Both Microsoft and Apple released significant updates to their desktop operating systems on Tuesday.

Apple released Sonoma – the name of macOS 14 – while Microsoft released the Windows 11 2023 Update (also called the 23H2 update), although not everyone will be offered that update immediately.

Here are the key highlights of both releases:

MacOS Sonoma

Firstly, macOS 14 will end support for a wide range of older Mac hardware, including relatively recent Intel-based Macs. The only machines officially supported by Sonoma are: iMac (2019 and later), Mac Pro (2019 and later), iMac Pro (2017 and later), Mac Studio (all versions), MacBook Air (2018 and later), Mac mini (2018 and later) and MacBook Pro (2018 and later).

Feature changes coming in Sonoma include:

Widgets on the desktop;
The ability to train the Mac to read in your own voice;
Game mode, which will ensure more system resources are available during gameplay;
New video conferencing features;
New web app features in Safari that will allow users to turn websites into apps and park them in the dock; and
Improved autocorrect and typing predictions.

Sonoma is the successor to macOS 13, called Ventura. If Apple sticks to tradition, Sonoma will be available for download from 7pm SAST. The upgrade is free of charge.

Windows 11 2023 Update

Undoubtedly the biggest change Microsoft is introducing with the latest update to Windows 11 – called Windows 11 2023 Update – is the inclusion of Windows Copilot, which utilises the same technology behind OpenAI’s ChatGPT. In other words, Windows – like so many other Microsoft products in 2023 – is getting an infusion of generative artificial intelligence.

Effectively replacing Cortana – Microsoft’s derided competitor to Apple’s Siri and the Google Assistant – Windows Copilot will help users with everything from changing setting on their PC to launching playlists in Spotify, Windows Central reported. But will it be more like Clippy for the AI age?

Other big changes coming to the software include:

A new file explorer with a redesigned interface;
A new cloud backup tool, which should make it easier to reinstall Windows and retain files and settings; and
A new volume mixer that allows users to change the volume at app level – so, you can turn down the playback on Spotify while you listen to a WhatsApp voicenote, for example.

Windows 11 2023 Update is free of charge to all Windows 11 users.

Microsoft recently announced that it would move to an annual cadence for Windows feature updates, instead of the six-monthly cycle it had favoured before.

Read: Why everyone wants a piece of Microsoft

Windows 11 feature updates will be released in the second half of each calendar year and will come with 24 months of support for Home, Pro, Pro for Workstations and Pro Education editions, Microsoft said in a blog post in August. Enterprise and Education users will get 36 months of support.