4 Reasons Why People Aren’t Upgrading To Newer Versions of macOS
Do you agree with these assumptions?
Using the most up-to-date version of your software is extremely important for its proper functioning and security. You hear about this from just about every side, no matter whether it’s just a utility, a complex application, or the operating system itself. In short, you shouldn’t put off updates and should install them as soon as possible.
At least, that is the general recommendation. However, it is also worth mentioning the benefits of regular software updates. As we’ve indicated, updates give you access to the latest features and tweaks and prevent any problems and issues associated with older versions. Security also plays an important role.
New versions, both for programs and especially for operating systems, bring security patches and address potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited to compromise devices. However, you can also look at it the other way around — in theory, you can cause problems by updating to a poorly tested or flawed version.
Fortunately, that doesn’t happen as much. Even so, some users don’t bother updating. So let’s look at four reasons people don’t upgrade to newer macOS versions. A poll on the social network Reddit shows that up to 15% of users don’t update their Mac to the latest system.
Weaker/older computer
Ultimately, it also depends on what device a particular user is using. If they own an older Mac or a model with weaker specs, they won’t be too keen on updating to the latest version of macOS. In the end, this is pretty much understandable.
Older or less powerful devices may no longer be up to keeping up with the latest innovations, which can cause more complications than benefits. By the same token, when new versions of macOS arrive, Apple users often find themselves asking the endless question of whether to update their years-old device or avoid it.
Concerns about bugs
Shortly after the release of a new macOS version, there tend to be major concerns about the system containing bugs or that your favourite software won’t work properly.
Sometimes these concerns are indeed valid, but in the case of Apple, I have only had these problems when switching from the Intel version to Apple Silicon, where some HW still does not have drivers for Apple Silicon, but this is due to developer laziness rather than being a direct Apple problem.
Support for 32-bit apps
It’s clear from users' testimonials that many of them have remained loyal to macOS 10.14 Mojave so far. They use this version for a fairly obvious reason — the last version of macOS still offers support for older 32-bit apps. You won’t be able to run them from the upcoming macOS 10.15 Catalina.
Instead, you’ll get a message saying it must be a 64-bit app. Apple itself argues for the fairly straightforward benefits of 64-bit apps. Since they can access more memory and use more system power and the latest technology, they are understandably more efficient and better for Macs.
Moreover, they have been using 64-bit processors for a few years, so it is logical to run properly prepared applications. We can see a parallel in this now. On Macs with Apple Silicon, programs can run natively or through the Rosetta 2 layer.
Of course, if we want the best, using fully optimized software directly designed for the platform is best. They are not the same, but we can see some similarities.
Support for older software
In many cases, you may also encounter users who do not upgrade to newer versions of operating systems due to software availability. This goes hand-in-hand with the aforementioned support for 32-bit applications, but generally, this reason is much more extensive.
As Apple pointed out on discussion forums, in many cases, these are musicians using their Macs for cooking music. They may depend on programs and utilities that may not work on newer systems. That’s why it’s more convenient for them to stick with an older but mostly reliable version of the OS.
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