macOS High Sierra released for beta testers

Apple finally released the first beta of macOS High Sierra for public beta testers. Non-developers can now download the OS and can use and test the OS. High Sierra was introduced at Worldwide Developers Conference (WDC) on June 5, 2017.

Users who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program will only be able to download the latest macOS. The release of the operating system for beta testers coincides with the release of second update of beta OS for developers.

Apple has introduced several features to the latest operating system for MacBooks and iMac. While High Sierra has been developed to enhance and refine macOS Sierra, released in September 2016, it also has an efficient system that has been designed to cope up with modern storage technologies.

High Sierra also introduces Metal 2 to users which is the latest version of Apple's Metal graphics application program interface. The API now sports support for machine learning, external GPUs, and VR content creation.

High Sierra also brings High Efficiency Video Encoding (HEVC aka H.265) and several apps are already receiving updates for the video encoding. Siri for macOS now has a more natural voice and supports music related commands even more efficiently.

Safari in High Sierra offers a new autoplay blocking feature for videos and Intelligent Tracking Prevention for privacy protection of users. Mail storage in High Sierra will occupy less space with an optimization introduced to take up 35 percent less storage. iCloud has also been optimized with several new features available for users.

Looks like Apple is buckling up to kill the competition from Microsoft which had received a great response from users and critics for Surface Pro work station. Surface Pro has several features that specifically benefit art developers and creators and looks like Apple is also aiming for the same.

High Sierra will be available for users this fall.