Apple yesterday said that macOS Sierra will support a smaller number of Macs than the previous editions, striking models made before 2008 from the list. MacOS High Sierra is compatible with any Mac capable of running macOS Sierra, as Apple has not dropped support for any older models this year. The official list of Mac models compatible with macOS.
Although Apple makes new software updates available to as many older devices as possible, there are always some reasons why it may not be in your best interest to install the latest and greatest right on day-one, even if your Mac is compatible. With macOS Catalina just around the corner, take a moment to consider whether you should make the leap right away or wait a few days (or even weeks) to update your Mac.
Is my Mac compatible?
If you have the following model of Mac, you can download and install macOS Catalina:
- MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
- MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer)
- MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer)
- Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)
- iMac (Late 2012 or newer)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- Mac Pro (Late 2013, plus mid-2010 and mid-2012 models with recommended Metal-capable GPU)
If your Mac is older than any of the models listed above, it isn't compatible with macOS Catalina.
What about other minimum requirements?
Are you postponing updating your iPad to iPadOS 13, or are using an iPad that isn't compatible with iPadOS 13? You won't be able to use Sidecar. It requires both macOS Catalina and iPadOS 13. iPadOS 13 is supported on the following devices:
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro
- 11-inch iPad Pro
- 10.5-inch iPad Pro
- 9.7-inch iPad Pro
- iPad (7th generation), iPad (6th generation), and iPad (5th generation)
- iPad mini (5th generation)
- iPad mini 4
- iPad Air (3rd generation)
- iPad Air 2
To take advantage of 4K streaming movies and TV shows in the TV app you'll need a Mac laptop or desktop that supports 4K resolution. According to Apple's Catalina features page:
4K, 4K HDR, 4K Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and HDR10 content is available on all Mac models introduced in 2018 or later with 4K-resolution screens.
To hear Dolby Atmos audio in the TV app, you'll need a Mac notebook from 2018 or later
Do you meet the requirements to use all of macOS Catalina's new features? Are the featrues your Mac doesn't support deal breakers for you? You may want to think about postponing updating a little longer or upgrading your Mac.
What about my iTunes Library?
In macOS Catalina, Apple has redesigned the way we listen to music and podcasts, watch movies, and read books. Similar to how the iPhone works, these features are broken out into individual apps instead of a singular iTunes app.
What does this mean for your well-currated iTunes Library of songs you've burned from CD and meticulously tagged and added customized metadata? It should mean absolutely nothing. iTunes isn't being deleted. It's simply being broken out into separate apps. Your iTunes Library will stay intact. You'll just find it in the new Music app.
If, however, you are concerned with potentially losing all that data you've added manually, I highly recommend postponing updating until the coast is clear. I didn't have any issues getting my entire iTunes Library in the beta of macOS Catalina, but I don't input my own tags and other information, so I don't have first-hand experience with it's migration. Once Catalina is available publicly and more people have installed it, we'll have a bigger audience to know for sure how well metadata syncs.
If you want to take the risk and update on launch day, just be sure to back up your iTunes Library so if something happens, you can get it all back.
What about unsigned third-party apps?
Security gets a little more secure in macOS Catalina. You'll get more notifications about apps accessing data and permission requests to use them. Activation Lock makes it harder for someone else to wipe your data. It also adds some stricter security measures that may make Gatekeeper think apps you've previously given permission to are not secure enough for your Mac. From Apple's Catalina features page:
macOS Catalina runs in its own read-only volume, so it's separate from all other data on your Mac, and nothing can accidentally overwrite your system files. And Gatekeeper ensures that new apps you install have been checked for known security issues before you run them, so you're always using good software.
If you are using apps that, in a former OS (High Sierra or older), you were able to download 'from anywhere,' you should find out from the developer whether their apps are compatible with macOS Catalina before you decide to update.
I'm ready to try it out, but what if I don't like it?
Upgrading to a new software system, especially on a computer, can be a big upheaval that causes stress and confusion. You might be excited about macOS Catalina after reading about everything it can do, but quickly decide that it's not right for you.
The first, and most important thing you should do before upgrading to macOS Catalina (or updating any software, no matter how small), is to back up your Mac.
Next, it is not a bad idea to think about partitioning your Mac so you can install macOS Catalina in tandem with your current Mac operating system. That way, you can get used to the changes while still having access to what you are familiar with. It will also make it easier to simply delete the software if you know you don't want to use Catalina at all.
If you've downloaded macOS Catalina on your main hard drive, you're not out of luck. You can always downgrade back to your previous operating system.
OK. I'm just going to go for it!
Wait!
It's not always such a good idea to download a huge update on Day One. There are a number of factors that can give you a negative experience right out of the gate, which might leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Hundreds (or even thousands) of people will hit the download button the exact moment they hear that macOS Catalina is available to the public, which could put a strain on the servers and make it take a really long time for you to complete the process.
With changes in macOS Catalina, it also means that some third-party apps will need to be updated for compatibility. Not all developers will have their updates ready right away. If there are any apps that you just can't live without, you might be forced to ... well ... live without until they are updated. The best way to see if your must-have apps are going to be ready for macOS Catalina is to visit the companies' websites or check their social media feeds.
Proceed with caution
If, after reading everything I suggested, you still think you are ready to upgrade to macOS Catalina, then, by all means, go for it! I've been using it for a couple of months now, and frankly, I love it. Just make sure you've got a current backup of your Mac, just in case something goes wrong.
Updated October 2019: Updated for macOS Catalina.
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Rene Ritchie's gadget of the decade: Apple Watch
In my Apple Watch Series 5 review, I said that the addition of always-on took it from being the best smartwatch in the world to being the best damn watch period. And, three months later, I stand by that. Absolutely. 100 percent. But, it's also something more: Not just the best watch of the year, but the best gadget of the decade.
Along with the upgrade of Mac OS X, its name has also changed to High Sierra. Due to Apple’s restrictions, some older Macs cannot be upgraded to the latest macOS High Sierra. You may want to install a completely new macOS. This article explains how to clean install the macOS High Sierra. First we need to do some preparation before we can install the new operating system.
In the first step, I will explain how to create a bootable USB flash drive that can be used to install Mac OS X. After making this USB, you will be able to easily install Mac OS X from a USB drive.
How to make a bootable USB
There are two methods to create a bootable USB drive:
1. Using a Terminal
I prefer the method of using a Terminal Command Line first. The advantage is that there is no compromise between compatibility and security, and it is easy for a novice to perform.
1. First, get a USB flash drive with a capacity of 8GB or larger. (Back up the old data in this USB flash drive, because the drive will be formatted during this process).
2. Download the official macOS High Sierra installation package. It is recommended to download it from the App Store. Put the keyword “High Sierra” directly into the search bar in the App Store.
The whole installation package size is about 5GB, so it might take a while to download. It will appear in the “Application” folder as shown below.
3. Open “Applications → Utilities → Disk Utility” and then “Erase” (format) the USB flash drive into “Mac OS X Extended(Journaled)” format. Rename the USB flash drive to “Sierra.”
(Note: the drive name should be the same within the corresponding command, if you change the drive letter name, you must make sure that the name within the command is the same.)
4. Open “Applications → Utilities → Terminal”, copy and paste the following command into the Terminal.app:
sudo /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/Sierra –applicationpath /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app –nointeraction
Press Enter on your keyboard to execute the command, then you will be prompted to enter the administrator password, it will start the process after the operation:
5. As shown above, the process has begun. Wait for “Done” to appear on the screen which means you have made it successfully! (The entire time depends on the read and write speed of your USB drive.)
2. Using DiskMaker X
If you don’t want to use the Terminal Command Line method, there is another way using DiskMaker X.
Diskmaker X is a free macOS USB bootable disk creation application. You will need to first download the macOS High Sierra installation package. DiskMaker X will help you find its path automatically. Click on “Use this copy.”
DiskMaker X will then prompt you for a USB flash drive with a capacity of at least 8GB. After inserting the USB flash drive into the Mac, click “An 8 GB USB thumb drive.”
Next, you must choose which disk you want to erase. Choose the USB drive with the name you created in previous steps. Be careful not to choose the wrong drive!!
Choose “Erase then create the disk”, it will show the process on the notifications bar. Well done! You have now created a bootable USB drive.
How to Clean Install from a bootable USB
Now that you have a bootable USB drive, you will still be able to force install macOS High Sierra from the bootable USB drive, no matter how old your Mac is.
We have now completed all the most complex steps. Now let’s try the easy steps below to install a completely clean macOS:
1. Backup important personal data from your Mac. Online backup is very popular these days, as it offers an inexpensive way to secure your data. However, the fastest way to retrieve your backup is to use local backup. When you finish the clean installation of High Sierra, you can restore all your data from the local backup.
Note: A clean install of macOS Sierra on the startup drive completely erases all data on that drive including all your files (documents, music, movies, pictures, and even apps). So, If you skip this step, you won’t be able to recover your data if something goes wrong.
When choosing what to backup manually, most importantly look at the Users folder, located by default at Macintosh HD/Users/. This will back up your user account, along with any other accounts on the Mac, plus any shared data. Each user account contains your Desktop files, documents, downloads, videos, music, and pictures. If you have more than one user on your Mac, and you’re only interested in backing up your own data, just go one level deeper and select your user account from within the Users folder.
There is an easy way to backup each user account on your Mac. First of all, create a new admin account and login with this account. Access System Preferences→Users & Groups, and Clock minus button on the bottom in the left panel. Select Save the home folder in a disk image and Click Delete User. When it is done, backup the disk image to your online/local backup.
1. Insert the USB drive into your Mac and wait for it to be recognized by your Mac. Now shut down your Mac.
2. Press the power button to boot, hold down the Option key or Cmd+R until the boot menu option appears. Make sure to keep it pressed!
3. Choose the bootable USB drive and then Press Enter.
4. Select Disk Utility in the window.
5. In the next window, select the drive where you want to install High Sierra. In most cases the name should be “Macintosh HD.”
6. In the Erase Tab, click Erase with Mac OS X Extended (Journaled) type. When it is done, you get a clean drive.
7. Quit Disk Utility, Access to Install MacOS item. Follow the instruction showing in the next window, you can get a clean High Sierra.
8. Log in to the clean High Sierra. Insert/connect your online/local backup and copy each folder on the disk image generated in Step 1. Create the same old account names in System Preference → Users & Groups. Restart your Mac and login with the old account name, then you will get a clean system with all the old user data.
How to keep your Mac Always clean?
If you have done all installation of macOS, you must be enjoying the completely new macOS now. I believe you also want to keep your Mac clean. Let’s say someday your Mac has a lot of Junk Files and Duplicate Photos. And there are also many apps you have ever used but you don’t need them anymore. I must tell you there is a savior on your Mac! Its name is Dr. Cleaner. It’s really great to have such a system optimizer. In its “Junk Files” feature, it can not only clean temporary files, including logs, mail caches, iTunes and iOS temporary files, etc. Empty Trash for current user but also detect remaining files after deleting apps.
It also has a function named “Duplicate Files”, which can find duplicate files on your Mac through fast and accurate scanning technique covers your entire home folder. Duplicates are selected not only by the file name but also by their contents. Files are shown in detailed previews. It can also help you decide which copy to delete by presenting “Auto Select” button.
Duplicates can be sorted by file type and listed in their full route for you to track. You can decide which way to clean these files; either by sending them to trash or deleting them permanently.
However, you must need an intelligent app uninstaller. Don’t worry, Dr. Cleaner has this function. It can auto-clean leftovers of deleted apps and manage all the applications installed on your Mac easily. When you remove an app you don’t need anymore, it can get rid of all the associated files of uninstalled applications as well. Alert you about new updates to installed apps is also its duty.