Should I Update From Catalina To Big Sur

Should You Upgrade to macOS Big Sur?

[ Update: On March 21, 2021, I finally upgraded to Big Sur. Hither'southward what I learned in the process. ]

That's a adept question – only information technology's as well the incorrect question. It is better to ask: "When should I upgrade to Big Sur?"

That answer is trickier.

TAKE THE Pressure OFF

The ii almost of import things to keep in mind when deciding when to upgrade to Whatever operating system is that there are no "hidden" new features in any Apple or Adobe awarding that suddenly become turned on when you upgrade.

In other words, everything your NLE does in Catalina, information technology will exercise in Big Sur. And then yous aren't missing any features by waiting to upgrade.

Second, never upgrade in the eye of a project. Facing a borderline is a terrible time for a meaning upgrade. Something always goes wrong, which takes time to fix. Look until you consummate a project – or accept time to hunt problems – before upgrading.

If you are lucky, everything will piece of work perfectly. And, if non, you'll take time to figure out what broke and get it stock-still.

WILL YOUR APPS WORK?

Showtime, like Catalina, Big Sur is a 64-flake operating system. Whatsoever apps that didn't work in Catalina won't piece of work in Large Sur. This includes older 32-bit media. (Link)

If you haven't upgraded to Catalina, here's how to observe out which apps on your system are 32-bit:

Go to Apple carte du jour > About this Mac
Click on System Report

Click on Software >Applications
In the 64-bit (Intel) column, any apps displaying No won't work in Big Sur

Note: This column does not announced in Catalina, because all apps in Catalina must be 64-bit.

9to5 Mac writes: "macOS xi Big Sur has been widely seen every bit the least stable of the major new Apple tree software releases this yr during the beta period from June until this autumn."

Annotation: Hither's a link to 9to5'southward comprehensive look at upgrading to Big Sur.

Aaron, in the comments, highlights https://isapplesiliconready.com. "This website is more comprehensive and notes which apps work natively on Apple tree Silicon M1 and which work (or don't piece of work) using Rosetta two." I similar the layout of this website – there are more 700 applications listed.

Besides, RoaringApps.com has compiled a crowd-sourced listing (Link) of app compatibility. There are many other compatibility resources on the web. If you rely on third-party software for your daily work, be certain to check out what works and what doesn't. Be careful to blazon the name of your application advisedly – this list is poorly curated.

Besides, almost audio applications take issues with Big Sur. Sweetwater.com has also compiled a list focused on audio apps. (Link)

WHAT SHOULD YOU UPGRADE

While Big Sur will run on most Macs manufactured from 2015 on, Big Sur is required for all M1 Macs; that is, those running Apple silicon CPUs.

NOTE: Here are Apple specs for supported hardware for Big Sur.

My general feeling is that if you accept older hardware, don't upgrade. Older gear is designed to run on older versions of macOS. You'll probably get better performance past non upgrading. Likewise keep in mind that if yous upgrade and make up one's mind you don't like the new version on your older system, falling back to an before version of the macOS is a major pain.

If y'all have reasonably electric current hardware, upgrading makes a lot of sense – information technology simply becomes a question of "when."

NOTE: Here are Apple's instructions on how to upgrade to Big Sur.

WHEN SHOULD YOU UPGRADE

I am a fan of waiting. Clients want united states of america to get their piece of work washed – on fourth dimension and on upkeep. Reliability is more than important that bleeding edge. If you take a system you can spare for testing, upgrade that now. See what works and what doesn't. Notwithstanding, don't feel under pressure to immediately blitz to upgrade production systems.

That existence said, I too desire to stay reasonably electric current considering developers are creating new software for the new OS, non upgrading older versions. At some indicate, the latest versions of software won't support older operating systems. (Concluding Cut Pro 7 is a classic example of this. Information technology is a 32-bit awarding. It will never run on current versions of the macOS.)

SUMMARY

So, should you upgrade? Yes.

When should you upgrade?

Afterwards y'all verify that the software you need is compatible with Big Sur
When yous accept time to chase potential issues afterward any demanding projects are consummate
When Apple has released several issues fix updates to Large Sur

Last week, Apple released the 11.1 maintenance update to Big Sur, with a beta release of 11.2 to developers for testing. These maintenance upgrades are significant and needed.

For myself, I plan to upgrade my main production arrangement later the first of the year, when the 11.2 update is released. And I'chiliad keeping two older computers on older versions of the macOS – just in case.

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