OpenAI’s newly launched Mac desktop app has become more user-friendly. The app now allows side-by-side access to the ChatGPT text prompt with a simple press of Option + Space. This desktop version is almost identical in functionality to the web-based platform, enabling users to engage directly with the AI, utilize natural language prompts in both text and voice, explore previous conversations, and upload documents and images for analysis. Additionally, users can capture screenshots of either the entire screen or individual windows for upload.
For instance, a user can take a screenshot of computer code and ask ChatGPT to analyze it, providing suggestions for improvement.
The macOS desktop app now provides convenient side-by-side access to ChatGPT. By pressing Option + Space, a companion window opens, remaining on top to simplify multitasking with other applications. Although the app operates locally, machine learning tasks still occur in OpenAI’s cloud, requiring an internet connection. Users must have macOS 14 and Apple Silicon M1 or newer to run the app (a Windows version is anticipated later this year). As highlighted in the announcement video, the desktop version offers several advantages over its online counterpart. Notably, users can analyze text by simply highlighting a portion of a document and asking ChatGPT specific questions through the local text window, eliminating the need to upload entire documents. While the app does not yet feature Advanced Voice Mode, it does support Standard Voice Mode, bringing us closer to an exciting future where we might initiate conversations by saying "Computer!"