Apple has just released the latest version of macOS, codenamed “Ventura.” First introduced at WWDC 2022, it offers a significant number of enhancements, including new apps, user interface updates and a few new tools to enhance productivity.
First, the good news. The updated OS will work on older Intel-based models of Apple computers, including iMac, iMac Pro, MacBook and MacBook Pro from 2017 and later; MacBook Air and Mac minis from 2018 and later and Mac Pros from 2019 and later. For a company that has garnered widespread criticism for its aggressive planned obsolescence strategies, supporting 5-year-old hardware is definitely refreshing.
The new OS also features Apple’s ongoing attempts to confine password-based authentication to the dustbin of history with a new sign-in protocol called “passkeys.”
“Whenever users create a passkey, a unique digital key is created that stays on device and is never stored on a web server, so hackers can’t leak them or trick users into sharing them,” states Apple’s official announcement, adding that passkeys can be synced across the iCloud keychain to multiple devices. Apple is one of many tech giants that have heralded the end of passwords multiple times over the years, but this new technology may help simplify device security for customers within their ecosystem of apps and hardware.
Ventura also includes new enhancements to Messages, allowing for unsending, undeleting and marking incoming messages as unread, finally bringing many of the same bells and whistles to SMS-based communication that have been readily available in email for years. Other updates and bells and whistles include new accessibility tools, enhancements to security updates, and a wider focus on collaborations with other users within iCloud photo libraries, Messages and a new collaborative canvas app called FreeForm.
While many of these features sound promising, if not exciting, we strongly recommend you hold off before updating. Every major OS update, regardless of the platform, typically comes with a range of incompatibilities with essential software applications and a number of glitches that manage to slip under the radar before launch. Case in point: Ventura has been discovered to break third-party security tools, and is likely to have similar issues with several VFX suites.
Are we looking forward to running a new version of macOS? Absolutely. Is now the time to upgrade? Definitely not. Wait until the smoke clears and any post-launch issues are addressed, or risk the loss of productivity and downtime.
Wondering when to update your macOS devices? Nodal can help! Contact us today.