
If you’re running last year’s Catalina version and haven’t installed a lot of third-party, non-Apple software, you can upgrade immediately to Big Sur, though only after making a complete Time Machine or other backup of your existing system. Based on a three-month tryout in a series of public betas, Big Sur is quick, stable, impressively good-looking, and packed with subtle and significant improvements to the macOS interface.
No touch-screen support, despite mobile interface elementsĪpple's macOS Big Sur is the latest version of its desktop and laptop operating system and the first to support both traditional Intel Macs and the new “Apple Silicon” Macs. Existing apps require updating security permissions. Compatibility issues with third-party backup software. How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication. How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.
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Translation will be available in beta supporting English, Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Russian, and Brazilian Portuguese. Performance will vary based on system configuration, application workload, and other factors. Not all features are available on all devices. Prerelease Safari 14 tested with HD 1080p content Chrome v.97 and Firefox v77.0.1 tested with HD 720p content. Systems tested with WPA2 Wi-Fi network connection while running on battery power, with display brightness set to 12 clicks from bottom or 75 percent. Testing conducted by Apple in June 2020 on production 1.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i5-based 13-inch MacBook Pro systems with 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, and prerelease macOS Big Sur. Performance will vary based on system configuration, network connection, and other factors. Page load performance tested using snapshot versions of 10 popular websites with prerelease Safari 14 and Chrome v.61 on prerelease macOS Big Sur and simulated network conditions. Tested with prerelease Safari 14, Chrome v.97, and Firefox v77.0.1 on macOS, as well as Chrome v.97, Microsoft Edge v83.0.478.45, and Firefox v77.0.1 on Windows Home, with WPA2 Wi-Fi network connection. Scores represent browsers that completed the test. Tested on production 1.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i5-based 13-inch MacBook Pro systems with 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, and prerelease macOS Big Sur, and Windows 10 Home, version 2004, running in Boot Camp. Testing conducted by Apple in June 2020 using JetStream 2, MotionMark 1.1, and Speedometer 2.0 performance benchmarks.