Catalina - macOS Features that have disappeared...and possible replacements

[krs]

I just learned that Dashboard has disappeared with macOS Catalina.
That was noticed by a number of Mac publications back in June, for instance
Apple will permanently remove Dashboard in macOS Catalina - The Verge

But I just saw it today in this forum.
There is no direct replacement available as far as I can tell

Are there any other macOS features that were available in the say, last five macOS versions, that quietly disappeared or where functionality was crippled?

 

[pjhutch]

Besides the Dashboard, which I never use anyway, iTunes has been replaced with different apps e.g. Music, TV, etc.

 

[IWT]

Classic Layout in the Mail app is gone, I believe.

Ian

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Besides the Dashboard, which I never use anyway, iTunes has been replaced with different apps e.g. Music, TV, etc.

..and Podcasts. Was previewed during the Keynote when Catalina was announced. So this was neither quiet nor did it disappear.

 

[krs]

Besides the Dashboard, which I never use anyway, iTunes has been replaced with different apps e.g. Music, TV, etc.

Although there is a replacement for iTunes, ie Music, functionality for certain users is lacking
Apple’s macOS Catalina update is a big problem for DJs who relied on iTunes - The Verge

 

[MacInWin]

@krs, that issue for DJs is slightly overblown. In the past, iTunes would automatically generate a XML file for the DJ playlists. Now you have to do it manually, but it can be done. Here is more: Kirkville - How to Export an XML File in the Music App in macOS Catalina

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Classic Layout in the Mail app is gone, I believe.

I've been told that the Classic Layout is still there in Mail, but it's now different.

Actually, Apple says this:

macOS Catalina - Features - Apple

 

[MacInWin]

Randy, that sounds like the Outlook layout approach. Not bad, but it is a change.

 

[BigD]

I've just realised that the Dictionary and Translate widgets no longer work in Dashboard and that Apple will never make a 64-bit version for new versions of macOS! It seems that another minor selling point for buying a new Mac is gone for no reason other than it's not seen to be 'the way forward'! It's a shame that new innovations such as the Touch Bar don't make up for the features removed i.e. MagSafe and the Dashboard

 

[Lifeisabeach]

I've just realised that the Dictionary and Translate widgets no longer work in Dashboard and that Apple will never make a 64-bit version for new versions of macOS! It seems that another minor selling point for buying a new Mac is gone for no reason other than it's not seen to be 'the way forward'! It's a shame that new innovations such as the Touch Bar don't make up for the features removed i.e. MagSafe and the Dashboard

Yep. Yer still doing it.

 

[BigD]

Yep. Yer still doing it.

Yep, and you still seem ambivalent to all the features and value that Apple are sucking out of their products year on year while maintaining or increasing their prices!

I'm sorry I don't get excited about paying more for less aluminium because if I did Apple would keep me in a constant state of ecstasy with their annual updates! The Dashboard WAS a useful feature and I still use it to check TV listings with the Safari "save to Dashboard" feature and also to screengrab my desktop using the ScreenshotPlus widget. Do you expect me to apologise for liking the Dashboard, MagSafe, useful ports and Boot Camp?

 

[ferrarr]

Yep, and you still seem ambivalent to all the features and value that Apple are sucking out of their products year on year while maintaining or increasing their prices!

I'm sorry I don't get excited about paying more for less aluminium because if I did Apple would keep me in a constant state of ecstasy with their annual updates! The Dashboard WAS a useful feature and I still use it to check TV listings with the Safari "save to Dashboard" feature and also to screengrab my desktop using the ScreenshotPlus widget. Do you expect me to apologise for liking the Dashboard, MagSafe, useful ports and Boot Camp?

"Their products", do you comprehend now? You prefer to whine and complain. If they were valued complaints, I could understand, but they are only insignificant. You prefer being stuck in the past, but that's your choice.

 

[pigoo3]

I think we all understand each others positions in this thread. Some of us disagree with the direction Apple has gone in some areas...and some of us are ok with what Apple is doing.

Let's please agree to disagree...and move on.

Thanks,

- Nick

 

[BigD]

"Their products", do you comprehend now? You prefer to whine and complain. If they were valued complaints, I could understand, but they are only insignificant. You prefer being stuck in the past, but that's your choice.

I respect what Nick has said regarding agreeing to disagree and agree with you ferrarr that on its own the decision to get rid of the Dashboard is insignificant. The problem arises when the loss of multiple 'minor' features outweighs the new features. The USB-C ports, Touch Bar and now soon to be more optimised and highly efficient Arm processors do not outweigh the 'lost' features in my view. You are entitled to your view of the future / progress but what is useful to you or I should NOT be dictated to us especially at an immovable price point. If there are significantly less features in a future product then the price should be lowered to match or an alternative product line / backwards compatibility enabled product should be provided.

My triple booting MacBook Pro is functional but it required an overly strenuous setup exercise in order to retain an acceptable level of backwards compatibility with older OSX Mac apps and games like Elite Dangerous that demand platform agnostic technologies that Apple showed no interest in maintaining. That's all fine if Apple want to throw away all that code base, useful apps / what games support the Mac once enjoyed and rather demand that we all relearn our work flows for different Apple approved Arm software / buy additional hardware. However, we can still ask ourselves whether Apple is making tangible improvements that warrant the price point. Enough said.

 

[ferrarr]

@BigD, I understand your disappointment with Apple and the direction they're moving. But these forums have nothing to do with Apple, we are only users of Apple products. Have you given Apple all of your feedback, that you keep posting on here about?

https://www.apple.com/feedback/
Feedback Assistant - Apple Inc.

I do it more frequently now, because there are things I miss as well. Or they have changed ways to accomplish the same goal. Like we keep telling you, Apple does what it's customers want, and the more they hear about things, the quicker they react. Do you believe they are making these changes so they can lose sales or to increase sales?

 

[BigD]

@BigDHave you given Apple all of your feedback, that you keep posting on here about?... I do it more frequently now, because there are things I miss as well. Or they have changed ways to accomplish the same goal.

Thanks for the feedback links. I have just assigned CMD + Shift + X to the Dictionary App so that takes care of that replacement for the Dashboard Widget. I use GoogleTranslate a lot of the time so I guess a separate widget is not so important. I still like using the Dashboard as a TV Guide and I have to use three different Safari generated Widget Windows to check on Film4, the Channel4 affiliated channels and the five general terrestrial channels. Obviously, I could use CMD + Shift + 3 to take a screen shot but there is something very tactile about using the Screenshot Plus widget IMHO.

All good things come to an end but I fail to see why LaunchPad is considered 'a keeper' while Dashboard isn't (we have the Dock don't we?) even though it is indispensable on a touch screen device!

 

[BigD]

@BigD Or they have changed ways to accomplish the same goal.... Do you believe they are making these changes so they can lose sales or to increase sales?

For Screen-grabs: CMD + Shift + 4 and then select the area to save on the Desktop or select an area while holding down CTRL to save the Clipboard is useful but again a widget is more intuitive and Apple-like!

I think they make changes due to projections on the likelihood of increasing sales in the future. By merging macOS with iOS they reduce development costs and by merging the feature set of the two operating systems slowly and steadily over time they show us that we never really NEEDED macOS anyway hence allowing the reduction of complexity and backwards compatibility. iOS is thereby shown to be sufficient to the majority of users, the computer paradigm will have shifted so that Apple can continue to claim they're innovators and then the marketing writes itself! At that point; iPad Pro 'Mac Edition' here we come! It'll be just like the Chromebook and MS Surface before it but better because it's Apple!!

In reality though they'll have cut features and streamlined their product line with vertical integration for profit NOT because it's what the consumer necessarily wants. Apple have always clearly stated that they THINK that they know what we want better than we do and I guess for casual consumers that is true. They have made some big mistakes regarding their 'Pro' line up though; Mac Pro 'Peddle Bin Edition', the butterfly keyboards, T2 chip security overkill, etc.

I think people at Apple read forums though so it's still worth discussing it on here as well as contacting them directly.

 

[IWT]

I have just assigned CMD + Shift + X to the Dictionary App

BigD, I bet you know this, but if you want to open an app quickly that's not in the Dock: Command plus Spacebar immediately opens Spotlight and by typing in the first, few letters of the app, it brings it up, hit Enter and you're in.

Slower than assigning keys to open an app, but then after a while, you have to remember all these KB shortcuts. You only have to spell the first few letters of an app with the method I mentioned.

Frankly, it's about the only useful thing about Spotlight, in my view.

Ian

 

[BigD]

BigD, I bet you know this, but if you want to open an app quickly that's not in the Dock: Command plus Spacebar immediately opens Spotlight and by typing in the first, few letters of the app, it brings it up, hit Enter and you're in.

Good to know but quite slow with a standard hard drive! I've managed to catch that shortcut by accident buy yeah I've never really needed Spotlight either!

 

[pm-r]

Slower than assigning keys to open an app, but then after a while, you have to remember all these KB shortcuts. You only have to spell the first few letters of an app with the method I mentioned.

For those who don't like typing, and also have the extended keyboard that helps, I have used my spare F Keys and SimpleKeys.app, that works well for me and I appreciate only having to hit a single key for my most used applications:

(bad link removed)
(bad link removed)
Download SimpleKeys for Mac | MacUpdate



- Patrick
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