Apple today published its annual Best of 2016 charts for the App Store, iTunes Store, and iBooks Store, naming photo editing app 'Prisma' as the iPhone App of the Year and 'Clash Royale' as the.
To say that 2016 was a good year for helpful apps would be a colossal understatement. A perfect storm of artificial intelligence, big data, excellent interface design, and fresh takes on otherwise.
Read about the best Mac word processor apps here: Best Mac Word Processors. Lightworks Free. Films edited in Lightworks include Pulp Fiction, LA Confidential, The Kings Speech and The Wolf of.
Which Mac operating system is the best is a topic of numerous debates among Apple fans.
Since the mission of this blog is to refute myths and legends around Macs, it’s time for me to provide my 2 cents about the issue on hand. While everything below is just my opinion, as a long-time Mac user and veteran software engineer, I hope my opinion worth something.
TLDR; The best Mac OS version is the one that your Mac is eligible to upgrade to. In 2019-2020 it is macOS Catalina. However, users that need to run 32-bit applications on Mac should not go with Catalina because it only supports 64-bit apps. Also, older Macs would benefit if upgraded at least to macOS Sierra because this is the earliest operating system for which Apple still releases security updates.
Update: On WWDC 2020 Apple announced a new macOS Big Sur, which is said to have the biggest UI redesign and the biggest Safari update. New Safari will run 50% faster than Chrome and use less battery. It also has new limitations: Big Sur will require at least MacBook Pro late 2013, MacBook Air 2013, and Mac Mini 2014 or later to run. Big Sur will be released in the fall of 2020.
How to Tell Which macOS You Are Running
To find out which macOS is currently running on your Mac, follow these steps:
Click on Apple logo in the top left corner of the menubar
In the dropdown click on the first item: About This Mac
The first line in the Overview tab is the name of the current OS.
What Version of OS Can My Mac Run?
Not all Macs can be upgraded to the latest OS version. For instance, old Macs powered by PowerPC CPUs cannot run OS intended for Intel-based computers. Also, some versions have hardware limitations.
For instance, Mojave cannot be installed on MacBook Pro earlier than Mid 2012 model.
Check below to know exactly what version of OS your Mac can run.
Which OS is Best for my Mac
Anytime someone asks me which OS is best for them I always suggested going with the latest. Things have changed recently, however.
Should I Upgrade to macOS Catalina?
While personally I like macOS Catalina and have it installed on my MacBook Pro, Catalina comes with serious breaking changes. If you have old 32-bit apps, they will not run in the new OS. macOS Catalina and newer can only run 64-bit apps.
If you wondering whether you should upgrade to macOS Catalina, first verify that you don’t have any 32-bit apps. But first, take a back up, so you can go back in case something breaks after upgrade.
For instance, I had to remove uTorrent after upgrade. And I didn’t know that uTorrent is 32-bit!
How to Know If App is 32-bit or 64-bit
To find out whether the app on your Mac is 32-bit or 64-bit follow these steps:
Click on Apple logo in the top left corner of the Mac screen
Click on About This Mac option
Click on System Report button in Overview tab (first one)
Scroll down to Software -> Applications
Find the app and check Kind
Which macOS Should I Use
If you have an older Mac which is not eligible to upgrade with some latest software or hardware, I’d suggest upgrading at least to Sierra for the following reasons:
Sierra is still supported by Apple, and it gets security updates
APFS file system is available
It supports Siri
Significant security improvements
The most important point when choosing the best OS is the ability getting security updates. While Apple generally does not announce the OS end of life dates, it is possible to know when they stop releasing security updates from this page.
For instance, according to the page, the last security update for OS X Yosemite was released on September 12, 2017. The last update for OS X El Capitan was in July 2018, and Carnegie Mellon University confirmed that El Capitan’s end of life date was August 2018.
Snow Leopard Myth
I know that some users on forums believe that the best OS version for Macs was Snow Leopard. But that is a myth. And I know how such myths get created.
Once I worked in the company, which was selling a 20-year old product. And customers were still using and didn’t want to switch to new versions, because the old one was rock solid.
I then talked to the engineer who worked on the project, and he revealed that the product was a total disaster when it was first deployed. Engineers had to work on-site for almost a year in order to fix all bugs.
After five or so years of polishing the product, it becomes virtually bug-free, and nobody now remembers how bad it was when it was first rolled out. A similar thing happened Snow Leopard, and it was recognized as best mac os version after some time.
How to Update to the Latest Version
There are two ways to update to the latest OS version on Mac:
From the Software Update section in System Preferences
Use a download link
Using Software Update
This is by far the best option, but it only available if you have Yosemite, or later OS installed already. If you enabled automatic updates, then Mac will inform you that the next macOS is available.
Just open System Preferences, go to Software Update and click on the Upgrade Now button.
This method is also best if wondering how to check if you have the latest version of OS installed on your Mac. Only the version compatible with your hardware will appear here.
For instance, my the latest version for Mac Mini 2012 is Mojave, I can’t install anything newer than that.
Using download links
For older systems or in case you need to downgrade, you have to download a standalone installer in DMG format. DMG stands for disk image, similar to ISO, just different formats.
After downloading the installer, just double click on it and follow instructions. Again, do not forget to take a backup before the upgrade.
Mac OS Comparisons: Requirements, Features, Compatibility, Download Links
Following is a high-level description of all Mac operating systems as early as Mountain Lion.
You can refer to those descriptions when deciding which operating system is best for your iMac, Mac Pro, Mac mini, or MacBook.
With each OS description, I included a list of Macs supported. However, you can use Mac OS compatibility checker for more detailed information.
macOS 10.15 Catalina
macOS v10.15 (codename Catalina) is the latest version of the operating system for Apple computers.
Release date: October 7, 2019
Hardware Requirements: RAM requirement increased from 2GB to 4GB.
However, with the help of this post, you can permanently delete or remove files from a Mac device and free up space on your device. In fact, we will share with you a lot of methods by which you can get rid of the older files on your device. How to Permanently Delete files on SSD-Based Mac? It’s quite simple. Just drag the files to Trash or right-click and select Move to Trash, then open the Trash app and select Delete Permanently or Empty Trash. However, if you are still paranoid and want to make sure the deleted files are 100% unrecoverable, you can use CleanMyMac. How to Delete an App on Mac from Launchpad. The first way we want to recommend to you is using. Why I Can't Delete File on Mac? You have often wondered why you can't delete an app on Mac. The presence of a Trash bin on Mac has always made it easy to sort out what you don't need. However, this is not true. There are underlying obstacles that can hinder you from clearing your system of specific files. Permanently delete app files mac.
Features
Introduced Sidecar, which allows for Macs to use an iPad as an external display.
iTunes was replaced by separate apps: Music, Podcasts, and TV.
Find My Mac and Find My Friends have merged into one app.
Software Compatibility Issues
macOS Catalina is the first Mac operating system that does not support 32-bit applications. Only 64-bit apps are allowed to run on Catalina.
How to install
There are two ways to install Catalina: enable automatic updates in System Preferences or download by using the following link.
List of Apple computers compatible with macOS Catalina
MacBook (Early 2015 or later)
MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or later)
MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or later)
Mac mini (Late 2012 or later)
iMac models (Late 2012 or later)
iMac Pro (All models)
Mac Pro (Late 2013)
macOS 10.14 Mojave
Release date: September 24, 2018
Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 18.5GB free space on disk
Features
The main feature of Mojave is “Dark Mode”
FaceTime adds group feature which allows chatting with up to 32 people
News, Stocks, Voice Memos, and Home apps were ported from iOS to Mac.
How to install
If your Mac is eligible to update to Mojave, then the easiest way to install it is by enabling automatic updates. Downloading a standalone Mojave installer could be a little tricky.
List of Apple computers compatible with macOS Mojave
MacBook (Early 2015 or later)
MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or later)
MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or later)
Mac mini (Late 2012 or later)
iMac (Late 2012 or later)
iMac Pro (All models)
Mac Pro (Late 2013 and 2010-2012 models with upgraded GPU)
macOS 10.13 High Sierra
Release date: September 25, 2017
Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 14.3GB free space on disk
Features
APFS (Apple File System) becomes the default file system in High Sierra. It’s a significant upgrade from the older HFS+ in terms of speed, size, and security
iCloud support of Messages which allows sync messages of the account across multiple devices
Mail app uses 35% less storage space due to optimizations
List of Apple computers compatible with macOS High Sierra
MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
iMac (Late 2009 or newer)
Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
How to install
Here is a High Sierra download link.
macOS 10.12 Sierra
This is the first macOS version. Previous OS versions for Macs were called OS X (X stands for 10).
Release date: September 20, 2016
Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk
Turtle beach app mac. The Turtle Beach Audio Hub lets you keep your gaming headset and other Turtle Beach gaming audio accessories up to date with the latest software and firmware. Download the Turtle Beach Audio Hub for PC or Mac below. (see below for the list of supported products).
Features
Siri was introduced to Macs
Optimized storage with iCloud sync
Auto-lock feature allows unlocking MacBook with paired Apple Watch
APFS preview available
Disk Utility can manage RAID sets again
Significant security improvements
How to install
Here is a Sierra download link.
List of Apple computers compatible with macOS Sierra
MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
iMac (Late 2009 or newer)
Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
OS X 10.11 El Capitan
Last OS X version.
Release date: September 30, 2015
Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk
Features
System Integrity Protection – a security feature that protects even when the root user executes the process
Performance improvements: open PDF files four times faster, Mail is twice faster, launching apps 40% faster
Notes app similar to the app in iOS
Macs compatible with OS X El Capitan
same as OS Mountain Lion.
How to install
Here is El Capitan download link.
OS X 10.10 Yosemite
Release date: October 16, 2014
Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk
Macs compatible with OS X Yosemite
Same as OS Mountain Lion.
Features
Major user design overhaul
Introduction of Handoff and Continuity features
Photos app replaced iPhoto and Aperture
How to install
Here is Yosemite download link.
OS X 10.9 Mavericks
First free Mac OS. Previous OS versions vary from $19.99 to $129.
Release date: October 22, 2013
Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk
Features
Compressed Memory feature automatically compresses inactive apps when approaching maximum memory capacity
Timer coalescing is a feature that reduces CPU usage by up to 72 percent
App Nap puts apps that are not currently visible to sleep
Macs compatible with OS X Mavericks
Same as OS Mountain Lion.
How to install
OS X Mavericks installer is not available on Apple Site. Follow instructions here to install Mavericks.
OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion
Must be purchased. Fixed many bugs introduced in OS X Lion.
To open the developer console window on Chrome, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl Shift J (on Windows) or Ctrl Option J (on Mac). Alternatively, you can use the Chrome menu in the browser window, select the option 'More Tools,' and then select 'Developer Tools.' Build your future. Whether you’re just entering the workforce or you‘re an experienced developer or entrepreneur, take advantage of free resources to gain skills that help you succeed in Apple’s growing app economy, which provides millions of jobs in technology across the globe. Open developers apps mac. Mac App Store and identified developers: When you try to open a new app and it’s not on the list of identified developers that’s saved within the operating system, the Mac tells you it can’t open. Easily build widgets and make them available across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS with the WidgetKit framework for SwiftUI. An Even Shorter Way to Open Them. If you do not want to go into Systems Preferences to open an app for the first time as shown above, then Control+Click on the app in the Finder, then select 'Open.' You will see a new popup asking if you're sure you want to run the app on your Mac.
(Mac OS 10.13 Catalina users will need to use uTorrent's web interface instead as the app isn't 64-bit.). And its free Mac app is the best way to keep in touch with your team. https://renewfreedom152.weebly.com/top-10-mac-apps.html. The next app on my top 10 best mac utility apps you need to have is the cheatsheet software. This app is for those who have a hard time remembering the keyboard shortcuts. Keyboard shortcut is a great way to make things faster but if you want to know all keyboard shortcuts you have to.
Features
New apps: Notification Center, Notes, Messages, Game Center
AirPlay mirroring allowed to mirror Mac screen to Apple TV
Application updates automatically install from the App Store
List of Apple computers compatible with OS X Mountain Lion
iMac (Mid-2007 or newer)
MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
Xserve (Early 2009)
How to install
Mountain Lion installer is not available on Apple Site. Follow instructions here to install OS X Mountain Lion.
List of older Mac OS Versions
Following Mac OS versions are still running on older Macs, but Apple does not support them anymore, and there is no point to upgrade (or downgrade) to them:
OS X 10.7 Lion
OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger
Mac OS X 10.3 Panther
Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar
Mac OS X 10.1 Puma
Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah
Apple has unveiled its Best of 2016 lists, celebrating the most popular apps, music, movies, TV shows, books and podcasts across the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music and iBooks.
Showcasing editorial selections and top-selling and most downloaded charts, Apple’s Best of 2016 highlights the talented artists, storytellers and developers who are entertaining Apple customers around the world.
On Apple Music, Drake dominates the top song and album spots with “One Dance” and Views, respectively, while the Hamilton soundtrack is also a top-selling album. The Chainsmokers have two of the top 10 songs this year, and music fans still can’t get enough of Adele’s 25, Rihanna’s ANTI and Frank Ocean’s Blonde. The Beats 1 team will be counting down the biggest songs on the station in 2016 with a special Best of Beats 1 show on December 7. The Best of Beats 1 playlist will also be available on Apple Music and feature Christine And The Queens, Kiiara, The 1975, Kanye West, Solange, The Weeknd, DJ Khaled and more.
App Store editors reveal their App of the Year picks for 2016, including Prisma for iPhone, Sketchbook Motion for iPad, Twitter for Apple TV, MySwimPro – Personal Swim Trainer for Apple Watch and Bear for Mac. Game of the Year selections include Clash Royale for iPhone, Severed for iPad, Riptide GP: Renegade for Apple TV, Field Day for Apple Watch and Life Is Strange for Mac.
Snapchat is the most downloaded free iPhone app, while the craze of the summer, Pokémon GO, unsurprisingly lands on both the iPhone and iPad charts. The top paid iPhone apps cover a range of categories, with FaceTune, Heads Up!, 7 Minute Workout Challenge, KIMOJI, Geometry Dash and Face Swap Live among the top 10. Minecraft: Pocket Edition is the most downloaded paid iPad app, while YouTube is the top free iPad app.
The editors of iTunes Movies recognize inventive films like La La Land, Moonlight and Sing Street, and the top-selling charts feature huge blockbuster hits to buzzworthy indie titles, from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Deadpool to Spotlight and The Hateful Eight.
iTunes TV’s top editorial picks include groundbreaking shows like Full Frontal with Samantha Bee and Atlanta, while longtime TV favorites Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead and Downton Abbey are top sellers.
Podcasts hit an impressive milestone in 2016: globally, Apple listeners consumed over 10 billion downloads and streams over the past 12 months via iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and desktop. Fresh Air from NPR is the top downloaded podcast of the year.
This year’s editorial selections on iBooks include powerful titles, such as Homegoing, Evicted, Born to Run and If I Was Your Girl. The Girl on the Train is the top-seller in fiction and audiobooks, while readers continue to be moved by When Breath Becomes Air, the best-selling nonfiction title.
Overall, the Best of 2016 spotlights the fan-favorite entertainment that Apple customers couldn't get enough of this year, while also celebrating the breadth and depth of creativity across the App Store, iTunes and iBooks.