- Not to be confused with OS X 10.11 (El Capitan).
macOS Big Sur (version 11) is the seventeenth major release of macOS from Apple, succeeding macOS Catalina (version 10.15). It was announced on June 22 at the 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference and released on November 12, 2020. It was succeeded by macOS Monterey (version 12) on October 25, 2021.
New features[]
Big Sur features an iPadOS-style dock, translucent menus, and other new features closely tied to iOS 14.[1]
Changes[]
Big Sur's desktop somewhat resembles iPadOS
- App design changes introducing full-height sidebars and more integrated toolbars.
- Simplified Dock interface.
- Application icons now conform to iOS' Round Rect boxes.
- Control Center arrives to the Mac.
- Notification Center is now more iOS-like, with grouped notifications in-line with widgets, and all interactive.
- Safari: improved performance and energy consumption, new privacy protections, more customizable home screen, in-tab previews, data breach notifications, privacy reports, on-system translation service.
- Messages: group tracking, contextual linking, pinned conversations, inline replies, mentions, group photos, improved Memoji, stickers, hashtags and message searching.
- Maps: new trip-planning tools, location research tools, guides, EV and bicyle-centric route planning, 3D look Around, charging station tracking, indoor maps.
- App Store: Safari Extensions get their own area, privacy information enhanced.
- Photos: retouch now machine learning enhanced.
- Peripherals: AirPods now automatically switch across devices using macOS 11, iOS 14, iPadOS 14 and later.
- HomeKit: improved face recognition and activity zones.
- Music: iTunes/Apple Music now includes a Listen Now tab for curated music.
- Siri: better website integration.
- Software Update: improved updating mechanism; non-interactive bits happen in the background, update process sped up.
- Startup: The Mac startup chime is once again played by default upon booting.
- USB: Added USB4 support.
- Apple Silicon: Added support for new Macs with the Apple M1 processor, the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini.
History[]
Development[]
Big Sur was developed with Xcode as a dual-binary (referred to as Universal 2) that supports both Intel and Apple processors. Rosetta 2 will allow 64-bit Intel software to run in emulation on Apple processors. The first system provided by Apple to registered developers to run Big Sur natively on an Apple A12Z processor is the 2020 Developer Transition Kit.[1]
Release history[]
| Version | Build | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11.0 beta 1 | 20A4299v 20A4299w |
2020-06-22 2020-06-?? |
First developer beta. Pre-installed on early 2020 Developer Transition Kits. |
| 11.0 beta 2 | 20A4300b | 2020-07-07 | 2nd developer beta. |
| 11.0 beta 3 | 20A5323l | 2020-07-22 | 3rd developer beta. |
| 11.0 beta 4 | 2020-08-04 2020-08-06 |
4th developer beta. First public beta. | |
| 11.0 beta 5 | 20A5354i | 2020-08-18 2020-08-20 |
5th developer beta. 2nd public beta. |
| 11.0 beta 6 | 20A5364e | 2020-09-03 2020-09-08 |
6th developer beta. 3rd public beta. |
| 11.0 beta 7 | 20A5374f 20A5374g |
2020-09-17 | Pre-installed on some 2020 Developer Transition Kits. 7th developer beta. |
| 11.0 beta 8 | 20A5374i | 2020-09-22 | 8th developer beta. 4th public beta. |
| 11.0 beta 9 | 20A5384c | 2020-09-29 2020-09-30 |
9th developer beta. 5th public beta. |
| 11.0 beta 10 | 20A5395g | 2020-10-14 2020-10-16 |
10th developer beta. 6th public beta. |
| 11.0 | 20A2411 | 2020-11-?? | Pre-installed on early Apple M1-based Macs. |
| 11.0.1 | 20B29 20B50 |
2020-11-12 2020-11-19 |
First public release. Security update. |
| 11.1 | 20C69 | 2020-12-14 | Added support for AirPods Max, TV app enhancements, Apple News widgets, and App Store privacy information. |
| 11.2 | 20D64 | 2021-02-01 | Bug fixes, including improved Bluetooth reliability. |
| 11.2.1 | 20D74 | 2021-02-09 | |
| 11.2.2 | 20D80 | 2021-02-25 | |
| 11.2.3 | 20D91 | 2021-03-08 | |
| 11.3 | 20E232 | 2021-04-26 | Added support for AirTag, includes improvements for running iPhone and iPad apps on Macs with Apple M1 processors |
| 11.4 | 20F71 | 2021-05-24 | Added support for Apple Podcasts subscriptions and channels, and includes bug fixes. |
| 11.5 | 20G71 | 2021-07-21 | Added a Library tab to Apple Podcasts to choose to see followed programs. |
| 11.5.1 | 20G80 | 2021-07-26 | Security fixes. |
| 11.5.2 | 20G95 | 2021-08-11 | Bug fixes. |
| 11.6 | 20G165 | 2021-09-13 | Security fixes. |
| 11.6.1 | 20G224 | 2021-10-25 | Security fixes. |
| 11.6.2 | 20G314 | 2021-12-13 | Security fixes. |
| 11.6.3 | 20G415 | 2022-01-26 | Security fixes. |
| 11.6.4 | 20G417 | 2022-02-14 | Security fixes. |
| 11.6.5 | 20G527 | 2022-03-14 | Security fixes. |
| 11.6.6 | 20G624 | 2022-05-16 | Security fixes. |
| 11.6.7 | 20G630 | 2022-06-09 | Bug fixes, including the opening of email attachments. |
| 11.6.8 | 20G730 | 2022-07-20 | Security fixes. |
| 11.7 | 20G817 | 2022-09-12 | Security fixes. |
| 11.7.1 | 20G918 | 2022-10-24 | Security fixes. |
| 11.7.2 | 20G1020 | 2022-12-13 | Security fixes. |
| 11.7.3 | 20G1116 | 2023-01-23 | Security fixes. |
| 11.7.4 | 20G1120 | 2023-02-15 | Security fixes. |
| 11.7.5 | 20G1225 | 2023-03-27 | Security fixes. |
| 11.7.6 | 20G1231 | 2023-04-10 | Security fixes. |
| 11.7.7 | 20G1345 | 2023-05-18 | Security fixes. |
| 11.7.8 | 20G1351 | 2023-06-21 | Security fixes.[2] |
| 11.7.9 | 20G1426 | 2023-07-24 | Security fixes.[3] |
| 11.7.10 | 20G1427 | 2023-09-11 | Security fixes.[4] |
Issues[]
Installation bug[]
Users discovered that the macOS Big Sur installer may not accurately anticipate the free space needed for the upgrade, which requires about 35.5 GB plus an additional 13 GB for the installer inself. If the installation process runs out of drive space before the process is completed, the resulting failure would result in an unrecoverable install loop and potential data loss. The installation bug still exists as of the beta version of macOS 11.3.[5] It is also recommended to check Energy Saver settings so that the computer does not go to sleep during installation.[6]
Gallery[]
Big Sur includes dynamic desktops, which change according to time and lighting conditions.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 WWDC Special Event — June 22 by Apple, YouTube. 2020-06-22.
- ↑ macOS Monterey 12.6.7 & macOS Big Sur 11.7.8 Updates Released, OS X Daily. 2023-06-22.
- ↑ macOS Monterey 12.6.8 & macOS Big Sur 11.7.9 Updates Released, OS X Daily. 2023-07-27.
- ↑ iOS 15.7.9, iPadOS 15.7.9, macOS Monterey 12.6.9, & macOS Big Sur 11.7.10 Released, OS X Daily. 2023-09-11.
- ↑ macOS Big Sur upgrade can lead to data loss without ample storage, AppleInsider. 2021-02-09.
- ↑ macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 Release Notes, Apple Developer. 2020-11-12.
External links[]
- macOS Big Sur at Apple (archived 2020-10-01)
- Preview: macOS Big Sur (archived 2020-06-22)
- What's new in macOS Big Sur
- What's new in the updates for macOS Big Sur at Apple Support (2023-11-09)
- Elevate your apps with macOS Big Sur at Apple Developer (archived 2021-06-02)
- Big Sur micropatcher by Barry K. Nathan at GitHub
- macOS Big Sur at MacRumors
- macOS Big Sur at the BetaWiki
- macOS Big Sur at Wikipedia
