1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. Reviews

MacOS Mojave review

MacOS Mojave launches on September 24. Here's what we like about it so far

By
MacOS Mojave 10.14
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Apple doesn’t focus much on the Mac these days, but its newest version of MacOS has officially landed. Where MacOS High Sierra did most of its work behind-the-scenes, MacOS Mojave leaps onto center stage, basking in the spotlight. Instead of bundling together a bunch of file system and security updates, Mojave revels in revamping the MacOS user experience.

Compared to previous updates, are there enough updates here to give Apple a thumbs up?

Lights out

MacOS Mojave is all about front-end updates, new visual elements, new apps, and all sorts of new stuff to get your hands on. First among which is a feature that Mac users have been clamoring for: Dark Mode.

What exactly is ‘Juneteenth?’ Image used with permission by copyright holder

Available in your System Preferences, under General, the new Dark Mode swaps your Mac’s familiar frosty gray-and-whites for a classy evening look. With Dark Mode enabled, your menu bar and dock look less like translucent frosted glass and more like translucent smoked glass.

Apps from Apple take this transformation one step further, trading white backgrounds for a few shades of gray-and-black. It also changes the trash can icon. The day-time theme trash can is silver, the night-time theme trash can is what I can only assume is space gray.

Apple also rolled out a “dynamic wallpaper” that changes depending on the time of day where you are.

Taking this day-and-night theme a step further, Mojave also rolls out a “dynamic wallpaper” that changes depending on the time of day where you are. Start out with a sand dune at dawn and end the day with a sand dune alone beneath a shroud of stars.

They don’t seem like much, but these new features change the character of your MacOS experience — in a good way. The nuts and bolts of the operating system are unchanged, but the texture becomes definitively modern, tasteful, and slick.

Setting up shop

Mac fans have a variety of opinions about the Mac App Store but the consensus seems to be somewhere between “it’s awful” and “it could be better.” Thankfully, Apple is taking those criticisms seriously and rolled out a revamped App Store experience with MacOS Mojave.

What’s in store for the app store? (I’m sorry.) Image used with permission by copyright holder

The biggest change here is how the store is organized. The bar on the left lets you jump between major categories and browse through regularly updated lists of carefully curated apps, like the iOS App Store ever since iOS 11. It’s a small change but a welcome one, making the App Store more accessible and putting apps on display more prominently.

We’re going to see more iOS apps on MacOS in the near future. At least, that’s the hope.

Along with the new App Store, you’ll also get a couple new apps in the Mojave update — an Apple News app, a new Stocks app, an Apple Home app, and finally the Voice Memos app is making its MacOS debut. These apps made their way to MacOS via Apple’s new slightly unified back-end framework.

MacOS apps are typically built with Apple’s AppKit, and iOS apps are made with UIKit, but some behind-the-scenes changes bring these two development tools closer together, which means we’re going to see more iOS apps on MacOS in the near future. At least, that’s the hope.

News also has a new icon — N, for News. Image used with permission by copyright holder

In addition to some new apps, a major change is coming to an old favorite: FaceTime. Finally, you can ditch Skype entirely — if you haven’t already just replaced it with Discord — and use FaceTime for all your group video chat needs. The new FaceTime supports group calls with up to 32 people — which sounds like a total nightmare.

For regular-sized group conversations, involving just a couple people, it works well. Unfortunately, you’re still stuck FaceTiming with just Apple devices so most of the time you’re probably going to be stuck using Skype anyway — or Discord, which is an excellent alternative. It’s great that FaceTime supports group calls now, but let’s be real: It should have had that feature a long, long time ago.

Stacks and screenshots

This one’s another quality of life change, but it’ll make a difference for anyone who takes a lot of screenshots — like we did for this review. Just right click on your desktop and you can have your files automatically arrange themselves into stacks.

Also known as ‘not-folders.’ Image used with permission by copyright holder

Stacks aren’t folders, but they play a similar role. By clicking on one of these stacks, they automatically expand so you can open the file you want to open, and once you do, they close right up again.

Screenshots also got a bit of a makeover in the MacOS Mojave update. They behave like they do on iOS, which means once you snap one (with Command + Shift + 3) it slides over to a little corner of your screen where you can just pop it open and make any changes you want before saving it to the desktop. MacOS remains the king of screenshotting.

Not bad, not bad at all

For something as simple as an operating system update, Mojave manages to pack enough quality-of-life changes in that you’ll definitely find something to like about this update. Even though Mac users enjoyed the back-end changes Apple made in the last MacOS update, the Mojave update feels a lot more people-focused. With that in mind, it’s no surprise to see Safari receive some major security updates. Now, you’ll get a warning box every time a website requests information from Safari, and Apple redesigned the browser’s back-end to make it harder for ads to track you from site to site. We still prefer Chrome, but at least Safari is now a safe, quick alternative.

Apple has lavished much of its attention on its iOS products for so long, it’s easy to feel neglected as a MacOS fan. Some of that is earned. As Windows and Chrome OS machines get cheaper price tags and innovative form factors, Macs remain relatively unchanged. The small changes in Mojave are cool, but they don’t excuse Apple’s lack of focus, nor do they re-ignite enthusiasm for the company’s desktop platform.

However, hidden beneath some of the flashier updates is a glimmer of hope. Changes to the App Store and APIs point toward a an exciting future of MacOS where its a bit more relevant to Apple’s other products. They lay the groundwork for a possible sea-change in the future where Apple can devote more resources to the Mac. Let’s hope that comes sooner rather than later.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Jayce Wagner
Former Digital Trends Contributor
A staff writer for the Computing section, Jayce covers a little bit of everything -- hardware, gaming, and occasionally VR.
How to change the default apps on a Mac
Change your Mac’s default apps in three easy steps

Apple products come loaded with software designed to work seamlessly with the macOS operating system. For example, Safari is the default software used to load websites, Preview is used to view pictures, and Pages will open documents. But if you're not a fan of the built-in software, Apple doesn't lock you into using it. However, you'll need to know exactly where to look if you want to change the default apps on a Mac.

Thankfully, the process is largely the same whether you're running macOS Sonoma 14, Ventura 13, or other macOS versions. It's also easy to reverse the process and go back to using default apps.

Read more
Best MacBook deals: Get an Air for $605 and save on M3 MacBook Pro

Apple has long been known to turn out some of the best laptops, with models like the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro regularly being among the most sought-after laptops. It can actually be difficult to land some decent Apple deals, as the brand's popularity keeps many of its products from seeing the bargain bin. Right now, however, Apple has a lot of options among the best laptop deals. The original Apple Silicon MacBook Air is seeing some of its lowest prices ever, and there’s even some newer MacBook Pros discounted right now. Whether you’re in search of a MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro, reading onward you’ll find the best MacBook deals currently available.
Best MacBook Air (M1) deals

The Apple MacBook Air (M1) started a seismic shift for Apple being the first of its Airs to have an Apple-based processor. We took a look at the differences between the M2 and M1 and the M1 is still looking pretty great. It's also a touch nearer to affordable than anything else here. Fast yet fanless so it's silent to use, you gain an 18-hour battery life, a gorgeous looking 13.3-inch Retina display along with all the effortless style you'd expect from an Apple device. These laptops are best for students or those who want something stylish yet reasonably powerful to use on the move. Nowadays, deals are becoming a little harder to come by unless you're willing to consider a refurbished/renewed model.

Read more
Best Mac Mini deals: Save over $100 on an Apple desktop

The Apple Mac Mini is a unique desktop computing option, as it comes in a small form factor that won’t take up much space on a desk. It’s also part of Apple’s new Apple Silicon lineup, which means newer models will pack quite a punch when it comes to performance. Apple’s popularity usually keeps its products from seeing substantial discounts, but we’ve found some out there. A couple could be considered some of the best Apple deals you’ll come across today. If you’re simply looking for a deal on a Mac, consider some iMac deals or MacBook deals, but if you’re sold on some savings for a pint-sized PC that fits within the Apple software ecosystem, read onward for the best Mac Mini deals worth shopping today.
Apple education pricing for new Macs and iPad -- multiple price points

Whether you're a newly accepted college student, returning student, faculty, staff, or homeschooling teacher, of any grade level, Apple offers its education pricing program for discounted hardware rates. That means you can grab an Apple Mac Mini for great prices that won't empty your wallet or bank account before the school year. A bevy of devices are included, not just the Mac Mini, such as MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, displays, and beyond.

Read more