Students, teachers, and those who work for an educational institution can save money on a new Mac, MacBook, or iPad by shopping at the Apple Education Store, which offers discounts all year round.

In this article, we will explain how much the Apple education discount is and who qualifies for an Apple student discount, before explaining how to get an Apple student discount at the Apple Education Store. Click the link below to go to Apple’s education storefront in your country:

• Apple’s U.S. Education Store
• Apple’s U.K. Education Store (in the UK you will need to verify your student status via UNiDAYS).
• Apple’s Canada Education Store
• Apple’s Australian Education Store

What products does Apple discount for students?

The discounts are only available for iPads, MacBooks and Macs.

Education discounts are not available on the iPhone, Apple TV, Apple Watch, HomePods, accessories, or software.

AirPods don’t get a student discount either, but Apple has been known to give away AirPods as part of a student-focused deal during the back-to-school buying season. Apple’s Back To School offer runs between June and October each year in the northern hemisphere, and between January and March in the southern hemisphere. Apple’s promotion is currently running in the U.S. where it is giving away vouchers, but in previous years, and in January 2023 in Australia, the company gave away AirPods to registered students purchasing a Mac or iPad.

Students can also get Apple Music for half price with free Apple TV+ included.

How much is the Apple student discount?

Apple doesn’t offer a single, universal discount to students. It sets different prices for each product range.

Students can save up to $200/£220 on Macs and up to $50/£60 on iPads.

Here’s how the iPad MSRP compares to the student price:

iPad	U.S.	U.K.	Australia	Canada
iPad (9th gen) MSRP	$329	£369	$549	$449
iPad (9th gen) Student Price	$309	£349	$519	$419
iPad (10th gen) MSRP	$449	£499	$749	$599
iPad (10th gen) Student Price	$419 	£469	$699	$559
iPad mini MSRP	$499	£569	$829	$679
iPad mini Student Price	$449 	£509	$749	$609
iPad Air MSRP	$599	£669	$999	$799
iPad Air Student Price	$549	£609	$919	$729
iPad Pro 11-inch MSRP	$799	£899	$1,399	$1,099
iPad Pro 11-inch Student Price	$749	£839	$1,309	$1,029

Here’s how the Mac MSRP compares to the student price:

Mac	U.S.	U.K.	Australia	Canada
13.3-inch MacBook Air, M1, MSRP	$999	£999	$1,499	$1,299
13.3-inch MacBook Air, M1, Student discount	$899	£899	$1,349	$1,169
13.6-inch MacBook Air, M2, MSRP	$1,099	£1,149	$1,799	$1,449
13.6-inch MacBook Air, M2, Student discount	$999	£1,049	$1,649	$1,299
15-inch MacBook Air, M2, MSRP	$1,299	£1,399	$2,199	$1,749
15-inch MacBook Air, M2, Student discount	$1,199	£1,289	$1,999	$1,599
13-inch MacBook Pro MSRP	$1,299	£1,349	$1,999	$1,699
13-inch MacBook Pro Student discount	$1,199	£1,249	$1,849	$1,574
14-inch MacBook Pro MSRP	$1,999	£2,149	$3,199	$2,599
14-inch MacBook Pro Student discount	$1,849	£1,989	$2,959	$2,399
16-inch MacBook Pro MSRP	$2,499	£2,699	$3,999	$3,199
16-inch MacBook Pro Student discount	$2,299	£2,479	$3,679	$2,939
iMac MSRP	$1,299	£1,399	$1,999	$1,699
iMac Student discount	$1,249	£1,349	$1,919	$1,629
Mac mini MSRP	$599	£649	$999	$799
Mac mini Student discount	$499	£539	$829	$669
Mac Studio MSRP	$1,999	£2,099	$3,299	$2,699
Mac Studio Student discount	$1,799	£1,889	$2,969	$2,429
Mac Pro MSRP	$6,999	£7,199	$11,999	$8,999
Mac Pro Student discount	$6,599	£6,789	$11,309	$8,479

MacBook student discounts

Below are the discounts on the base model Macs, there are bigger discounts on the more expensive models.

How much can students save on the 13-inch MacBook Air, M2?

MSRP: $1,099 / £1,149 / AU$1,799 / CA$1,449
Student: $999 / £1,049 / AU$1,649 / CA$1,299

Students save: $100 / £100 / AU$150 / CA$150

How much can students save on the 15-inch MacBook Air, M2?

MSRP: $1,299 / £1,399 / AU$2,199 / CA$1,749
Student: $1,199 / £1,289 / AU$1,999 / CA$1,599

Students save: $100 / £110 / AU$200 / CA$150

How much can students save on the 13-inch MacBook Pro, M2?

MSRP: $1,299 / £1,349 / AU$1,999 / CA$1,699
Student: $1,199 / £1,249 / AU$1,849 / CA$1,574

Students save: $100 / £150 / AU$150 / CA$125

How much can students save on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, M2 Pro?

MSRP: $1,999 / £2,149 / AU$3,199 / CA$2,599
Student: $1,849 / £1,989 / AU$2,959 / CA$2,399

Students save: $150 / £160 / AU$240 / CA$200

How much can students save on the 13-inch MacBook Air, M1?

MSRP: $999 / £999 / AU$1,499 / CA$1,299
Student: $899 / £899 /AU$1,349 / CA$1,169

Students save: $100 / £100 / AU$150 / CA$130

How much can students save on the Mac mini, M2?

MSRP: $599 / £649 / AU$999 / CA$799
Student: $499 / £539 / AU$829 / CA$669

Students save: $100 / £110 / AU$170 / CA$130

How much can students save on the iMac?

MSRP: $1,299 / £1,399 / AU$1,999 / CA$1,699
Student discount: $1,249 / £1,349 / AU$1,919 / CA$1,629

Students save: $50 / £210 / AU$330 / CA$270

Get the student discount at:

Apple’s U.S. Education Store
Apple’s U.K. Education Store (in the UK you will need to verify your student status via UNiDAYS).
Apple’s Canada Education Store
Apple’s Australian Education Store

You may be able to get better discounts if you shop elsewhere. We round up the best MacBook Pro deals, the best MacBook Air deals, the best iMac deals, and the best Mac mini deals.

We also have a guide to the best Mac for students that you might find useful.

iPad student discounts

Below are the discounts on the base model iPads, there are bigger discounts on the more expensive models.

How much can students save on the 9th gen iPad?

MSRP: $329 / £369 / AU$549 / CA$449
Students: $309 / £349 / AU$519 / CA$419

Students save: $20 / £20 / AU$30 / CA$30

How much can students save on the iPad mini?

MSRP: $499 / £569 / AU$829 / CA$679
Students: $449 / £509 / AU$749 / CA $609

Students save: $50 / £60 / AU$80 / CA$70

How much can students save on the 10th gen iPad?

MSRP: $449 / £499 / AU$749 / CA$599
Students; $419 / £469 / AU$699 / CA$559

Students save: $30 / £30 / AU$50 / CA$40

Get the student discount at:

Apple’s U.S. Education Store
Apple’s U.K. Education Store (in the UK you will need to verify your student status via UNiDAYS).
Apple’s Canada Education Store
Apple’s Australian Education Store

You may find a better deal or discount if you check out our deals round-ups: best iPad Air deals, best iPad mini deals, best iPad 10.2in deals, and the best iPad Pro deals.

If you’re thinking of buying an iPad for college or university you also might like to read our guide to the Best iPad for students.

Who can get an Apple student discount?

Now we have told you how much you can save, the big question is whether you can save anything at all. Do you qualify for Apple’s student discounts?

In order to shop at Apple’s Education Stores and take advantage of the lower prices you need to qualify as a student or work in an education institution.

If you were hoping that you could get a discount for the Mac you want to buy your 13-year-old the bad news is that you can’t, unless you are employed by the school and buying for the institution, or you are a home educator. Students in high school don’t qualify for this discount.

There are three types of people who can qualify for a student discount:

• Students in higher education (post-secondary education, e.g. university, college).
• People who are buying for education institutions.
• Parents of higher education students buying on their behalf.
• Home-based educators.

Apple spells this out in more detail in its terms and conditions.

For the U.S. these state that the following groups are “eligible to purchase from the Apple Store for Education:”

• K-12 staff: Any employee of a public or private K-12 institution in the United States is eligible, including homeschool teachers (this doesn’t include people educating their children during lockdowns). In addition, school board members who are currently serving as elected or appointed members are eligible. PTA or PTO executives currently serving as elected or appointed officers are eligible.
• Higher education staff and students: Faculty and staff of higher educational institutions in the U.S.; and students attending, or accepted into a higher educational institution in the U.S. are eligible to purchase. Purchases from the Apple Store for Education Individuals are not for institutional purchase or resale.
• Higher education parents: Parents purchasing on behalf of their child, who is a student currently attending or accepted into a public or private higher educational institution in the U.S. are eligible to purchase.

Apple has a similar set of terms and conditions for eligibility in the U.K.:

• Employees of any education institution: Any employee of a public or private education institution in the U.K.
• Post-secondary education students: Students attending or accepted into a post-secondary education institution in the U.K.
• Parents of post-secondary students: Parents purchasing on behalf of their child, who is a student currently attending or accepted into a public or private post-secondary education institution in the U.K.

If you’re attending higher education, or have been accepted into a higher education/post-secondary institution, you qualify for an Apple discount. (In the U.K. post-secondary means university, or any other formal education that takes place after secondary education is complete. Therefore, this excludes sixth-form colleges, although it may be worth inquiring at an Apple Store to see if the company is prepared to relax the rules.)

Parents of post-secondary/higher education students do not qualify when buying for themselves, but they can pick up a discounted Mac for their child from the education store.

Anybody who works in an educational environment qualifies for a discount on certain Apple products. It’s not just limited to teachers and lecturers but also covers administrative workers and other staff members. Essentially, it’s anybody who works at or for a school, college, or university. (This is not limited to post-secondary institutions. Apple refers to “any education institution.”)

This does mean that you can’t get a discount for a Mac or iPad for your child who is currently at school, although the school could make the purchase and provide the equipment for students.

If you don’t qualify for an Apple Education Store discount, we’d recommend instead checking out the Apple Refurbished Store, which offers discounts for everyone. You can’t apply a student discount in Apple’s Refurbished Store. We also recommend that you check our round-ups of the latest and best Apple deals we find at various Apple resellers.

How many products can I buy?

According to this Sales Policy document on the U.S. Apple site and the same on the U.K. Apple Education site, students can purchase the following with education pricing:

• Desktop Mac: One may be purchased per year
• Laptop Mac: One may be purchased per year
• iPad: Two may be purchased per year
• Accessories: Two accessories with Education Pricing may be purchased per year

How to get a student discount at Apple

Having established that you qualify for an education discount, how can you get money off at Apple?

You may think that all you need to do is visit the Apple Store for Education and you will find the products you want at a lower price. However, before you can access Apple’s Education Store you will need to verify that you are a student or that you qualify in another way (e.g. you work in a school or college). Different countries have different sequences of steps to go through, which we will run through below. 

How to get an Apple student discount in the U.S.

If you are a student in the U.S. it is quite easy to get an Education discount at the U.S. Apple Store–in fact, a loophole may mean it is possible to get a student discount without any proof that you are a student. If you are a student you should follow these steps:

1. Visit Apple’s U.S. Education Store.
2. Choose the Mac or iPad you want and click on your selection.
3. Once you have customized your Apple product, click Continue.
4. Enter your delivery details and check out.
5. Beware that Apple can request to see evidence that you are a student at any point during or after the purchase and will charge an additional fee if you fail to provide it.

If you have any problems, we recommend you get your student status verified with UNiDAYS or log on from your university network. Make sure you have quick access to some form of official identification that proves you qualify for the education discount. Your student ID is a good choice.

In January 2022, Apple changed the U.S. Education Discount Store to require validation from UNiDAYS before students can get a discount, but it then removed the requirement. Apple could re-implement this validation step that students in other countries have to go through. If it does it may still be possible for non-students in the U.S. to avoid the validation step, as per this Reddit post.

Canadian students can follow the same steps as the U.S. Start shopping at Apple’s Canada Education Store.

How to get an Apple student discount in the U.K.

U.K. students will need to register with UNiDAYS before they can get a discount from the Apple Education Store.

1. Visit Apple’s U.K. Education Store to access the Apple Education site.
2. Once there you’ll be encouraged to sign up on the student discount website UNiDAYS. You can also use the alternative service Student Beans to register for Apple’s educational discounts.
3. On whichever site you use, you’ll need to provide your email address and a password, your name, institution, subject of study, years of study, and course length.
4. Once you have completed the registration process and signed in you will be able to access Apple’s student discounts.

If you don’t want to register via a verification site, you can also call Apple, use Apple’s Chat online feature, or visit an Apple Store. The staff there will guide you through the process.

How to get an Apple student discount in Australia

1. Visit Apple’s Australian Education Store.
2. It’s usually best to log on from your university network if you can.
3. You will also want to make sure you have quick access to some form of official identification that proves you qualify for the education discount. Your student ID is a good choice.
4. However, you may find you don’t actually require any sort of login or ID to order from the Apple Education Store–but beware that Apple can request to see evidence that you are a student at any point during or after the purchase and will charge an additional fee if you fail to provide it.

How to buy Apple products for an education institution

If you have been tasked with buying new Macs or iPads for a school, college, or university then Apple has a different store for you. This store is designed for those who are buying a Mac for an educational institution (for students to work on rather than for individual students to own).

1. You should visit the U.S. Apple Store for Education Institutions, the U.K. Apple Store for Education Institutions, or the Australian equivalent.
2. You’ll need to search for your Educational Institution: enter your institution’s details and click on search. 
3. If your institution is found you will be able to sign in to access your institution’s store.
4. You may still need to register before you can use the store.
5. If your school, college, or other institution isn’t found then you may need to call Apple to discuss registering your school.

How to get a student discount for Apple Music and Apple TV+

Apple’s student membership scheme for Apple Music offers those in full-time education a 50 percent subscription discount and this deal is better than ever right now because the Student Apple Music deal also includes Apple TV+ for a limited time (normally $6.99/£6.99 per month). If you are a student, here’s how to get Apple Music for half price.

Apple regularly offers three months free for new subscribers to Apple Music, so you might want to take that up first. Get three months free here or read How to get Apple Music for free.

The student discount brings the monthly cost of Apple Music membership down from $10.99/£10.99 to $5.99/£5.99, with identical schemes in Ireland, the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and Denmark, each offering half off the usual price. And with Apple TV+ bundled in for free, it’s a great deal!

To qualify for the student discount, you’ll need to prove that you’re enrolled at an eligible university or college.

The Student Membership tier is the third membership tier Apple has offered to consumers, alongside Individual Membership ($10.99/£10.99 per month) and Family Membership ($16.99/£16.99). Visit Apple’s site for more details and to sign up.

If you’re a student and signing up for Apple Music on your iPhone or iPad, tap where it says “Are you a University Student?” and you’ll be directed to a verification system. If your college or university is eligible you’ll get a reduced subscription rate. Read our guide to Apple Music.

Apple Inc, Internet

Apple holds a Back to School promotion (now known as the Higher Education Offer to avoid confusion because it’s not open to students before they enter higher education, only the institutions and teachers) every year and offers an incentive with purchases of qualifying Apple products.

Apple has, for a long time, given away a pair of AirPods with qualifying sales, but this summer, like the summer of 2022, Apple isn’t giving away AirPods to students. Instead, Apple is offering gift cards with qualifying purchases. This change means those taking advantage of the deal get more choice about what they spent their money on, rather than being limited to headphones.

However, Apple’s decision to revert to vouchers again in the summer of 2023 came as a surprise because, when Apple kicked off its student deal in Australia, New Zealand and other Southern Hemisphere locations in January 2023, students in those countries were able to choose a free pair of AirPods with their qualifying purchase.

Apple kicked off the Higher Education Offer for the U.S. on June 5, 2023. It will run until October 2, 2023. So if you are based in that part of the world now is the time to take advantage! Read about how to do that below. We expect Apple to launch a similar deal in Canada soon.

In 2022 the Apple Education deal launched in the U.K. and Europe on July 14 and ran until to October 20. Expect similar timing in 2023.

All products sold to students via Apple’s Education Store include a discount, so you will already be making a saving on any of these products. This education-focused deal is in addition to these year-long discounts Apple offers to students and education institutions on its Macs and iPads. We explain everything you need to know about getting a discount, including how much you can save as a student, and explain how to use Apple’s Education Store in this guide to shopping in the Apple Education Store.

We have advice about the Best Mac for Students and the Best iPad for Students. You may also like to read our Apple student buying guide.

What’s Apple’s Back To School offer in 2023?

The Higher Education deal runs at different times depending on which side of the earth you are based. This is due to differences in when the school year starts around the globe Apple runs the promotion at different times in different places.

Apple runs the promotion in the southern hemisphere in the first few months of the year. Hence, if you live in Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Brazil) you can take advantage of Apple’s deal from early January to March. (We are awaiting confirmation of whether Apple has a similar deal in Malaysia).

The same deal runs later in the year in the U.K., U.S., Canada and Europe. Usually between June and September in North America, and between July and October in Europe and the UK.

Northern Hemisphere:

Assuming that Apple’s deal for the Northern Hemisphere is the same in the U.S., U.K., and Europe, students can expect to get vouchers with their purchases this summer.

The terms and conditions of the deal will be here (US)/(UK).

Qualifying purchases:

Qualifying purchases for Apple’s deal in the U.S. as of June 2023 include: iMac 24‑inch, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini, iPad Pro 12.9‑inch, iPad Pro 11‑inch, iPad Air.

Students can also get a free month of both Apple Music and Apple TV+ when they buy an Apple product. Read: How to get cheap Apple Music and Apple TV+ as a student.

Southern Hemisphere:

When the deal kicked off earlier this year in Australia and other southern hemisphere locations the offer included free AirPods. That deal finished in March 2023.

• Free AirPods (2nd generation) worth A$219. Or equivalent saving on any AirPods or AirPods Pro.
• 20% off AppleCare+.

Visit the Apple education store in your country for more details. e.g. Apple Australia’s website. The terms and conditions of the deal in Apple Australia are here.

How to get Apple’s Back To School deal

As long as you based in an area where Apple is running the deal at the time of your purchase, and are a student in higher education, or about to start higher education, you can qualify for Apple’s Higher Education deal and get a free pair of AirPods (or vouchers if that’s what the deal is). There are more details about who the deal applies to below.

Note that if you qualify you are able to get discounts all year round by shopping in the Apple Education Store, so you don’t need to shop during the Back to Uni deal period to get a bargain.

In the U.S. you’ll need to visit Apple’s US Education Store, but logging on from your university network may make the process easier. 

In the U.K. you can visit the UK Education Store, but you will also need to verify your student or staff status with UNiDAYS.

Go to the Apple Education Store for other regions using the links below:

• Canada
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Brazil
• South Korea

When you make your purchase you will be able to request the Apple Gift Card.

Read on to find out the dates the deal will run in 2023.

When is Apple’s Back to School Sale 2023?

• Apple’s Higher Education Offer started on June 5, 2023 and will run until October 2 in the U.S.
• In the U.K. and Europe the deal usually runs from mid-July to October.
• In Australia and New Zealand the deal ran between January 18 and and March 13, 2023, so similar timings are likely in 2024.

Apple Back to School Sale U.S. & Canada dates 2023

• June 5 – October 2 2023 – U.S. CONFIRMED

In the summer of 2022 Apple offered vouchers for its Higher Education Deal. Apple also offers vouchers during its Black Friday shopping event. Students could get different value vouchers depending on the products purchased.

This year the deal has started a bit sooner and will run a little longer in North America. In 2022 the deal ran from June 24 to September 26, while in 2021 the deal ran from June 17 to September 27. In 2020 Apple launched the U.S. sale on 15 June with an end date set for 29 September, although Apple ended up extending the end date to October 12 instead, moving it to just a day before Amazon’s Prime Day, which took place over October 13-14, 2020.

For summer 2023 students can get the following:

• Buy a iMac, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air and get a $150 Apple gift card.
• Buy a Mac mini and get a $100 Apple gift card.
• Buy a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, 11-inch iPad Pro, or iPad Air and get a $100 Apple gift card

This is similar to summer 2022, when students could:

• Buy a MacBook Air, 13-inch, 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro, or a 24-inch iMac and get a $150 Apple Gift Card.
• Buy an iPad Air (5th gen), iPad Pro 11-inch or 12.9-inch and get a $100 Apple Gift Card.

Apple’s education discounts are available all year round. Visit the US Education Store and Canada Education Store for more information.

Apple Back to School Sale UK/Europe – dates 2023

• July 13 – October 21, 2023 – ESTIMATED

In 2022 Apple’s Higher Education Offer (aka Back to School Sale) started on July 14 in the U.K. Education Store. The sale ran until Monday, October 20. Apple U.K.’s Back to School Sale in 2020 started July 9 and lasted until October 29. Apple launched its 2019 sale on July 9, and its 2018 sale started on July 12.

For summer 2022 students could:

• Buy an iPad Air (5th gen), iPad Pro 11-inch or 12.9-inch and get a £80 Apple Gift Card.
• Buy a MacBook Air, 13-inch, 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro, or a 24-inch iMac and get a £120 Apple Gift Card.

If this year’s deal isn’t running when you are considering making a purchase from Apple that’s no reason for disappointment: Apple’s education discounts are available all year round. Students and educators need to log in via UNiDAYS website to see the offers. Educational Store discounts are usually up to £280 for U.K. students. See Apple’s terms and conditions.

Apple Back to School Sale Australia/New Zealand/South America/South Korea 2023

• January 18 to 13 March, 2023

The dates in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, South Korea correspond with the new school year there. In 2022 the deal ran from January 6-March 14, 2022. In 2021 the sale ran from January 7 to March 16. In 2023 the deal started a little later on January 18.

Who can get Apple’s Back to School deal?

If you are registered at a higher education facility (that’s post-K12 education, universities and colleges) you will qualify for the free AirPods deal as well as Apple usual education discount. Employees of these institutions can also qualify. If you are a parent buying for your student offspring then you can also qualify. Here are Apple’s Ts&Cs for the U.S.

Alternatively, if you are an employee of a public or private K-12 institution/school in the U.S. or Canada you are also eligible. Apple’s Education pricing isn’t available to parents with kids at school, but a homeschool teacher can qualify.

Even when Apple isn’t running the Back to School Deal students and education institutions can still take advantage of its standard educational pricing on its Educational Pricing page (US here / UK here).

Which iPads are included in Apple’s Back to School deal?

Not every Apple product you can buy in the Education Store is included in the free vouchers deal.

In 2023 Apple is including the following iPads in the deal in the U.S.:

• iPad Air (5th gen)
• iPad Pro 11-inch (4th gen)
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th gen)

It’s notable that Apple doesn’t include the cheaper iPad 10th gen, or even the older 9th gen iPad. The iPad mini is also omitted.

You can still get discounted Educational Pricing on the iPad and iPad mini if you qualify, you just won’t be able to get the freebie.

If you don’t qualify for the education pricing we have a separate guide on where to get the best deals on the iPad. For advice about which iPad to buy read which iPad is best for students.

Which Macs are included in Apple’s Back to School deal?

Not every Apple product you can buy in the Education Store is included in the free vouchers deal. Apple doesn’t usually offer incentives to buy the newest Apple products, but this year it does appear to be including the new 15-inch MacBook Air in the deal.

In 2023 the following Macs are included in the deal:

• MacBook Air
• MacBook Pro
• iMac
• Mac mini

This is the first year in a while that the Mac mini has been included in the deal.

You can already take advantage of education pricing for all of those Macs.

If you don’t qualify for an education discount have a look at these round ups of the best deals on a new Mac:

• Best MacBook Pro deals
• MacBook Air deals
• Mac mini deals
• Best iMac deals
• Best Mac Studio deals

We also have this advice about which Mac is best for students.

Apple, Home Audio, iPad, Mac

Apple pulled the covers back on the latest iteration of its Mac operating system at WWDC on 5 June 2023. Named macOS Sonoma after the city in Northern California known for its winemaking region, the new software has customization at its heart, with Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering stating, “We think users are going to love macOS Sonoma and the new ways it enables them to personalize with widgets and stunning new screen savers, see new levels of gaming performance, and gain powerful productivity for video conferencing and browsing with Safari.” Here are the headline features to look forward to in macOS Sonoma when it arrives in the fall.

Screensavers

Ok, this might seem like a blast from the past, but screensavers are still a thing and Apple has taken them up a level in macOS Sonoma. Rather than static images, the new screensaver mode has high-resolution videos, gently sweeping across areas of outstanding beauty around the world. Also, when you log in, the video slows to a paused image that instantly becomes your wallpaper.

Widgets

Widgets made their debut on Apple’s mobile devices with iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, and now in macOS 14 they come to the larger screens. It’s true that you already had them available in the Notifications Center, but now you’re able to drag them from that area onto your desktop. They won’t snap automatically to locations either, as they do on mobile devices, so you can place them where you choose, another sign of the personalization that macOS Sonoma offers.

Opening up an app will cause the widgets to fade into the background, matching whatever wallpaper color scheme is selected, making them non-intrusive. But, perhaps the most useful feature is that in macOS Sonoma you’ll be able to use existing widgets from your iPhone on the Mac. There’s no need to install them either, as the two devices will use Continuity to display them on your desktop. They remain fully interactive too, so you can use them just as you do on your iPhone.

Gaming

For many years, gaming was the preserve of Windows PCs, with the Mac often left out in the cold. With the performance gains Apple made with its M1 and M2 processors, it seems that the company is keen to make up this ground with the introduction of a new Game Mode. This essentially optimizes the system to give the highest priority to CPU and GPU demands while also lowering latency in controllers and AirPods by doubling the Bluetooth sampling rates. The model is compatible with all existing games on the Mac, so you won’t need special editions or new purchases to take advantage of the improved performance.

To encourage publishers to use Game Mode, Apple also announced its new Game Porting Kit which it claims will drastically reduce the amount of work needed to bring titles across to the Mac from other platforms. And there’s a new title coming to macOS later this year to take advantage of it all: Death Stranding.

Video conferencing

macOS Sonoma aims to make video conferencing smarter, with tools for hosts and those watching. A new Presenter Overlay feature allows the host to remain in view at all times, either in a small circular window that can be moved around the screen to stop it from obscuring the information being shared. Alternatively, switching to the larger mode triggers some clever work from the Neural Engine, which places the presenter in a bigger space with the shared information behind them but still visible. The most impressive part is that the background in the room is then layered behind both, making it seem like the data being presented is floating in the room.

Other callers can also respond with reactions that display balloons, fireworks, and other celebratory animations over their video. For even more fun, these can be triggered by physical gestures, such as a double thumbs-up. Should make those long conference calls a little more interesting. As the effects are all done in macOS, Apple says that they will work across any video conferencing software.

Safari improvements

macOS Sonoma brings some extra security capabilities to the Safari browser. These include locking browsing windows when you’re not using them, blocking trackers from loading on pages, and removing trackers from URLs when in Private browsing mode.

Passkeys get some attention too, as you’ll now be able to securely share passkeys and passwords with family and friends, with the ability for anyone in the group to update them or add new ones. It’s all worked through iCloud Keychain, so the data remains encrypted at all points. Another useful addition is Profiles, which allows you to create multiple instances of Safari, with one maybe focussed on work, with all the favorites, bookmarks, and things related to that, but also another for home where you have a completely different collection of information.

Web apps

Yes, you read that right, web apps on Mac. If you use a website regularly, with macOS Sonoma you can create an icon in the dock that will take you straight to that site. But Safari recognizes that you’ve chosen it as a web app, and instead of simply opening up the main browser window it instead shows a simplified one that acts more like an app. It’s all handled by Safari, so doesn’t require the websites to have any additional coding or special modes themselves. It also supports notifications, so you can see when an order is on its way or when the latest stories are posted.

When can you get macOS Sonoma?

Apple uses WWDC to highlight the features that will appear in its software lineup, but you won’t be able to get your hands on it until the fall. In the meantime, if you can’t wait that long, you can sign up for the Apple Beta Software program and try it out early. Just be aware that the software is still in the development stage, so it won’t run as smoothly as it will if you hold back until the full version becomes available later this year.

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