Apple’s long-anticipated macOS Monterey is scheduled to release today 10/25/21. Announced during Apple’s worldwide developer conference in June of 2021 and after a long public beta, the new macOS will release as version 12.01. All new operating systems releases require caution, and as always they offer compelling new features.
Wait or go now!
The long public beta should keep surprises to a minimum, so the old advice of waiting for the .1 release may be cautiously ignored (macOS 12.01 is not macOS 12.1); However, unless you are in need of one of the core new features you may wish to wait a little while before updating a Mac you depend on for your living.
Set aside the time to get it done!
If you are anxiously awaiting the new features, or just can’t resist the new shiny OS – make sure you have a good Timemachine backup and expect the process to consume a few hours. It could go faster, but on the first day Apple’s update servers will be heavily loaded and it could take much longer.
I will be updating many Macs today, and will always start by restarting them before kicking off the update process. It may not be necessary, but starting with a freshly restarted Mac allows me to know I have a working Mac and the boot process is error-free, during the upgrade your Mac will restart several times, so an error-free boot will be required. I will always check that, not only Timemachine is working, but that it is backing up everything I believe it is – like external drives if they are being used for work. If needed force a Timemachine backup, Murphy’s Law says you will need a backup you don’t have. I also disconnect all external USB, and thunderbolt devices before starting the upgrade, incompatible external devices can stall or kill the upgrade. Deal with the device incompatiabilites after a successful update.
A little planning can go a long way!
Of course, one can keep device issues and discovering incompatible software to a minimum by checking compatibility on the manufacturer’s or publisher’s website. However, this does not always go as well as it should – so expect some issues on day one.
We can do it for you!
Happy updating! If this all seems like it is too much, contact us – we can take care of it for you.
