Posts tagged "Aerial"

A macOS app called Aerial has been updated with new screensaver options, alongside featuring HDR, integration with Spotify and Apple Music, and much more.

New screensavers from Apple have trickled out in recent years, with the latest one being the ‘hello’ logo that’s appeared on the redesigned iMac 24-inch (2021) models. But while AppleTV has had attractive flyover screensavers that show a view of certain cities, they’ve never moved over to other Apple devices.

Thanks to Aerial, you can now get similar screensavers for your Mac. It offers plenty of customization options, including the ability to create playlists and display certain overlays such as weather, battery status, timers, and more.

For version 3.0, the 16 screensavers from tvOS 15 can be used on your Mac, such as Yosemite National Park, Grand Canyon, Torres del Paine in Chile, and others.

Analysis: A welcome macOS 13 addition

Configuring Aerial in System Preferences > Desktop and Screen Saver is an easy affair, where you can tailor these to your location, the time of day, or to a certain order. 

There are also custom flyover screensavers from Jetson Creative, all free to use, alongside picking other screensavers from tvOS 10 and above.

Using these on the recently-released MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021) in HDR makes the screensavers look absolutely fantastic.

Seeing landscapes from locations such as Scotland, Florida, and others really showcases the quality of the new MacBooks’ screens. Combine that with the customization options on offer, and it makes you wonder why Apple hasn’t officially brought these screensavers to macOS.

Screensavers have been a constant feature in computers since the first ever one, created by John Socha in 1983, with an app called ScrnSave. 

There’s a good chance you’ll have seen a screensaver full of pipes, or one where you’re walking through a house. But with advances in display technology, from CRT to LCD monitors, they have diminished in use in recent years.

But with apps like Aerial and official features from Apple, there’s an opportunity for screensavers to return in a big way again. Not just for macOS, but for Windows 11 as well. Perhaps remakes of the pipes and houses screensavers from the mid-nineties, alongside methods to download more screensavers from the Microsoft Store.

But in the meantime, Aerial does a great job of showcasing how screensavers can thrive in 2022, and what Apple and Microsoft could do for future updates of macOS and Windows.

• Our pick of the best Macs in 2022 so far