macOS High Sierra (version 10.13) is the fourteenth major release of macOS, Apple Inc.'s desktop operating system for Macintosh computers. macOS High Sierra was announced at the WWDC 2017 on June 5, 2017[4] and was released on September 25, 2017. The name "High Sierra" refers to the High Sierra region in California. Its name signified its goal to be a refinement of the previous macOS version, macOS Sierra, focused on performance improvements and technical updates rather than features.[5] This makes it similar to previous macOS releases Snow Leopard, Mountain Lion and El Capitan. Among the apps with notable changes are Photos and Safari.[4][6][7]
| Version of the macOS operating system | |
 | |
 macOS High Sierra desktop with the default wallpaper | |
| Developer | Apple Inc. |
|---|---|
| OS family | |
| Source model | Closed, with open source components |
| General availability | September 25, 2017 |
| Latest release | 10.13.6 Security Update 2020-006[1] (17G14042) (November 12, 2020) [±] |
| Update method | Mac App Store |
| Platforms | x86-64 |
| Kernel type | Hybrid (XNU) |
| License | APSL and Apple EULA |
| Preceded by | macOS Sierra |
| Succeeded by | macOS Mojave |
| Official website | macOS High Sierra at the Wayback Machine (archived September 11, 2018) |
| Tagline | Your Mac. Elevated. |
| Support status | |
| Obsolete, unsupported as of November 12, 2020.[2] iTunes is no longer being updated, but is able to download driver updates to sync to newer devices.[3] | |
macOS High Sierra is the final version of macOS to support the Unibody iMac and the Polycarbonate Unibody MacBook, as its successor, macOS Mojave, drops support for the late 2009 and final models.
System requirements
editAll Macs that supported macOS Sierra support macOS High Sierra.[8]
- iMac (Late 2009 or later)
- MacBook (Late 2009 or later)
- MacBook Air (Late 2010 or later)
- MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or later)
- Mac Mini (Mid 2010 or later)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or later)
macOS High Sierra requires at least 2 GB of RAM and 20.12 GB of available disk space.
It is possible to install High Sierra on many older Macintosh computers that are not officially supported by Apple. This requires using a patch to modify the install image.[9]
Changes
editDefault wallpaper
editThe default desktop picture depicts North Lake in the High Sierra biome.
System
editApple File System
editApple File System (APFS) replaces HFS Plus as the default file system in macOS for the first time with High Sierra.[4] It supports 64‑bit inode numbers, is designed for flash memory, and is designed to speed up common tasks like duplicating a file and finding the size of a folder's contents. It also has built‑in encryption, crash‑safe protections, and simplified data backup on the go.[10]
Metal 2
editMetal, Apple's low-level graphics API, has been updated to Metal 2. It includes virtual reality and machine-learning features, as well as support for external GPUs.[4] The system's windowing system, Quartz Compositor, supports Metal 2.
Media
editmacOS High Sierra adds support for High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), with hardware acceleration where available, as well as support for High Efficiency Image File Format (HEIF). Macs with the Intel Kaby Lake processor offer hardware support for Main 10 profile 10-bit hardware decoding, those with the Intel Skylake processor support Main profile 8-bit hardware decoding, and those with AMD Radeon 400 series graphics also support full HEVC decoding.[4] However, whenever an Intel IGP is present, the frameworks will only direct requests to Intel IGP. In addition, audio codecs FLAC and Opus are also supported, but not in iTunes.[11][12]
HEVC hardware acceleration requires a Mac with a sixth-generation Intel processor or newer (late 2015 27-inch iMac, mid 2017 21.5-inch iMac, early 2016 MacBook, late 2016 MacBook Pro or iMac Pro).
Other
editIn High Sierra, kernel extensions ("kexts") require explicit approval by the user before being able to run.[13]
The Low Battery notification and its icon were replaced by a flatter modern look.[citation needed]
The time service ntpd was replaced with timed for the time synchronization.[14]
The FTP and telnet command line programs were removed.[15]
Caching Server, File Sharing Server, and Time Machine Server, features that were previously part of macOS Server, are now provided as part of the OS.[16]
The screen can now be locked using the shortcut Cmd+Ctrl+Q. The ability to lock screen using a menu bar shortcut activated in Keychain Access preferences has now been removed.[17]
The 10.13.4 update added support for external graphics processors for Macs equipped with Thunderbolt 3 ports.[18] The update discontinued support for external graphics processors in 2015 or older Macs, equipped with Thunderbolt 1 and 2 ports.
Starting with 10.13.4, when a 32-bit app is opened, users get a one-time warning about its future incompatibility with the macOS operating system.[19]
Applications
editFinal Cut Pro 7
editApple announced the original Final Cut Studio suite of programs will not work on High Sierra. Media professionals that depend on any of those programs were advised to create a double boot drive to their computer.[20]
Photos
editmacOS High Sierra gives Photos an updated sidebar and new editing tools.[4] Photos synchronizes tagged People with iOS 11.[4]
Mail has improved Spotlight search with Top Hits.[4] Mail also uses 35% less storage space due to optimizations, and Mail's compose window can now be used in split-screen mode.[21]
Safari
editmacOS High Sierra includes Safari 11. Safari 11 has a new "Intelligent Tracking Prevention" feature that uses machine learning to block third parties from tracking the user's actions.[22] Safari can also block auto playing videos from playing.[23][24] The "Reader Mode" can be set to always-on.[25] Safari 11 also supports WebAssembly.[26] The last version of Safari that High Sierra supports is 13.1.2. This version has known security issues.[27]
Notes
editThe Notes app includes the ability to add tables to notes,[28] and notes can be pinned to the top of the list.[29] The version number was incremented to 4.5.
Siri
editIn High Sierra, Siri uses a more natural and expressive voice compared to previous versions of Mac OS X. It also uses machine learning to understand the user better. Siri synchronizes information across iOS and Mac devices so the Siri experience is the same regardless of the product being used.[30]
Messages
editThe release of macOS High Sierra 10.13.5 (and iOS 11.4) introduced support for Messages in iCloud.[31] This feature allows messages to sync across all devices using the same iCloud account. When messages are deleted they are deleted on each device as well, and messages stored in the cloud do not take up local storage on the device anymore.[32] In order to use the feature, the user has to enable two-factor authentication for their Apple ID.[33]
Reception
editRoman Loyola, the senior editor of Macworld, gave High Sierra a provisionally positive review in September 2017, calling it an "incremental update worthy of your time, eventually." Loyola expressed that the product's most significant draw was its security features, and that beyond this, the most beneficial changes lay in its future potential, saying it "doesn't have a lot of new features that will widen your eyes in excitement. But a lot of the changes are in the background and under the hood, and they lay a foundation for better things to come."[34]
Problems
editmacOS High Sierra 10.13.0 and 10.13.1 have a critical[35] vulnerability that allowed an attacker to become a root user by entering "root" as a username, and not entering a password, when logging in. This was fixed in the Security Update 2017-001 for macOS High Sierra v10.13.1.[36]
When it was first launched, it was discovered[by whom?] that the WindowServer process had a memory leak, leading to much slower graphics performance and lagging animations, probably due to some last-minute changes in Metal 2. This was fixed in macOS 10.13.1.[citation needed]
macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 had an error that caused DisplayLink to stop working for external monitors, allowing only one monitor to be extended. When using two external monitors, they could only be mirrored. Alban Rampon, the Senior Product Manager for DisplayLink, stated on December 24, 2018, that the company was working with Apple to resolve the issue.[37]
Release history
editTimeline of Mac operating systems
edit| Timeline of Mac operating systems |
|---|
 |
References
edit- ^ "About the security content of Security Update 2020-006 High Sierra, Security Update 2020-006 Mojave". Apple Support. November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
- ^ "Apple security updates". Apple Inc. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
- ^ "Home". iTunes.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Apple Events - WWDC Keynote, June 2017 - Apple". Archived from the original on June 6, 2017.
- ^ Cunningham, Andrew (September 25, 2017). "macOS 10.13 High Sierra: The Ars Technica review". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ "macOS 10.13 High Sierra Announced, Release Date Set for Fall". OS X Daily. June 5, 2017. Archived from the original on June 27, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ Cunningham, Andrew (June 19, 2017). "macOS High Sierra tech preview: A quick look at the stuff you can't see". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on June 20, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
- ^ "How to download macOS High Sierra". Apple Inc. Archived from the original on February 1, 2018.
- ^ "macOS High Sierra Patcher Tool for Unsupported Macs". Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
- ^ "Apple File System (APFS) announced for 2017, scales 'from Apple Watch to Mac Pro' and focuses on encryption". 9to5Mac. June 13, 2016. Archived from the original on March 28, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
- ^ "iOS 11、macOS High Sierra：FLAC、Opus、HOA（3Dサウンド）をサポート" [iOS 11, macOS High Sierra: Supports FLAC, Opus, HOA (3D sound)]. Macお宝鑑定団 blog（羅針盤） (in Japanese). June 8, 2017. Archived from the original on September 14, 2017.
- ^ What's New in Audio - WWDC 2017 - Videos - Apple Developer. Archived from the original on September 14, 2017.
- ^ "Secure Kernel Extension Loading". Apple Developer. June 19, 2017. Archived from the original on July 23, 2017. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
- ^ "Has anyone got the time? How High Sierra has changed time synchronisation". October 27, 2017. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
- ^ "How to get BSD FTP and Telnet back in 10.13 (High Sierra)?". Ask Different. Archived from the original on January 5, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
- ^ Engst, Adam (June 1, 2018). "How to Deal with macOS Server Losing Many of Its Services". Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ "New Lock Screen feature in macOS High Sierra". July 17, 2017. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
- ^ "Use an external graphics processor with your Mac". Apple. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ "32-bit app compatibility with macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 - Apple Support". April 11, 2018. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
- ^ "Important Caution About Upgrading to Apple's High Sierra | Larry Jordan". Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "macOS High Sierra: Everything We Know | MacRumors". Archived from the original on June 17, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
- ^ Lomas, Natasha (June 5, 2017). "Apple adds ad tracker blocker to desktop Safari | TechCrunch". Archived from the original on June 7, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ O'Kane, Sean (June 5, 2017). "Apple's new version of macOS is called High Sierra". The Verge. Archived from the original on June 7, 2017. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ "macOS is now fully baked with macOS High Sierra". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on June 7, 2017. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ "5 Notable New Features Coming to macOS High Sierra". OS X Daily. June 9, 2017. Archived from the original on June 27, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
- ^ "What's New in Safari". Archived from the original on November 14, 2017.
- ^ "NVD - Results". Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
- ^ "Apple Reveals 'macOS High Sierra' With APFS, Metal 2, and Refinements to Safari and Other Apps". Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
- ^ Gil, Lory (June 8, 2017). "macOS High Sierra FAQ: Everything you need to know!". iMore. Archived from the original on June 19, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
- ^ "macOS High Sierra: Everything We Know | MacRumors". Archived from the original on June 17, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
- ^ "Apple Releases macOS High Sierra 10.13.5 With Messages in iCloud Support". MacRumors. June 1, 2018. Archived from the original on October 25, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "iOS 11.4: What you need to know about Messages in iCloud". CNET. May 29, 2018. Archived from the original on August 2, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "How to sync your text messages to iCloud". iMore. June 1, 2018. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "macOS High Sierra review: Incremental update worthy of your time, eventually". Macworld. September 25, 2017. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Vulnerability Details : CVE-2017-13872". Archived from the original on September 1, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
- ^ "macOS High Sierra 'root' security bug: Here's how to fix it now!". iMore. Archived from the original on December 4, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
- ^ "macOS High Sierra 10.13.4+ and Mojave 10.14 Early Previews". DisplayLink Support. February 8, 2018. Archived from the original on July 31, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
External links
edit- macOS 10.13 High Sierra at the Wayback Machine (archived September 11, 2018) – official site
- macOS 10.13 High Sierra download page at Apple