Also keep in mind that if you upgrade and decide you don’t like the new version on your older system, falling back to an earlier version of the macOS is a major pain.
You’ll probably get better performance by not upgrading. Older gear is designed to run on older versions of macOS. My general feeling is that if you have older hardware, don’t upgrade. NOTE: Here are Apple specs for supported hardware for Big Sur. 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. has also compiled a list focused on audio apps. Be careful to type the name of your application carefully – this list is poorly curated.Īs well, most audio applications have problems with Big Sur. If you rely on 3rd-party software for your daily work, be sure to check out what works and what doesn’t. There are many other compatibility resources on the web. “This website is more comprehensive and notes which apps work natively on Apple Silicon M1 and which work (or don’t work) using Rosetta 2.” I like the layout of this website – there are more than 700 applications listed.Īs well, has compiled a crowd-sourced list ( Link) of app compatibility. NOTE: Here’s a link to 9to5’s comprehensive look at upgrading to Big Sur.Īaron, in the comments, highlights. NOTE: This column does not appear in Catalina, because all apps in Catalina must be 64-bit.ĩto5 Mac writes: “macOS 11 Big Sur has been widely seen as the least stable of the major new Apple software releases this year during the beta period from June until this fall.” In the 64-bit (Intel) column, any apps displaying No won’t work in Big Sur.
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If you haven’t upgraded to Catalina, here’s how to find out which apps on your system are 32-bit: Any apps that didn’t work in Catalina won’t work in Big Sur. And, if not, you’ll have time to figure out what broke and get it fixed.įirst, like Catalina, Big Sur is a 64-bit operating system. If you are lucky, everything will work perfectly. Wait until you complete a project – or have time to chase problems – before upgrading. Something always goes wrong, which takes time to fix.
Facing a deadline is a terrible time for a significant upgrade. Second, never upgrade in the middle of a project. So you aren’t missing any features by waiting to upgrade. In other words, everything your NLE does in Catalina, it will do in Big Sur. The two most important things to keep in mind when deciding when to upgrade to ANY operating system is that there are no “hidden” new features in any Apple or Adobe application that suddenly get turned on when you upgrade. It is better to ask: “ When should I upgrade to Big Sur?” That’s a good question – but it’s also the wrong question.