Apple has just made available the first beta of the macOS Sierra 10.12.4 update to developers that comes with several new features, the most interesting among which is, of course, the Night Shift mode.
First introduced as part of iOS 9.3 version for iOS devices, the Night Shift feature will finally be making its debut on Mac devices as well once the latest macOS beta version makes it past the beta testing grounds. Going by even the most conservative assumptions, it should be around March or April for the update to finally be released officially.
But before that, let’s find out what Night Shift actually is, or how that can make a difference on a Mac device.
For one, Night Shift is all about making the display to change from having a bluish tint to one that is more yellow as one approaches night time. This has been so designed after research proved blue light that has a shorter wavelength leads to the production of histamine in our bodies at the cost of melatonin.
Leaving out the wider ramifications of such developments, it is the natural sleep pattern of our body that gets hampered. As such, those who need to work till late at night can still have a good sleep if they have been exposed to the warmer yellow tone rather than, the brighter blue.
The Night Shift has also been designed to change the display tone according to the time of the day (or night) and relies on the clock setting as well as the geolocation switch to make the change automatically. In other words, the display would have more yellow in it automatically post sunset before reverting back to blue the next day.
You can also set your individual preferences in the Displays section under System Preferences. You can either set your own schedule for the Night Shift to come into effect or let it follow the usual sunset to the sunrise pattern.
The touch bar in the latest Mac device also allows the Night Shift mode to be actuated manually. Similarly, there is a toggle switch, as well, present in Today section in the Notification Center that too allows for turning on Night Shift whenever you wish to.
Meanwhile, Microsoft too is tipped to introduce a similar blue light reduction feature as part of its mega Windows 10 Creators Update offering. The latest Windows 10 Creators Update Build 15002 for PC already seems to have enough hints of that with the new blue light setting though the exact working is a mystery as of now.
Interestingly, the Creators Update is expected to make a landfall during spring, which is also around the same time when the Night Shift is likely to make its debut on the Mac devices.
