.archive.org/web/20160927034418/https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206844. September 27, 2016. live. September 29, 2016.
  33. Web site: Why Apple is removing 'time remaining' battery life estimates following MacBook Pro complaints. Kahn. Jordan. December 13, 2016. 9to5Mac. January 7, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170108093712/https://9to5mac.com/2016/12/13/why-apple-is-removing-time-remaining-battery-life-estimates-macbook-pro. January 8, 2017.
  34. Web site: Apple's Sierra update 'fixes' Mac battery woes by removing 'time remaining' estimate. Schroeder. Stan. Mashable. December 14, 2016. January 7, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170105052303/http://mashable.com/2016/12/14/macos-sierra-battery-time-remaining-removed. January 5, 2017.
  35. Web site: Apple removes the 'time remaining' battery estimate in new macOS update. O'Kane. Sean. December 13, 2016. The Verge. January 7, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170108093929/http://www.theverge.com/2016/12/13/13939278/apple-macos-sierra-new-macbook-pros-battery-life. January 8, 2017.
  36. Web site: 10 hidden macOS Sierra features you need to know. Matt. Elliott. November 10, 2016. June 9, 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170218064552/https://www.cnet.com/how-to/10-hidden-macos-sierra-features-you-need-to-know. February 18, 2017.
  37. Web site: How to download macOS Sierra. October 17, 2017. Apple. https://web.archive.org/web/20171107022446/https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208202. November 7, 2017. live. November 1, 2017.
  38. Web site: macOS Sierra review: Six big ways it's going to change your Apple experience. CNET. January 14, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170116185614/https://www.cnet.com/products/apple-macos-sierra-review. January 16, 2017.
  39. News: macOS Sierra review: Mixing iOS with OS X to make a better Mac. Macworld. January 14, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170116165107/http://www.macworld.com/article/3120857/macs/macos-sierra-review.html. January 16, 2017.
  40. Web site: macOS Sierra review: Mac users get a modest update this year. Wollman. Dana. September 20, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20170218032632/https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/20/macos-sierra-review. February 18, 2017. live. February 18, 2017.
  41. Web site: Sierra PDF Problems Get Worse in 10.12.2. Tidbits. January 2, 2017. March 20, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170320233049/https://tidbits.com/article/16966. March 20, 2017.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "MacOS Sierra".

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