macOS 10.14 Leak Confirms Dark Mode, Apple News App, App Store Video Previews
It looks as though the next version of macOS is getting a dark mode, along with a few other interesting additions. Just ahead of Apple's upcoming Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), developer Steve Troughton-Smith came across a 30-second preview video on Apple's servers that should have been hidden, but was accidentally made viewable. The video shows Xcode 10 running on macOS 10.14.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Xcode 10 on macOS 10.14. Dark Appearance, Apple News, App Store w/ video previews pic.twitter.com/rJlDy81W4W
— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) June 2, 2018
MacOS 10.13 users can already enable a dark mode by heading to System Preferences > General, however it only affects the dock and top menu bar. The aforementioned video clip indicates that macOS 10.14 will introduce a system-wide dark mode. The dark interface is clearly evident, and if you look closely, you can see that the Trash icon is also darker than usual. Here's a look at the video clip:
Also visible is an Apple News icon in the dock, as currently found in iOS. The presence in the video seemingly indicates that Apple is porting its Apple News app over the Mac in desktop form. In addition, it looks like Apple is enabling video previews in macOS 10.14, with a redesign of the Mac App Store so that it looks similar to the App Store as currently featured on the mobile side (iOS 11).
Lastly, it appears as though the background picture could be of a nighttime shot of the Mojave Desert. If that is the case, it could hint at what Apple plans to call macOS 10.14. Reinforcing that notion is the recent discovery of a presumed shell company for Apple filing to trademarke several California landmark names, including Mojave. So, don't be surprised if Apple ends up calling its next update macOS Mojave.
Part of what's interesting about Apple injecting elements of iOS's design into macOS is that Apple wants to keep its mobile and desktop operating systems distinctly separate with one another. In a recent interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Apple CEO Tim Cook indicated that even though a merger between iOS and macOS might be more convenient, it would lead to a decline in the overall quality.
"We don't believe in sort of watering down one for the other. Both [the Mac and iPad] are incredible. One of the reasons that both of them are incredible is because we pushed them to do what they do well. And if you begin to merge the two... you begin to make trade-offs and compromises," Cook said.
Will there be other elements of iOS in macOS 10.14? Stay tuned, as WWDC is scheduled to kick off tomorrow (Monday) at 10 AM Pacific (1 PM Eastern).
Thumbnail and Top Image Source: Twitter via Steve Troughton-Smith
