Mac Changes: Big Sur and Apple Silicon

September 1, 2020 By Connor Prime

Two Big Changes Coming to the Mac: Big Sur and Apple Silicon

From September 2020

The most important thing to know about Big Sur is that we highly recommend NOT installing this when it first comes out. Especially MacPractice users. MacPractice will NOT be compatible with Big Sur until months after macOS 11 is released. We will not know the compatibility of many other programs with Big Sur until after the release.

That said, macOS 11 Big Sur is the start of a new look and feel for the entire Mac operating system to make it more like an iPhone and iPad. Apple claims it will be the biggest change since Mac launched its version 10 operating system in 2001.

The Big Sur update will further help integrate iOS apps with Macs. For example, it will make it easier to share photos, images, and gifs in Messages. Other features include visual previews of tabs and translation features in Safari. It will be released this fall.

Apple is also changing its processors from Intel processors to their Apple Silicon processors. This major change in the chips is expected to bring increased performance and battery life to Macs. Big Sur will be the first OS that will compatible with Macs that run on Apple Silicon.