macOS Monterey is the official name for macOS 12 by Apple, and after months of speculation, we now know that this software update will be coming to the Mac this fall with a host of new and upgraded features that may make your life a little easier

Many mMacs will be available for download.

As with most major macOS updates, the list of features Apple will announce in macOS Monterey is long enough to make most users' eyes glaze over. Many of these new features will also be available in some form on the iPhone and iPad, reflecting Apple's ongoing efforts to make its devices more attractive and exclusive.

Some of these new features also help make Apple products more competitive: for example, Safari finally has tab groups that rival Google Chrome, FaceTime's new SharePlay feature is a great addition to Amazon Prime and like Hulu's Watch Party mode, will allow users to remotely watch videos with others at the same time.

Unless you are a developer, you will have to wait at least a month to try out these new features. macOS Monterey's developer beta was released at the Worldwide Developers Conference, while the public beta will appear in July before the official launch this fall. It will appear in July.

Once you've had a chance to try it out in the beta, you'll have a better idea of how impactful these new features are and what they mean for the average user. For now, here's a quick rundown of the main features we're looking forward to in macOS Monterey.

Universal Control is one of the big new features in macOS Monterey, but it is only useful for those who have at least one Mac and one iPad. Universal Control is only useful for people who have at least one Mac and one iPad, but if you have a Mac and one iPad, you can keep your Mac and iPad close together and use your Mac keyboard and mouse on your iPad.

In a brief demo Apple showed at WWDC, Universal Control looks like magic: when the Mac detects a nearby iPad (logged into the same iCloud account) via Bluetooth, it drags the cursor to the edge of the screen The Mac can then drag the cursor to the edge of the screen.

The cursor defines which device is currently the keyboard focus, so if you mouse over the iPad via Universal Control, you can type on the tablet using the Mac keyboard. In addition, the cursor can be used to drag and drop files between devices, which should make it even easier to move media back and forth between the tablet and computer.

According to Apple, Universal Control currently supports up to three simultaneous devices.

Safari is undergoing an overhaul aimed at making the browser a bit more streamlined. This feature is already offered in browsers like Chrome and Edge.

The newly designed sidebar also allows users to manage bookmarks, reading lists, and "Shared with You" links sent by others via the Messages app, and to view new tab groups Shared with You." lists are an important new feature in macOS 12 Monterey and now appear by default on Safari's Start page, in addition to the sidebar.

These new features come at the same time as a cosmetic redesign that streamlines Safari's tabs and tab bar to take up less space. Both of these features will dynamically change colors to match the color palette of the site you are currently viewing, which seems like a fun party trick.

SharePlay provides fun new ways to share media during FaceTime calls, such as watching the same show on Apple TV Plus at the same time or listening to music together on Spotify. It works with all Apple devices, from iPhones to iMacs, and supports picture-in-picture, as well as dynamic audio control that adjusts volume as people speak.

SharePlay also allows you to share your screen with others via FaceTime calls, which should make it easier to shop with friends remotely or teach your parents about technical issues, etc. Apple plans to open the SharePlay API to external SharePlay will initially support many popular media apps, including Disney Plus, ESPN Plus, HBO Max, and Hulu.

macOS Monterey will upgrade the Notes app, making it easier to collaborate (among other things) as Notes users will have access to an activity view where they can see changes made by other users to shared notes. They will also be able to mention collaborators and receive notifications when they do so, which may make tasks such as planning group trips a little smoother.

Macs will also get a new Quick Notes feature with macOS Monterey, which should make it easier to take notes about the website or app you are looking at without having to launch the notes app every time.

But Quick Note is going to be more than just a streamlined way to write notes: you will be able to add links to websites and other apps as well as highlight from Safari. These notes will be stored in the Notes app and accessible from all devices, but most notably, Quick Notes tied to specific websites or apps will appear as thumbnails when those sites or apps are subsequently revisited. This should make it easier to keep track of details across multiple apps and quickly pick up on intermittent projects. At the very least, forgetful people like myself would be able to banish sticky notes from our desks for good.

Apple plans to introduce a more powerful way to limit which notifications you see and when with the new Focus feature in macOS Monterey, iOS 15, and iPadOS 15.

Focus is a more elaborate version of Apple's established "Do Not Disturb" mode, which gives users more control over which notifications are filtered and when. In addition, Focus syncs across all devices on the same iCloud account, so the same filtering is available on the iPhone and iPad.

Apple will ship with several Focus modes built into macOS Monterey, but the important thing is that you can create your own Focus modes. if Focus works in macOS as it does in iOS, you can customize which apps appear during a particular Focus mode. If Focus works on macOS as it does on iOS, it should be easier to customize which apps appear during a particular Focus mode, making it easier to kick out distractions while working or to stop checking email or Slack when you're not.