I have learned that MACOS updates are not expected much – not through a sheer condolence, but from the apparent reality that Apple pays far more attention to iOS and iPados than its desktop platform. I understood. Macos is a matter of the past, while smartphones and tablets are beneficial current and future of Apple. But still, I think Mac users are only worth more than wigates, or only their iPhones (a feature that is really useful, but also to tell how iphones are important for Apple and its users today). Now with Macos 26, Apple is finally showing a little more love than his laptop and desktop.
After testing the McOS Taho 26 Developer Beta for a few weeks, it certainly seems to be more like sufficient updates than the previous few versions. The revived spotlight alone will probably delight Mac dihards, as it makes it easier to find apps and makes your fingers easy to do all kinds of tasks without the need to leave the keyboard. With Apple’s liquid glass design -add a beautiful view to the iPhone continuity features to the refresh, and you have an operating system that feels like a real step for Mac loyal.
(Ed. Note: Apple released public bets for just iOS 26, iPados 26, Macos 26 and Watches 26This means that you can run preview for yourself, if you are ready to risk potential buggy or unstable software, which can cause some of your apps not to work. As usual, we recommend supporting all your dates before running any beta, and you can follow us Guide on how to install Apple’s public sons To do this.)
Spotlight gets more than a search engine
I have never been a heavy spotlight user, separate from some time I need to quickly look for an app or file. But in Mcos Taho 26, it is suddenly very useful. Now the spotlight can also help you find specific files; Find cloud file services and websites; Run Apple shortcuts and automation; And even run basic commands, such as you type your recent screenshot while typing “/screenshots”. Spotlight has exceeded just one search engine for your Mac, it is practically a super-managed command line. (And in particular, it has no real counterpart on Windows. So once again, Mac Power users will be able to glott about the domination of McOS.)
During my testing, the command to trigger the spotlight and tapping the space bar became practically the second nature. I would bring it up to find files as usual, but I saw that it was better to find out what I was looking at before. Spotlight also changed my normal practice of typing in search strings in the address bar of safari or chrome. It takes just a few seconds to bring the spotlight, type “youtube”, hit the tab to trigger the search box and type in the video I am watching. This intelligent site also works for Amazon and IMDB – expected, apple will add more commonly used sites over time (or perhaps the ability to map to spotlight the internal search engine of the site).
If you are often buried by tones tons in your web browser, the spotlight can also search quickly through them. This helped me to avoid being distracted by social media and dull conversation. I could simply live in my productivity flow, because I did not have to throw many apps through windows and tabs. The ability to trigger actions from the spotlight was equally useful – it is a chinch to pop up it, start typing “messages” and recite a quick recitation to my wife. Spotlight also learns your most common orders over time, so now I just have to type “SE” for the message action just pop up.
I am sure for a certain type of Mac Power user, the spotlight will give them very little reason to touch their mouse or trackpad anytime.
A more sophisticated user interface with liquid glass
While Spotlight Mcos Taho is the most powerful upgrade in 26, you will first see the Spifier liquid glass interface. With iOS 26, it basically is more transparency and visual fruiting -flowers that spread throughout the OS. The menu bar at the top of the screen is now completely transparent, instead of looking foggy as before. This is not too much, but it sounds slightly larger to your Mac screen (or perhaps it can be just an additional noticeable on the 13 -inch MacBook Air on which I am testing).
Similarly, widget and control center dropdown contain more visual elements such as glass that make them a little more modern. There is no real practical advantage, but to cross a classic Marj Simpson quotation, I think it’s clean. Apple silicon-equipped hardware has sufficient graphics higher than power, so these visual upgrade also do not obstruct performance. I did not see any recession during my test, and according to the activity monitor, the CPU or GPU did not seem a major hit for use.
Better iphone integration
Even though you have been able to make a phone call on Mac for some time through facetime, it is taken up to MacoS Taho 26 for Apple to debut a dedicated phone app. The app is nothing special in itself – it gives you a quick look at your contacts and recent calls, all in a compact liquid glass window – but at least it’s more logical space for phone calls.
Better than the Standalone app, however, Mcos Taho is in addition to the iPhone live activities appearing in the 26 menu bar. This makes it easier to keep the track of inbound Uber or Dordash Order without taking out your phone. And if you need to tap in a specific activity, Macos will automatically launch the app from your phone through iPhone Mirroring. This is a type of purposeful feature that you will expect from Apple, and especially it is also not easily replicated on Windows. (And of course, you can also see it as a way to stop iPhone users from wandering to the dark side.)
Other useful upgrades
The more I dug in Makos Taho 26, the more complicated. Here are some other updates worth highlighting:
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The shortcut app now looks much more powerful, especially in addition to custom automation and apple intelligence-operated functions. You may have an automation trigger writing tool or image playground, and also has a new “usage model” command that can tap on the on-device AI model and chatgate. I am still trying to wrap my head around the creation of a complex automation, but it is estimated that it can let you do something like comparing audio transcript with text notes, according to Apple.
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The safari has got a liquid glass redigation that looks very polished. This safari is not almost transformative as iOS upgrade, which makes it easy to read websites on a small phone screen, but at least it looks good.
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Whenever you share the content, the notes app now have Apple Intelligence-Equip Reminder. This can help you detect certain functions with a large email.
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The photo app has also received liquid glass treatment, and you can eventually use a collection of pinned on Mac to handle your favorite photo groups.
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The Apple Music app can now use automics to mix songs together, similar to a DJ. I am using this feature on iOS 26, and it is honestly delightful – so unless you are the total gapless playback puris.
