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Definition: Sierra


Version 10.12 of the Mac operating system, introduced in 2016. Sierra was officially rebranded macOS Sierra rather than the OS X moniker used by Apple for 17 years. Sierra is not supported on older Macs, although it may run depending on the model. The official support is for Mac computers built in 2010 or later, except MacBooks and iMacs, which can be 2009 or later.

More Integration of Mobile Features
Siri is integrated into Sierra, and an Apple smartwatch can be used to unlock the machine. iCloud files can be accessed via the Mac as well as mobile devices, and user files are uploaded to iCloud if local storage becomes insufficient. The Photos and iTunes apps have been enhanced. For better support of solid state drives (SSDs), a new file system is used in Sierra (see APFS). Picture-in-picture allows a video to appear over a full-screen application, and the clipboard can be shared across other Macs in the network. See macOS, Mac OS X and High Sierra.