High Sierra

ByMike Moffit

High Sierra, version 10.13 of macOS, will be the 2017 release of macOS and is scheduled to be released by Apple on September 25. It will be available on any Mac that can currently use Sierra.

High Sierra is scheduled to include mainly refinements to Sierra, as opposed to new features. Among the updates are a new file system, support for the High-Efficiency Video Coding standard, and better support for developers to create graphically intensive applications.

The new macOS will include Apple File System (AFS), a new file system that is optimized for solid-state drives. AFS is designed to take full advantage of solid-state technology to make Finder operations much faster.

Another feature of High Sierra is support of the High-Efficiency Video Coding Standard (HEVC), a new form of video compression that is optimized for 4K and higher video. HEVC has the ability to compress video content up to 40% more than the current H.264 standard without any quality loss.

High Sierra will include support for the Metal 2 Developer Kit, which allows software developers to more easily control how software applications will interface with Mac’s graphics processor. This will allow for better-performing graphics as well as support for virtual reality hardware like the HTC Vive. Metal 2 also supports external graphics processing hardware via Thunderbolt 3,

Lastly, before installing High Sierra on September 25th, take a few minutes to ensure your existing programs will run with the latest macOS. Also, of course, make sure to run a Time Machine backup!

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