ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Safari developer beta release notes show some new features in testing.
- Appearance changes to Safari allow more customization in Apple’s browser.
- Siri AI will have more access to apps, completing more complex tasks.
Developer betas for MacOS 27.3, iPadOS 27.3, and iOS 27.3 are here, with some major upgrades to the Safari browser. Vertical tabs, adaptive dark mode, and deeper Siri AI integration are on their way to the public, but are first in beta for testing.
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Siri AI is expected to continue to be woven into music, messages, photos, calendars and Safari. Adaptive Dark Mode allows viewing any website in Dark Mode, even if the site doesn’t support it. Finally, vertical tabs are quite simple, allowing vertical navigation and drag-and-drop tab reorganization.
Here’s what you can expect when the software goes public in mid-December.
Siri AI is making more appearances
Siri AI gets more access to your Apple devices, allowing for more cross-app functionality and the ability to perform complex multi-step tasks in your apps.
According to 9to5Mac, you can ask Siri AI to create a playlist of music and save it to your library, request messages to schedule for later sending, organize and label photos, and create a detailed calendar invitation – all with your voice.
The same reporting also says that Siri AI features will appear in maps, weather, shortcuts and notes, signaling that an AI-supercharged Siri will live in every crevice of your Apple devices.
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I’m not one to complete tasks like the ones mentioned above on my iPhone – I’m much more likely to do them on my MacBook Air because I associate the laptop with productivity. Every blue moon I’ll rearrange my entire Apple Music catalog, every month I’ll fill out my calendar, and sometimes I’ll go through photos and try to organize it. I can see myself automating several steps in these tasks, and I’m excited to give it a try.
A democracy in dark mode
A WebKit blog post details that adaptive dark mode is coming to Safari, how it works and what users can expect. According to the post, 40% of the website’s websites are dark mode users, but only 10% of websites support it natively.
I’m especially excited about this feature because I set my Apple devices to automatically activate Dark Mode at 7pm to encourage a more relaxed evening scrolling vibe, especially while reading. I read a lot on my MacBook, and in a dark room a bright page can feel too bright, but the size of my laptop’s display doesn’t quite do the trick.
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The WebKit blog post says that adaptive dark mode “uses a color matrix to invert the lightness of colors while maintaining the hue” and distinguishes between when a page’s color is purely decorative and when it has substantive meaning, ensuring that the user experience remains consistent between light and dark modes.
Vertical tabs for the win
Vertical browser tabs are not a new concept, but they will soon be new to Safari. I see the value in vertical tabs: a list view is easier to scan, website titles don’t get cut off when multiple tabs are open, and they’re especially useful when working on a widescreen monitor.
Many people who spend hours with their Mac or MacBook may find this upcoming feature useful. I believe Safari is the superior browser for personal use, because of its integration with your Apple devices, especially with features like Handoff.
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However, I have a big gripe with vertical tabs: they are usually locked on the left panel, and I prefer the right one. If Safari allows this customization, I will seriously consider switching from horizontal tabs.
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