

The Mac's window server uses Metal 2 optimizations to make window animations like Mission Control much smoother. Metal offers up to 10x better draw call throughput improvements like driver optimizations, indirect argument buffers, sampler arrays, resource heaps, and more.

HEVC software encoding is available for all Macs in High Sierra, but newer models include HEVC hardware acceleration.Īlong with a new Apple File System, macOS High Sierra introduces Metal 2, the next-generation version of Apple's Metal graphics API. High Sierra includes High Efficiency Video Encoding (HEVC, aka H.265), which preserves better detail and color while also introducing much improved compression compared to H.264. APFS is ultra responsive and brings major performance improvements for Macs. It introduces features like native encryption, safe document saves, stable snapshots, and crash protection. APFS is safe, secure, and optimized for modern storage systems like solid state drives. High Sierra is about deep technologies that provide a platform for future innovation while also introducing new technologies to make the Mac more reliable, capable, and responsive.Ī more modern file system, Apple File System (APFS), is the new default in macOS High Sierra. With macOS High Sierra, Apple says it's focusing on the fundamentals: data, video, and graphics. macOS High Sierra, as the name suggests, is a follow-up to macOS Sierra and is largely designed to improve on macOS Sierra through major under-the-hood updates and a handful of outward-facing changes.

Quick tip: It's also a good idea to update all of your other Apple devices, like iPhones and iPads, in case there are any new features that utilize multiple devices.Apple introduced macOS High Sierra at the 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference in June. And if you're currently working on a Mac, now is a good time to update your computer, since Ventura received an update in January 2023 containing a host of new security fixes. In October 2022, Apple released macOS Ventura, the latest version of its famous operating system. And if you leave updates waiting for too long, your favorite apps might stop working altogether. And although updates can be annoying and time-consuming - Who hasn't put off an update until the very last moment? - they're also incredibly important.Īn outdated Mac is more susceptible to bugs, crashes, and even viruses (yes, Macs can get them too). In many ways, Macs are built for convenience: They have backlit keyboards, there's a variety of ways to take and save screenshots, and they come with a wide assortment of shortcuts that can speed up your work.īut like all devices, they also require updates from time to time.
