A new ‘Pro Mode’ feature has been identified on the macOS that allows apps to run significantly faster.
Described (metaphorically) by Forbes as “a big red button that says ‘turbo’”, Pro Mode has been found within Apple’s MacOS Catalina 10.13.3 beta version.
9to5Mac’s Filipe Espósito reported on Monday that the latest macOS Catalina 10.15.3 beta build has references to a new Pro Mode, which users can turn on and off.
Apps may run faster, but battery life may decrease and fan noise may be increased when Pro Mode is activated.
No further details are currently publicly available, so it’s not exactly clear what Pro Mode will enable.
Apple has, however, been focusing on the professional consumer market, which it considers a bulwark against the total replacement of desktop computers by mobile alternatives.
Espósito’s revelations suggest that Apple is opting to extend the thermal limits of the system with Pro Mode: faster running apps indicate that Pro Mode will allow the processor to run faster, generating additional heat and requiring more circulating air – hence the faster-running fan noise.
Pro Mode lets users go beyond the pre-existing ‘everyday’ balance between power consumption, performance and heat-generation – effectively, the maximum that anyone could hope to get out of the devices.
The new feature, which can be switched on and off, appears to be able to boost the machine’s performance for intensive tasks such as rendering a high-definition video, and then switch back to ‘normal’.
If the user forgets to flip the switch back to regular usage after the task, it will return to normal the next day upon powering up.