macOS - Catalina

It looks like today is the official release of the new macOS Catalina. This is the latest version of the Mac operating system, 10.15, and brings a number of new and improved features. The long-familiar iTunes app is now gone and split into three distinct apps; Music, Podcasts, and TV.

Other features include Sidecar, which turns your iPad into a second display for your Mac. Extended Mail features allow you to block senders and send their messages directly to the Trash. Photos have been expanded to include new sorting and viewing options. And that’s just scratching the surface! Hundreds of enhancements have been added to the new OS, making for a great upgrade.

However, with this macOS upgrade comes a fairly significant sacrifice. Catalina is 100% 64-bit based. What does that mean to you? Previous versions of macOS ran both 32- and 64-bit applications. That meant that if a third-party software developer had not updated their apps to 64-bit, they would still run on your Mac. That is no longer the case. If a software developer has not optimized their apps to 64-bit, then Catalina will not load and run them.

Many large companies such as Adobe and Microsoft (Office) still have legacy software in place. They have no plans to update them to 64-bit and are pushing end-users to their subscription models that are Catalina compliant. Our recommendation to our clients and users is to NOT immediately jump into Catalina, but to wait a bit. This give everyone a chance to see how the new OS functions in the real world, as well as time to evaluate your software needs and determine what programs may need to be adjusted or updated.

Let us know if you have any questions regarding Catalina and upgrading. We are here to advise and assist.

Granville Loar – 10.7.19