If you haven’t already, please read my previous posts on iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. 

macOS and by extension the Mac itself, is by far the most mature platform Apple maintains today. With the first home Apple computer being released in 1976 and the first operating system for the Lisa being released in 1983, elements of our modern macOS manage to go back that far. The personal computer market has seen several decades of transitions, changes, and technological innovations that simply haven’t been possible yet on many other Apple devices. In coming up with a list of features that should come to macOS, it has a similar problem to that of iPadOS. Where iPadOS tries and struggles to bridge the gap between the Mac and iPhone, macOS tries to maintain its technical and professional users happy by keeping choices open and allowing for customization not seen in any other Apple product, while also keeping more causal users happy by making the Mac as simple to use as the iPad. When making a wishlist for macOS features you want to see, you need to keep in mind which audience you are a part of. In my case, I’m pretty firmly in the casual audience. So these are things I’d like see that make my Mac work a lot more like an iPad or iPhone than a traditional “computer”.

1. Better Widget support- Many first party apps like App Store, Batteries, Books, Contacts, Files/Finder, Game Center, Mail, Maps, Music, Shortcuts, Siri Suggestions, TV, and Wallet are missing widgets that you can find on iOS and iPadOS devices. All these apps should add their widgets as options to macOS. It’d be even cooler if Apple went a step further and allowed widgets to be placed on users desktops. It’d make some of the large and extra-large widgets that exist on iPadOS already and make them available to more users.

2. Wallet app- One of the core features and services in the Apple ecosystem is Apple Pay. I think most users are trained that in order to setup and manage Apple Pay you go to the Wallet app. The Mac of course, has no Wallet app. Users are forced to go to System Settings to add and remove cards. In MacOS 14, Apple should introduce a Wallet app to allow users to mange and setup Apple Pay cards as well as apply for an Apple Card, Apple Pay Later, and make deposits and withdrawals to and from their Apple Cash Card. Basically feature parity with iPhone for Wallet and Apple Pay offerings. Users could even (theoretically) track orders they’ve made on the web with Apple Pay.

3. Native AirPods setup- We all know how to pair AirPods with our iPhone right? Open the case, popup appears, tap “Connect”, and boom. That’s it. But on a Mac? It gets a lot more complicated. You’ll need to open System Settings and go to Bluetooth and press and hold the button on the back of the AirPods case, and yuck. It’s a horrible user experience, especially comparing it to the way it works on every other Apple device. Apple needs to bring the same pop-up interface for pairing and registering AirPods from iOS to macOS, giving everyone the same first class user experience all users.

4. Native AirTag setup- In a similar vein to the above point, setup of AirTags is super easy on an iPhone. Conversely, it is impossible on a Mac. Apple could expand the customer base and user base of the Find My network by bringing the ability to setup AirTags to the Mac.

5. Apple News+ Audio Stories- If you read my post on iPadOS, this point is going to be very similar. In short, Apple should allow Mac subscribers to Apple News+ to listen to the same Audio Stories iPhone subscribers to the same service can listen to.

6. iMessage app support- Starting in iOS 10, Apple opened a new App Store for the Messages app that expanded the functionality of iMessages on iPhone and iPad. Now that we have Apple Silicon in the Mac and the Messages app running on it is the same one from the iPad, I’d say its time for Apple to allow iMessage apps on the Mac.

7. Fitness app- The Fitness app, formerly the Activity app, was an iPhone and Apple Watch exclusive app. Starting with the launch of Apple Fitness+, Apple brought the app to more new platforms like Apple TV and iPad. Apple should expand the Fitness app to the Mac to allow people who travel with just a Mac to utilize Fitness+ workouts on a larger screen.

8. Health app- This is a simple one, it’d be nice if you could browse your health charts on your Macs big screen and export charts or workout history to a PDF or directly to Numbers. 

9. Apple Arcade app- If you read my previous post on iOS 17, this will also sound very familiar. In short, Apple should have a dedicated Arcade app to let users browse and download Arcade games without having to go through the App Store.

10. Updated Volume and Brightness HUD- Remember how big and obnoxious the old volume indicator was in iOS before Apple changed it to a small slider that popped out when you adjusted the volume? What if I told you it’s still in macOS and yes, it continues to be just as annoying. A much more elegant solution would be to drop down the volume slider from Control Center when adjusting the volume. 

11. Redesigned Launchpad- Launchpad is currently the place you go to view all the applications you’ve installed on your Mac. You get there by clicking the Launchpad app icon or four finger pinching on the Macs trackpad. It hasn’t changed really at all since it’s introduction in 2010. I think it’d be nice if Apple redesigned it to look and function a bit more like the App Library on iOS and iPadOS. 

There is one more thing I didn’t mention about macOS 14. Astute students of macOS will know that macOS isn’t just numbered like iOS is, it’s named. Every year since 2013 and the launch of Mac OS X Mavericks, there has been some kind of naming controversy every WWDC as to what macOS will be called. 2013 was the year Apple’s crack marketing team decided to transitioned from their dwindling supply of big cat names to locations in California. In the years since, we’ve gotten the likes of Yosemite, Sierra, Big Sur, and Monterey. We’ve sadly missed the likes of Weed and Rancho Cucamonga. But what will Apple call macOS 14 this year? My personal bet is on macOS 14 Sonoma. I may be missing my old GMC Sonoma, but I think it rolls nicely off the tongue compared to other options like Mammoth and it sounds much more pleasant and inspired than something like Skyline or Pacific. But I’m sure Craig Federighi, Hair Force One himself, will not hesitate to let us know the full insider story when WWDC rolls around.