Update:
After several weeks of testing with no reports of major incompatibilities, ISC is clearing macOS 11 Big Sur for general use at the University only for Intel-based Macintosh systems. Big Sur for ARM-based Macs is not cleared for general use until more testing for compatibility is completed.
Please keep in mind when upgrading to macOS 11 Big Sur that your software is up-to-date; older versions of software are most liable to have compatibility issues with the new operating system. That being said, if you discover any significant compatibility issues with macOS 11 Big Sur, please let us know by either messaging myself or by submitting a ticket to ISC Client care at https://supportcenter.upenn.edu/.
Please feel free to reach out with any comments, questions, or concerns!
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Yesterday, Apple released its newest version of the Macintosh operating system, macOS 11 Big Sur. Big Sur is compatible with any Mac released in 2013 or later, with the exception of the 2013 iMac and the Early 2013 MacBook Pro. Big Sur is not currently pre-installed on new Macintoshes but that will change within the upcoming weeks.
Information Systems & Computing (ISC) strongly recommends that all University users considering updating their devices adopt a “wait and see” approach and continue to use earlier versions of macOS for at least a few days following this release. This period allows time for any initial bugs and compatibility issues to be identified and fixed.
As can be inferred from Apple changing the major version number of macOS for the first time in nearly 20 years, macOS Big Sur is a significant upgrade, departing from Apple's more incremental version changes in previous years. Changes of particular note include:
Big Sur on Intel vs. ARM Macs
Apple’s forthcoming rollout of ARM-based Macs introduces a separate set of considerations for adopting and supporting macOS 11 Big Sur. At this time, Big Sur is the only version of macOS that will function on ARM-based Macs. However, ISC expects the switch in architecture to introduce compatibility issues that may not be present in Intel-based Macs. As such, support at the University for ARM-based Big Sur systems is expected to lag support for Intel-based Big Sur systems for at least several weeks, if not months.
Continued lack of 32-bit application support
Apple ended support for 32-bit applications in last year's macOS 10.15 Catalina. While not a surprise that Big Sur also does not support 32-bit applications, it remains a consideration for those looking to upgrade from macOS 10.14 or earlier to to macOS 11.
Design overhaul
The most immediately notable change in macOS Big Sur is its appearance, which has gone through a major redesign. Both windows and the dock have a lighter design with rounded edges. Menus and the menu bar are now translucent. The menu bar can be hidden when not in use, its dropdowns have been redesigned, and some of its items have changed, such as the addition of the Control Center icon.
Control Center
Big Sur adds a Control Center to the menu bar that functions much like the Control Center in iOS does. Control Center provides quick access and toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirDrop, display brightness, volume, Dark mode, and more. Controls can also be dragged out of the Control Center and onto the menu bar to allow even quicker access.
Notification Center
The Notification Center now groups notifications by the application. Notifications also have an added layer of interactivity, allowing you to perform tasks related to the notification without switching to the respective application. For example, when prompted for an update via notification, you can click and hold on the notification and select “Restart,” “Try tonight,” “Remind Me Tomorrow”, etc.
Secure Background Updates
Speaking of updates, Big Sur adds a feature that lets software updates finish faster by beginning in the background. As an added layer of security, the update feature is enhanced by Signed System Volume (SSV). SSV verifies all data when doing updates or installs with cryptographic hashes, storing the hashes in the file system metadata. When updates are installed or the system boots, the stored hashes are compared with the hashes in the file system metadata; if they don’t match the user is warned and prompted to reinstall the OS.
Safari Updates
Safari 14 receives several major changes in macOS Big Sur, many of which are now also extend to macOS 10.14 and 10.15. It has received an efficiency overhaul, loading pages faster, especially those that are frequently visited. In addition, Safari is now much more power efficient and drains the battery of notebook systems at a noticeably slower rate.
Safari also has a new start page that can be customized via an icon in the lower-right corner of the page. There you can add or remove Favorites, Frequently Visited sites, the new Privacy Report (detailed below), Siri Suggestions, Reading List, and select or add a background image for the page.
Privacy Report is a new feature for Safari that gives an overview of how many trackers it blocked from profiling you in the last 30 days. It also includes a percentage of websites you visited that contacted trackers, the most frequently contacted tracker, and which websites you visited are using which trackers.
An additional security feature added to Safari is Password Monitoring. When saving passwords in iCloud Keychain, Safari will notify you if any of the sites saved have been compromised or involved in any known data breaches, so that you can change the password.
In terms of extensions, there’s now a category for Safari extensions in the Mac App Store. Additionally, Apple includes support for the WebExtensions API, which will allow extension developers easily port their extensions from other browsers like Chrome or Firefox to Safari; this gives Safari the potential to use popular extensions from other browsers not currently available.
Lastly, Safari has a built-in webpage translation feature accessible from the View menu that will automatically translate webpages from one language to another; with only seven languages available, the selection is limited at this time.
Compatibility at Penn
ISC and others across the University have tested macOS Big Sur and has found that many commonly used products and software function as expected, including:
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Chrome .current
Fetch 5.8
Filemaker Pro 19
Firefox .current
Firefox ESR
GlobalProtect VPN client
Microsoft Office 360
MobileConnect for Vonnage Enterprise
PowerTerm
SecureW2 JoinNow
Symantec Endpoint Protection
While testing has not shown any major compatibility issues using Adobe Creative Cloud with macOS Big Sur, the newest version is likely to be necessary to function as expected.