What you need to know
- Some of the features Apple announced for macOS Monterey won't work on Intel Macs.
- Even portions of Apple Maps won't work.
Apple announced some whizz-bang features for macOS Monterey during WWDC and much of what we saw looked pretty great. But it turns out that a ton of those features won't work on a huge portion of the userbase's machines – those running Intel chips.
Apple's preview pages always make for interesting reading and the macOS Monterey preview page is no different. That page lists all the new features coming this fall, along with the all-important disclaimer.
3 Available on Mac computers with the M1 chip.
So, what has a number 3 beside it? Let's see.
Portrait modeInspired by Portrait mode on iPhone and powered by the M1 chip, this new video effect puts the focus on you — not what's behind you.3Live Text in photosYour Mac now lets you interact with text in any image. Click an address and it opens in Maps. Call, message, or save any phone number you see. You can copy and paste just as you would with any other text. And personal details and information from images never leave your device.3Maps: All-new city experienceExplore cities with unprecedented detail for roads, neighborhoods, trees, buildings, and more. Visit amazing 3D landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge in both the day and dark mode maps.3Interactive globeDiscover the natural beauty of Earth with a rich and interactive globe. Explore new enhanced details for mountain ranges, deserts, rain forests, oceans, and more.3
And then there are more on an addiitonal preview page, too.
On-device dictationKeyboard dictation improves as you use your device, personalizing over time. On-device dictation helps protect your privacy by performing all processing completely offline. Dictation in search uses server-based dictation.Neural text-to-speech voice in more languagesThe latest neural text-to-speech voices are now available in more languages: Swedish (Sweden), Danish (Denmark), Norwegian (Norway), and Finnish (Finland).2
Why this is, isn't clear. If I had to guess I'd say it's something to do with the Neural Engine built into Apple silicon, but I'm no chip engineer. I've never even played on one TV for that matter.
That's the bad news. The good news is that you can buy a new Mac if you want! The new M1 iMac is getting rave reviews so maybe this is a good time to upgrade. Be sure to check out our collection of the best M1 iMac deals when you do!
