macOS Big Sur elevates the most advanced desktop operating system in the world to a new level of power and beauty. Experience Mac to the fullest with a refined new design. Enjoy the biggest Safari update ever. Discover new features for Maps and Messages. Get even more transparency around your privacy.
Chances are, your Mac can run macOS Big Sur
PreSchool-Grade 1–Curious George goes Christmas tree shopping with the man in the yellow hat, and climbs into a tree that gets delivered to a children's hospital. Although lost, the little monkey makes the best of the situation by decorating the boughs with such items as gauze, X-rays, and crutches and by changing the name tags on all the. Download A Very 3D Christmas Screen Saver (OS X) for Mac to place a customizable 3D Christmas screensaver on your Macintosh desktop.
The following models are supported:
- MacBook (2015 or later)
- MacBook Air (2013 or later)
- MacBook Pro (Late 2013 or later)
- Mac mini (2014 or later)
- iMac (2014 or later)
- iMac Pro (2017 or later)
- Mac Pro (2013 or later)
To see which model you have, click the Apple icon in your menu bar and choose About This Mac.
Make sure you're ready to upgrade.
Before you upgrade, we recommend that you back up your Mac. If your Mac is running OS X Mavericks 10.9 or later, you can upgrade directly to macOS Big Sur. You'll need the following:
- OS X 10.9 or later
- 4GB of memory
- 35.5GB available storage on macOS Sierra or later*
- Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
- Some features require a compatible internet service provider; fees may apply.
Upgrading is free and easy
Upgrading from macOS Catalina 10.15 or Mojave 10.14?
Go to Software Update in System Preferences to find macOS Big Sur. Click Upgrade Now and follow the onscreen instructions.
Upgrading from an older version of macOS?
If you're running any release from macOS 10.13 to 10.9, you can upgrade to macOS Big Sur from the App Store. If you're running Mountain Lion 10.8, you will need to upgrade to El Capitan 10.11 first.
If you don't have broadband access, you can upgrade your Mac at any Apple Store.
- OS X 10.9 or later
- 4GB of memory
- 35.5GB available storage on macOS Sierra or later*
- Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
- Some features require a compatible internet service provider; fees may apply.
For details about your Mac model, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen and choose About This Mac. These Mac models are compatible with macOS Big Sur:
- MacBook (2015 or later)
- MacBook Air (2013 or later)
- MacBook Pro (Late 2013 or later)
- Mac mini (2014 or later)
- iMac (2014 or later)
- iMac Pro (2017 or later)
- Mac Pro (2013 or later)
Siri
Requires a broadband internet connection and microphone (built-in or external).
Hey Siri
Supported by the following Mac models:
- MacBook Pro (2018 or later)
- MacBook Air (2018 or later)
- iMac Pro (2017 or later)
Dictation, Voice Control, and Voice Memos
Requires a microphone (built-in or external).
Spotlight Suggestions
Requires a broadband internet connection.
Gestures
Requires a Multi-Touch trackpad, Force Touch trackpad, Magic Trackpad, or Magic Mouse.
Force Touch gestures require a Force Touch trackpad.
VoiceOver gestures require a Multi-Touch trackpad, Force Touch trackpad, or Magic Trackpad.
Photo Booth
Requires a FaceTime or iSight camera (built-in or external) or USB video class (UVC) camera.
FaceTime
Audio calls require a microphone (built-in or external) and broadband internet connection.
Video calls require a built-in FaceTime camera, an iSight camera (built-in or external), or a USB video class (UVC) camera; and broadband internet connection.
Apple TV
High dynamic range (HDR) video playback is supported by the following Mac models:
- MacBook Pro (2018 or later)
- iMac Pro (2017 or later)
- Mac Pro (2019) with Pro Display XDR
Dolby Atmos soundtrack playback is supported by the following Mac models:
- MacBook Air (2018 or later)
- MacBook Pro (2018 or later)
Sidecar
Supported by the following Mac models:
- MacBook (2016 or later)
- MacBook Air (2018 or later)
- MacBook Pro (2016 or later)
- Mac mini (2018 or later)
- iMac (late 2015 or later)
- iMac Pro (2017 or later)
- Mac Pro (2019)
Supported by all iPad models with Apple Pencil support:
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro
- 11-inch iPad Pro
- 10.5-inch iPad Pro
- 9.7-inch iPad Pro
- iPad (6th generation or later)
- iPad mini (5th generation)
- iPad Air (3rd and 4th generation)
Continuity Camera
Requires an iPhone or iPad that supports iOS 12 or later.
Continuity Sketch and Continuity Markup
Requires an iPhone with iOS 13 or later or an iPad with iPadOS 13 or later.
Handoff
Requires an iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector or with USB-C and iOS 8 or later.
Instant Hotspot
Requires an iPhone or iPad with cellular connectivity, a Lightning connector or USB-C, and iOS 8.1 or later. Requires Personal Hotspot service through your carrier.
Universal Clipboard
Requires an iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector or with USB-C and iOS 10 or later.
Auto Unlock
Requires an Apple Watch with watchOS 3 or later or an iPhone 5 or later.
Approve with Apple Watch
Requires an Apple Watch with watchOS 6 or later or an iPhone 6s or later with iOS 13 or later.
Apple Pay on the Web
Requires a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air with Touch ID, an iPhone 6 or later with iOS 10 or later, or an Apple Watch with watchOS 3 or later.
Phone Calling
Requires an iPhone with iOS 8 or later and an activated carrier plan.
SMS
Requires an iPhone with iOS 8.1 or later and an activated carrier plan.
Home
Requires an iPhone with iOS 12 or later and a configured Home app.
AirDrop
AirDrop to iOS and iPadOS devices requires an iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector or with USB-C and iOS 7 or later.
AirPlay
AirPlay Mirroring requires an Apple TV (2nd generation or later).
AirPlay for web video requires an Apple TV (2nd generation or later).
Peer-to-peer AirPlay requires a Mac (2012 or later) and an Apple TV (3rd generation rev A, model A1469 or later) with Apple TV software 7.0 or later.
Time Machine
Requires an external storage device (sold separately).
Maps electric vehicle routing
Requires an iPhone with iOS 14 and a compatible electric vehicle.
Maps license plate restrictions
Requires an iPhone running iOS 14 or an iPad running iPadOS 14.
Boot Camp
Allows Boot Camp installations of Windows 10 on supported Mac models.
Exchange Support
Requires Microsoft Office 365, Exchange 2016, Exchange 2013, or Exchange Server 2010. Installing the latest Service Packs is recommended.
Windows Migration
Supports OS X 10.7 or later and Windows 7 or later.
App Store
Available only to persons age 13 or older in the U.S. and many other countries and regions.
Photos
The improved Retouch tool is supported on the following Mac models:
- MacBook Pro (15-inch and 16-inch models) introduced in 2016 or later
- iMac (Retina 5K models) introduced in 2014 or later
- iMac (Retina 4K models) introduced in 2017 or later
- iMac Pro (2017 or later)
- Mac Pro introduced in 2013 or later
- Apple Books
- Apple News
- App Store
- Automator
- Calculator
- Calendar
- Chess
- Contacts
- Dictionary
- DVD Player
- FaceTime
- Find My
- Font Book
- Home
- Image Capture
- Launchpad
- Maps
- Messages
- Mission Control
- Music
- Notes
- Photo Booth
- Photos
- Podcasts
- Preview
- QuickTime Player
- Reminders
- Safari
- Siri
- Stickies
- Stocks
- System Preferences
- TextEdit
- Time Machine
- TV
- Voice Memos
- Activity Monitor
- AirPort Utility
- Audio MIDI Setup
- Bluetooth File Exchange
- Boot Camp Assistant
- ColorSync Utility
- Console
- Digital Color Meter
- Disk Utility
- Grapher
- Keychain Access
- Migration Assistant
- Screenshot
- Screen Time
- Script Editor
- Sidecar
- System Information
- Terminal
- VoiceOver Utility
A Curious Christmas Mac Os Catalina
- Arabic
- Catalan
- Croatian
- Simplified Chinese
- Traditional Chinese
- Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong)
- Czech
- Danish
- Dutch
- English (Australia)
- English (UK)
- English (U.S.)
- Finnish
- French
- French (Canada)
- German
- Greek
- Hebrew
- Hindi
- Hungarian
- Indonesian
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Malay
- Norwegian
- Polish
- Brazilian Portuguese
- Portuguese
- Romanian
- Russian
- Slovak
- Spanish
- Spanish (Latin America)
- Swedish
- Thai
- Turkish
- Ukrainian
- Vietnamese
A Curious Christmas Mac Os X
It's here.
Just two days after writing my hotly debated comparison of the new Mac mini and Dell's cheapest Windows PC, the Mac mini (Best Current Price: 1.25GHz model and 1.42 GHz model ) I ordered last week arrived on my doorstep. (Actually, given the size of the box at my door, at first I thought it was the 1GB iPod shuffle I ordered the same day. Seriously. The Mac mini's box is tiny.)
Being the longtime computer user that I am, I didn't expect to be that excited by the mini; I thought I'd do my duty as an 'early adopter' and report back. (As I stated in my previous column, 'machines like the mini or the cheap Dell desktop are underpowered for advanced users, but both will suffice for their target market.') But once you see how tiny the Mac mini's box is, you realize that there's something special about getting a functional computer in something the size of a stack of CDs. At only 8.5-by-8.5-by-5 inches, the box is smaller than the one for my first portable CD player back in the late '80s. I actually had to laugh that it still has a handle —c'mon, Apple… my 10-year-old nephew could pick this thing up with one hand. (OK, just kidding; the handle is a nice touch.) So I admit that after seeing that box, there was a bit of geeky Christmas-morning-unwrapping excitement; you'd have to be incredibly jaded, or vehemently anti-Mac, not to feel it.
Opening Day
The first thing you see when you open the box is all the 'paperwork'—Bluetooth Regulatory Certificate, AirPort Extreme User's Guide, blah, blah, blah—and the software. You get Apple's standard flip-open CD case, housing the Mac OS X install/restore/Apple Hardware Test DVDs (two of 'em), as well as the Mac mini User's Guide, the ubiquitous white Apple stickers, software license agreement, and warranty documentation. (Boring, I know; but if I didn't list it, someone would invariably ask about it.) You also get an Apple Software Proof-of-Purchase Coupon sheet that, oddly enough, says it's for 'iLife '04 + Mac OS X v10.3.' I say oddly enough because the other disc that comes in the box is a copy of iLife '05, which comes with its own Proof-of-Purchase Coupon sheet. (Not that these forms are actually worth anything—I've got a stack of them in my garage, hoping that someday Apple will let me trade them in for something, like Subway does with their sandwich stickers. Heck, I'd be happy if Apple actually gave me a Subway sandwich for them. Anyway…)
Then you get to the good stuff—the mini itself, as small and light as Apple promised, wrapped in one of Apple's signature clear plastic wraps that apparently have no seams, edges, or tabs to help you remove them. Finally, the bottom of the box holds the Mac mini's power supply—a 6.5-by-2.5-by-1.5-inch white brick—power cable, and DVI-to-VGA display adapter.
Throw the Switch
Since I didn't want to disturb my Power Mac G5, I decided to test the 'switcher' route. I unplugged my Dell LCD, keyboard, and mouse—I really did BMODKM, as Steve Jobs suggested in his keynote —and connected them to the mini. The DVI connector plugged into the mini's DVI port and the keyboard and mouse took up one of the mini's two USB ports. (If my keyboard had been a PS/2 model, I would have needed a $5 to $10 adapter from Radio Shack.) A press of the power button and the mini booted into the familiar (to Mac users) OS X setup mode. Five minutes later, the setup process was complete and the mini was up and running. The Dell display worked flawlessly, as did the keyboard and mouse, although I had to remember that the Alt key was equivalent to the Mac's Option key, and that the Windows key was used as Command. (I plan on installing the excellent DoubleCommand, which lets you swap the Alt and Windows keys so that they reside in the same relative positions on a Windows PC keyboard as the Option and Command keys do on a Mac keyboard. NOTE: uControl, which I originally recommended, hasn't yet been updated for Mac OS X 10.3.7. ) Holding the F12 key down even ejects CDs/DVDs, just like it does on Apple keyboards, and, as with any Mac, the Dell mouse's scroll/click wheel and right button function as expected.
(Side note: My Mac mini has the internal Bluetooth module; I'll be testing my Apple Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse with it later.)
Out of the box, the Mac mini is running Mac OS X 10.3.7 build 7T21, a later build than the one on my Power Mac G5 (7M34). However, running Software Update reveals that it doesn't have all the latest non-OS X software: I was told I needed to install Apple Bluetooth Module Firmware 1.2, Apple Remote Desktop Client 1.2.4, iCal 1.5.5, iSight Update 1.0.2, iTunes 4.7.1, Java 1.4.2 Update 2, and, most interestingly based on the date, iPod Updater 2004-11-15. (These updates took about 15 minutes over broadband.) In addition, iLife '05 is not preinstalled—you need to install it yourself using the included DVD, which for me took about 18 minutes thanks to the GBs of iDVD support files. (Since iDVD '05 lets you save projects to disk images for later burning on SuperDrive-equipped Macs, the installer will install iDVD '05 on a Combo drive-equipped Mac mini.)
Performance Review
So how does the Mac mini perform? I purchased the 1.42GHz/80GB hard drive version and my initial impression is that it performs at about the same level as a 1.5GHz PowerBook G4. Working with the Finder is fairly snappy (although obviously not as quick as on a dual-G5), and applications perform well enough, considering that this is a 1.42GHz G4. iTunes rips songs at approximately 15x, and I noticed no hiccups when playing a DVD while surfing in Safari. The included games run well, even with iTunes playing in the background; although, to be fair, they aren't the most demanding titles. And I was pleasantly surprised how well the Mac mini fared with just the stock 256MB of RAM. (My 1GB upgrade hasn't yet arrived.)
A Curious Christmas Mac Os 11
(Side notes: The biggest question around the Web over the past week has been about how easy or difficult it is to upgrade the Mac mini's RAM. Now that we've taken it apart; we can tell you whether installing RAM is easy or not. And for those curious about hard drive space, fresh out of the box the 80GB hard drive has 67GB of free space with OS X and the included applications installed; after installing iLife '05, that drops to just over 65.5GB.)
One thing that did surprise me about the Mac mini was the noise level, both good and bad. Most of the time the machine is very quiet, basically silent; I expected more regular fan noise given the cramped quarters inside the box. On the other hand, under the heaviest extended loads—ripping a number of CDs in a row while performing other processor-intenstive tasks, for example—the fan ramps up to a surprising volume. Nothing compared to the wind tunnel levels of a crashed Power Mac G5, to be sure, but louder than I expected. Similarly, the Mac mini's optical drive is about as loud as its PowerBook cousin—it can get noisy when ripping songs in iTunes. (Thankfully, it's nearly silent when watching DVDs.)
First Impressions
A Curious Christmas Mac Os Download
Overall, as I suspected, the Mac mini performs well, but not spectacularly. It is a $600 computer, after all. But what makes the Mac mini special is something I hinted at in my previous column that is only fully realized once the mini is actually sitting on your desk: It's a computer the size of some computers' power supplies, that already includes all the software the average home users may ever need—e-mail, Web, word processor, spreadsheet, database, drawing, photos, making and enjoying music, making and watching movies, finances, and even a few games. For the money, I predict it's as complete a system —hardware and software—as you'll find for this price.
[ Questions or comments about this story? Talk back in Macworld.com forums. And to read more about the Mac mini, go to Macworld's Mac mini page. ]
This story has been edited to include an update on installing RAM upgrades in the Mac mini.—Ed.
