MacOS Monterey

macOS Monterey (version 12) is the current major release of macOS, developed by Apple Inc. It was released on October 25, 2021 at 10 a.m. (Cupertino time) to succeed MacOS Big Sur.

Development
The forthcoming existence of macOS 12 was discovered within the source code of a WebKit update from February 2021. It was announced on June 7 at the 2021 Worldwide Developers Conference, with the first beta version being released to developers.

New features
New features announced at WWDC 2021 include:
 * Live Text for machine recognition of selectable text within images and photos.
 * Privacy features protect Mail activity from being detected by email spammers.
 * Safari is updated with a new more compact user interface that takes on the color of the visited webpage and introduces tab groups to consolidate and organize tabs.
 * Shortcuts supersedes Automator for automating workflows.
 * Spatial audio support during FaceTime calls with AirPods Max and Pro headphones, or built-in speakers on selected Mac models (2018 and later).
 * Split view will be enhanced with the ability to swap out apps or return to a single full screen. Users can also opt to keep the menu bar visible in full-screen apps.
 * Universal Control allows users to have a single keyboard and mouse setup move between macOS and iPadOS devices for a more seamless workflow.

Features that require an Apple Silicon processor
The following features require an Apple M1 or newer processor from Apple:
 * Portrait Mode in FaceTime
 * Interactive globe and additional 3D surface detail in Apple Maps
 * Object Capture AR
 * On-device keyboard dictation
 * Additional Text-to-Speech languages in Siri

Supported models

 * iMac (late 2015 or later)
 * iMac Pro (2017 or later)
 * MacBook (early 2016 or later)
 * MacBook Air (early 2015 or later)
 * MacBook Pro (early 2015 or later)
 * Mac mini (late 2014 or later)
 * Mac Pro (2013 or later)

Gallery
Monterey includes dynamic desktops, which change according to time and lighting conditions.

Articles

 * What’s new in macOS Monterey beta 2? Safari tweaks, new screensavers + wallpapers, more by Chance Miller at 9to5Mac (2021-06-28)
 * macOS Monterey: Universal control, Shortcuts, Safari, and more by Roman Loyola at Macworld (2021-06-13)
 * macOS 12 Monterey new features, release date, beta and compatibility by Alex Wawro at Tom's Guide (2021-06-07)