What you need to know
- An exciting new iPhone feature has been spotted in the latest macOS beta.
- References have been found Ultra Wideband technology, which may indicate future Mac support.
- Apple uses UWB in the iPhone, Apple Watch, HomePod mini, and AirTags to enable speedy AirDrop and Find My.
Apple's latest macOS beta has hinted that a very exciting iPhone feature might soon be coming to its Mac lineup too.
As noted by 9to5Mac the latest macOS Monterey beta includes "the frameworks and daemons (which are parts of the system that runs in the background) needed to support ultra wideband technology", the very same tools Apple features in iOS 15 to provide support on devices like its iPhone 13 using the U1 chip.
So what does this mean? Well, it seems to indicate that one of the best iPhone features introduced in recent years is also coming to Macs, namely UWB support that could enable all sorts of exciting features. Apple currently uses UWB for its AirTags and Find My Network, but also for enabling faster AirDrop and AirPlay transfer of songs to devices like the HomePod mini.
It could mean that one day Apple's best MacBooks and maybe even its desktop Macs will be better equipped with support for Apple's Find My network and data transfers like AirDrop.
There might even be an application case for Apple's brand new Universal Control Feature, announced last year and also included in the 12.3 beta released this week. From that report:
After months of waiting Apple has finally made Universal Control available in the first betas releases of iPadOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3.Both of the new beta updates can be downloaded and installed by developers right now and both will be needed by anyone wanting to take this new feature for a spin. Universal Control was first announced during WWDC in June 2021 and was originally expected to ship in September or October of the same year. The feature allows people to use a single mouse and keyboard to control Macs and iPads.
