Exclusive: Apple is working on the biggest update to its Calculator app in years, and the version tested in the early betas of macOS 15 has all-new features and exciting improvements to the unit conversion system.
The Calculator app in macOS 15 will receive a new look reminiscent of its iOS counterpart
Following our previous report detailing the improvements Apple has in store for its Notes apps, AppleInsider has received new details on a massive design change Apple is planning for the Mac version of the Calculator app.
According to people familiar with the matter, Apple is internally testing a significantly improved version of its Calculator app that is codenamed “GreyParrot” – an unmistakable reference to the African gray parrot, a species of parrot widely known for its intelligence. and cognitive abilities.
With this in mind, it is easy to assume that Apple has planned a series of improvements for the application, in order to make it more powerful and competitive. In addition to Math Notes, a feature we talked about earlier this week, the updated Calculator app will receive a new history strip, in the form of a sidebar that shows a preview of past calculations.
The addition of the historical band will make previous calculations much easier to access and use. Rather than relying on a separate app to store numbers or amounts, users will be able to stay within the macOS Calculator app and track their recent calculations more efficiently.
AppleInsider also learned that, within the app, the history tape was accessible via a dedicated button at the top left of the app window. The button would give users the ability to toggle the history strip between the calculator’s three views: basic, scientific, and programmer.
The Calculator app in macOS 15 will receive a new look reminiscent of its iOS counterpart
The most striking change by far is the new design. With macOS 15, the Calculator app should adopt a design reminiscent of its iOS counterpart, with rounded buttons and darker shades of black throughout the app. This is a significant change from the boxy look the app has had for many years, with the iOS 7-style design still present on macOS Sonoma.
Apple has very rarely updated the macOS Calculator app with significant changes. The last major design update came almost a decade ago, when Apple released macOS 10.0 Yosemite. At the time, Apple’s goal was to adopt a new flat user interface across all of its operating systems and replace the old skeuomorphic appearance with a design refresh.
Along with the planned design change, the app could benefit from another major improvement: adjustable window size. Currently on macOS Sonoma, there is no option to change the app window size without selecting another calculator view. The next iteration of macOS is expected to give users the ability to adjust the Calculator app window size to suit their needs and across all three Calculator views, allowing for increased versatility.
When changing the size of the application window, the size of the individual buttons and number keys in the Calculator application increases accordingly, in internally tested versions of the software. The buttons are said to change shape when the window is resized, adopting a pill shape when the application window is large, or shrinking into circles with smaller window sizes, mimicking the appearance of the application’s calculator. the Iphone.
Math Notes in macOS 15
As detailed in our previous report on Apple’s iOS 18 Notes app and the improvements it is expected to receive, the redesigned version of the Calculator app will also support Math Notes. Math Notes will essentially promote the integration of the Calculator and Notes apps, giving users the ability to create notes with math-related elements or math notation.
By implementing Math Notes, Apple would give its Calculator and Notes apps a better chance of competing with competing products currently on the market, such as Microsoft’s OneNote or the Soulver 3 calculator app. OneNote in particular has had math annotations since several years, and Microsoft recently released a version of the app for Apple Vision Pro.
Unit conversion in macOS 15
Unit conversion should become much more intuitive with the updated version of Apple’s Calculator app. One of the main drawbacks of the current iteration of the app is the fact that users cannot perform unit conversions and math operations simultaneously.
With Project Gray Parrot, Apple aims to address these shortcomings by significantly improving the unit conversion system and how it works. Instead of showing the user a series of drop-down menus and then forcing them to make the desired unit conversions before calculating anything, the new and improved calculator app will integrate unit conversion into the app. main user interface whenever it is activated.
Keep track of your recent calculations with the new History Tape feature
By doing this, Apple would give users a way to perform their choice of mathematical operations without being disturbed, as the unit conversion would be done automatically. Once the selected calculation is completed, the result is instantly converted to the selected unit and displayed below the result in its original unit.
Apple’s improved unit conversion layout could benefit a wide range of users. People who travel frequently or regularly handle multiple types of currencies would be able to quickly calculate amounts, taxes, rates and prices.
For currency conversion, the new Calculator app relies on an Internet connection to get current exchange rates from a trusted third party, according to people familiar with the software. Engineers or scientists dealing with reports from other regions would be able to easily convert the values to their preferred units of measurement.
How does it compare to the competition?
Apple is known for adapting ideas present in competing products or services, jailbreak tweaks, and third-party operating system improvements. The macOS 15 version of the Calculator app seems to be no exception in this regard.
PCalc for macOS, image copyright: TLA Systems Ltd.
In terms of direct competitors, Apple could have taken inspiration from Calcbot. The macOS app received Apple’s Editors’ Choice Award, which should be a significant indicator of the app’s overall quality. Calcbot offers a more user-friendly unit conversion interface, somewhat reminiscent of the implementation Apple is currently testing with macOS 15.
PCalc is another third-party app that arguably has an advantage over the default macOS Calculator app. Another recipient of Apple’s Editors’ Choice Award, the app allows users to perform calculations while displaying unit conversion options in a separate window. Much like Calcbot, PCalc’s chosen approach allows users to track information with relative ease and allows for improved usability, saving the user time.
However, it is always important to keep in mind that not all features are available, for one reason or another. Apple is known for delaying, abandoning, or simplifying new operating systems for various reasons, so ultimately there is no guarantee that the macOS 15 Calculator app will ever see the light of day.
Besides the revamped macOS calculator, we should see Apple introduce a host of improvements later this year with its next-generation operating systems. On-device AI features, free-form scenes, and adaptive voice shortcuts are among the items likely to debut at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 10.
