A fresh start is not a challenge in the Mac universe. Quite the opposite, getting a macOS upgrade every September marks a surge of new features and functionality enhancements—all coming right your Mac's way.
- What Is Macos Catalina 10.15.3
- What Is Macos Catalina
- What Is New About Macos Catalina Island
- What Is New About Macos Catalina Update
Apple introduced the perks of macOS 10.15 at the 2019 WWDC, and lots of features have been tested and discussed since then. A dual monitor available with the Sidecar feature, the Photos app update, and a brand-new iTunes made the show this year. Lots of features migrate from iOS, the others appear for the first time. If you're wondering why Catalina is worth an upgrade, check the full list of killing features here.
Traditionally, there are two stages at which you can try macOS Catalina before it's officially released. Starting June, there's a developer beta available, and about a month later—a public one.
What's New in macOS Catalina Apple's latest update of macOS leaves the Mojave Desert for Catalina Island. Highlights include breaking up iTunes, Sidecar, and a Find My app for both people. What's New in macOS Catalina 10.15.1 Beta 2 (19B77a) Today Apple released macOS Catalina 10.15.1 Beta 2 (19B77a) to Developers. Two days have passed since Apple released the 10.15 Supplemental Update. Some of the fixes included in that update were pretty.
Ready to dive in? Give us a second to get you ready.
Take all your apps to macOS Catalina
Get Setapp, a suit of Mac apps that strengthen your macOS. When you decide to upgrade, your curated apps will travel with you.
A few things before you switch to Catalina
Your to-do list for the upcoming upgrade:
Ensure your device is compatible. As usual, there's a limited number of Apple devices that support macOS 10.15. It's not too different from what we had last year, but take a look anyway. Sometimes the reason why you can't upgrade lies on the surface:
- MacBook Air (2012 or newer)
- MacBook (2015 or newer)
- MacBook Pro (2012 or newer)
- Mac Pro (2013 or newer)
- Mac mini (2012 or newer)
- iMac (2012 or newer)
- iMac Pro (all models)
- Say goodbye to 32-bit apps. Mojave was the first macOS to stop admitting 32-bit apps to the App Store and the last to support them. In Catalina, you'll have to limit your Mac to 64-bit applications only. Once you install macOS 10.15, you'll be warned about 32-bit apps not working on your Mac any longer. CleanMyMac X will help you quickly filter applications by 32-bit and get rid of them:
- Backup valuable data. When we're too excited, we tend to rush things. Remember though, that a new macOS means a new start—wiping away the past. To keep your data safe, create a backup before upgrading. You can use Apple's in-built Time Machine or more advanced tools like Get Backup Pro if you want a bootable backup.
- Clean up your Mac. You need to free up some space for your new macOS. Even if you have enough, running a cleanup is a nice way to start a clutter-free life in Catalina. From redundant apps to caches and leftovers, you can remove any unnecessary items with CleanMyMac X.
How to install a developer beta of macOS Catalina
Downloading and installing macOS Catalina developer beta is an easy deal if you have a Developer account. Here's how it works:
- Go to developer.apple.com and click Account in the top menu bar.
- Sign in with your account credentials.
- Select Downloads > Install Profile.
- Find and launch the installer in your Downloads folder.
- Open the PKG file and agree to the installation.
- If required, verify the account by entering your system password or with Touch ID.
- Find the update in System Preferences.
- Click Upgrade Now to install the beta.
Test macOS 10.15 on a partition
If you're not ready to give up Mojave just yet, you can install Catalina on a partition. Basically, it allows to split your disk into two parts, so that your computer can run two operating systems at the same time.
To install Catalina on a partition, go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility. Your disk will be the first on the list under 'Internal.' Select the disc and navigate to Partition tab. Click the plus button to split your disk, name your partition, and customize the size if needed. Click Apply and you're ready to drive. Or, rather, double drive.
Clean install macOS Catalina on Mac
If you're determined to give your Mac a new life, run a clean install of Catalina. In contrast to a regular install which puts macOS on top of your startup disk content, a clean installation cleans everything up. Risky as it sounds, a clean install enables a healthier life for your macOS. Just make sure you don't lose anything in the shuffle:
- Create a safe bootable backup of your disk with Get Backup Pro.
- Connect a clean and reformatted external hard drive or a USB stick.
- On the disk, create a bootable installer.
- Erase your startup disk with Disk Utility and boot from the new one.
- When installing macOS Catalina, choose your new disk as the install location.
If you decide to go with a regular install, note that all the clutter from your disk will be transferred to the new operating system. So we recommend to make use of CleanMyMac X smart scanning before you upgrade.
Download and install Catalina Public Beta
A developer beta opens up an early access to all the features. The problem is it's not free. To get your hands on Catalina with a developer account, you have to pay a yearly fee of $99. Therefore, you might want to wait for Apple to make it public.
Arriving in July, a public beta of Catalina is available at beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/. Once there, it takes a couple of steps to upgrade:
- Log in with your Apple ID.
- Navigate to Enroll your Mac section and click on 'Download the macOS Public Beta Access Utility.'
- Once downloaded, run the installer.
- Open System Preferences. You'll find the public beta update under Software Update (macOS Catalina beta).
- Click Upgrade now to download the installer. Go through the installation if you want to put beta on your current Mac, or quit to create a bootable USB install drive first.
The pitfalls of Catalina beta
To put it shortly, it's buggy. Just like any other macOS beta, Catalina can slow down your Mac, freeze, or hinder the work of some apps. It's ok.
There are a couple of things you can fix, though:
- If you have issues with Sidecar: Ensure your iPad runs on the new iPadOS beta. The feature won't work on iPadOS 12.
- If an app doesn't open: Hope you remember, 32-bit apps are dead in Catalina. So if some of your software doesn't work on the new macOS because of 32-bit architecture, look for alternatives.
- If iCloud doesn't work properly: Try to close and reopen a document, or download files manually if iCloud Drive fails to load them.
Once you notice imperfections, help to fix them. Beta users can report bugs through Apple's in-built Feedback Assistant app.
Hopefully, Catalina is worth an upgrade for you. If not, you can downgrade anytime to continue your journey with Mojave. If an operating system doesn't solve some of your tasks, let Setapp cover the needs. It's a curated collection of Mac apps that helps you with screenshots, PDF editing, file management, and tons of other jobs—150 at the very least.
Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.
Read onSign Up
Are you considering between MacOS Catalina vs Mojave? Then you NEED to take a look at Colorfy's following article.
September 2019 is a significant month for your Mac. Since Mojave is hitting its well-deserved retirement, the new macOS 10.15 is prepared to play. It is named Catalina, and it comes with a lot of little and essential enhancements catered to your PC. Announced at the 2019 WWDC occasion, they all are available since June 2019 from the beta version.
As strong as it is, macOS 10.15 kills 32-bit program breaks and support iTunes into different programs. So you've got every right to despise it as you've every right to appreciate Catalina's new features. To ensure it is fair, we have compared the performance of Catalina versus Mojave.
See also:
Table of Contents
macOS Catalina vs Mojave
Productivity
Apple has said very little about functionality improvements in macOS Catalina, which implies it has not been a significant focus. Nonetheless, it's probably there'll be some profits when the last version ships in September.
Nonetheless, concerning productivity, there are a few huge differences compared to macOS Mojave. You'll have the ability to use an iPad as another screen and a tablet using an Apple Pencil. After you use it as a second screen, you'll have the ability to add more display space or mirror your Mac's screen.
An overhaul of Reminders and improvements in Outlook will create those programs a whole lot more useful. And small improvements to Safari and Mail should increase productivity. Along with also the ability to share folders, instead of just documents, in iCloud Drive is only another improvement within this category.
Accessibility
This is another large place for macOS Catalina and sees significant improvements to Voice Control. You'll have the ability to browse and control your Mac with only your voice to pick items, click, and drag them. Grids overlaid on display will permit you to inform your Mac precisely where you need to drag something to and from.
MacOS Catalina will also permit you to zoom into on one display while retaining the other at 100% and putting a part of the text to show a bigger high-resolution edition.
Programs in Catalina vs Mojave
Project Catalyst is Apple's approach for accessing iOS developers to begin porting their programs to the Mac. Before Catalyst that the quantity of money and time involved in generating two distinct programs, one for iOS and one for Mac, supposed that programmers concentrated on the profitable and more popular iOS. Some programmers (for instance, Twitter) initially made two distinct programs and then ditched the Mac app due to the task involved.
With Catalina's advent, Apple introduced a straightforward way for developers to port their Mac apps. If you were anticipating an influx of third party programs coming on the Mac, you would be disappointed though there have not been many. Nevertheless, the new OS is paving the way for many more Mac programs, which is fantastic.
Project Catalyst had a type of clinic conducted in Mojave, even though back then, it was called Marzipan. Apple used it to vent a number of its iOS programs to the Mac; thus, we watched News, Stocks, Home, and a few other iOS programs arrived on the Mac in 2018.
As a result of Catalyst in Catalina, Apple has purchased three ‘new' entertainment programs for the Mac. We say ‘new,' but they'll be comfortable with iOS: Music, TV, and Podcasts. These three programs substitute for a marginally aging stalwart of macOS: iTunes.
That is right: in Catalina, iTunes is not any longer. But do not fear, all of your songs will only be transferred to the audio program in which it may enjoy a cluttered presence. iTunes was becoming bloated, so it was only doing a lot of. Apple joked from the keynote at WWDC about how they might have added all kinds of different items to iTunes, but fortunately, they decided enough was enough and overhauled the entire thing.
Your audio library and (if you register) Apple Music will be available through a user-friendly interface from the audio app, and syncing your own iPhone or iPad along with your Mac will then be performed through the Finder. The TV app is going to be the house of any movies. It shows you shop in your Mac and the location to go to get any of those services that will have their very own dedicated Apple Channels along with the Apple TV+ articles that began flowing in November 2019. (Read about Apple's streaming support here). We are a little less enthused about Podcasts; however, there are 700,000 to be found.
There are some different improvements to existing programs. One app that is getting an excellent Mac-focused upgrade is FInd My.
Locate My iPhone is a helpful service that means that you can find a stolen or lost iPhone (and wash it, so there is no danger to your information ending up in the wrong hands). It can also be utilized in precisely the same method to find missing Apple Watches, iPads, and Macs. Locate My iPhone has existed for decades; however, it gains a few practical Mac concentrated features in Catalina.
The most apparent change is that in Catalina Locate My will get rid of the iPhone section of its name and receive its app – in Mojave, you get the Find My support through iCloud within an internet portal. However, far more significant, it'll be possible to monitor a stolen or lost Mac even if it's offline and asleep. The Locate My support will monitor your Mac with Bluetooth beacons, essentially Macs close by will have the ability to find your Mac via Bluetooth, and they'll have the ability to convey its place back to you personally. Logic pro website.
That is great if you have only left your Mac at the workplace, but there is another new attribute in Catalina – Recycle Bin when it has been stolen. This may signify that a burglar will not even have the ability to boot your Mac – only you may trigger your Mac with your password. The attribute is only available on Macs using a T2 processor – therefore, MacBook Pro (2018/2019), iMac Pro, Mac mini (2018), MacBook Air (2018).
Many different programs benefit improvements in Catalina. It will probably be a topic of personal preferences regarding if you want the more recent version of this program to the present one. Sometimes changes do not go down nicely, but other times alter definitely for the better. Here Is What you can expect:
Photographs get a little an interface overhaul to flaunt your pictures better.
Mail benefits a feature Which Makes It easier to unsubscribe and also block users,
Notes gain a gallery perspective and personality recognition so that you may look for words that appear in files you have scanned in. And checklists could be unchecked so that you can use them again.
Safari will also receive an upgrade – but Safari upgrades can be found in the old versions of this operating system also (so you may make the most of this in High Sierra and Mojave).
Related:How to upgrade to macOS Mojave
What Is Macos Catalina 10.15.3
Privacy and security
What Is Macos Catalina
MacOS Catalina brings quite a few solitude improvements. Activation Lock usually means that only you'll have the ability to erase and reactivate your Mac. And Catalina runs in its read-only volume on your startup disk; therefore, nothing could unintentionally overwrite files. In the end, from macOS Catalina, programs will require your consent before directly accessing documents on your Desktop and Documents folders and iCloud Drive and outside discs. You will also be requested before any program captures keyboard action or a photograph or movie of your display.
Health
Still, another attention for Apple in the past few years has been decreasing the quantity of time we spend in front of displays, and at Catalina, Screen Time comes to the Mac. You will have the ability to set limitations on the length of time you spend in front of a display and enhance those constraints for various activity kinds. You will also have the ability to utilize Family Sharing to place limits for your loved ones' different members.
Read also:Windows vs Mac OS Comparison: Which Should You Get? [2020 Update]
Should You Upgrade?
When reading about the advantages of Catalina over Mojave, you have decided you wish to update; the next step is to check you could update. Apple does a fantastic job of earning specific new updates on as many Macs as you can, going as far back as you can. But inevitably, there are a few Macs that operate with Mojave that will not work Catalina. Here is the complete list of those who are encouraged for macOS Catalina:
What Is New About Macos Catalina Island
- MacBook 2015 and later
- MacBook Air 2012 and later
- MacBook Pro 2012 and later
- IMac 2012 and later
- IMac Pro-2017 and later
- Mac Pro 2013 and later
What Is New About Macos Catalina Update
Video: IS FINAL CUT PRO FASTER IN CATALINA? | FCPX Catalina vs Mojave Performance Test