Apple has announced that the official release of macOS Monterey is on October 25, though the OS will not feature all of its forthcoming features like Universal Control at launch.
Apple has unveiled the next release of macOS
Although all of Apple's operating systems have been in beta testing since their announcement at WWDC 2021, the company delayed posting a launch date for macOS Monterey. The date for iOS 15 was revealed at Apple's "California Streaming" event, but that was needed for the new iPhone 13 range.
Just as with iOS 15, and iPadOS 15, the new macOS Monterey will be preinstalled on all new Macs from this date. It will also then be available to download to all compatible Macs.
The new macOS Monterey brings Shortcuts to the Mac, plus the Focus Mode update to Do Not Disturb, and Quick Note. There will also be Live Text in photos, and it is possible that Universal Control will also debut.
Universal Control is the feature that allows one keyboard and trackpad to control three devices, whether they are Macs or iPads. It was not included with the release of iPadOS 15, and did not appear in the betas for macOS Monterey. Apple maintains that it will be available in the fall.
Similarly, SharePlay was not included in the iPadOS 15 release, but it has since appeared in betas for iOS 15.1, and macOS Monterey as well.