This handy macOS 15.2 feature puts Apple Intelligence to shame

With the recent release of macOS 15.2 Sequoia, Apple Intelligence has been priority number one at Apple HQ. On newer Mac products running Apple Silicon processors, the company has been busy baking a number of AI-powered tools and features deep into the desktop operating system’s underpinnings.

With 15.2 in particular, Macs have been supercharged with an on-device generative image creation app, deeper ChatGPT integration via the Siri virtual assistant, and some additional Writing Tools options. Curiously, Apple has also taken the opportunity to introduce one non-AI feature in 15.2 — a weather widget that lives nestled within the macOS Menu Bar.

Once enabled, the top right-hand corner of your Mac will be flanked by a new Menu Bar icon, which displays an up-to-date temperature forecast and glyph design. Clicking on the icon will expand the widget, providing more granular information including temperature highs and lows, other locations, and more.

AI tools are fine, but I’d love to see more quality-of-life UI additions brought to macOS

Apple / Pocket-lint

From a technical perspective, new OS features that rely on generative AI and large language models (LLMs) are impressive — certainly more so than a lowly Menu Bar weather widget. Nevertheless, I find glanceable weather information to be a far more pragmatic addition to macOS than the likes of Image Playground et al.

In truth, I find myself bending over backwards to try and incorporate Apple Intelligence into my daily workflow. Aside from the excellent Clean Up tool within the Photos app, I struggle to find a killer app that makes the AI suite even remotely worth the hype.

Of course, the Apple Intelligence rollout is ongoing, and we’re still waiting for the big Siri update to land sometime in the new year. I’ll reserve my full AI judgements for a later date, but one thing is clear to me: Apple ought to focus on the small user interface considerations that actually make a difference on macOS.

The inclusion of a dedicated weather widget within the Menu Bar is precisely the sort of practical interface consideration I hope to see more of in future macOS releases. Other toggles and tweaks that immediately come to mind for me include a Control Center button to hide all desktop icons, a clipboard history dropdown icon, an external drive ejection button, and a calendar event or month view widget.

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