Monterey and Safari 15 and Big Sur update

[Tetrachloride]

Monterey is the next big upgrade after Big Sur version of Mac OS.

EDIT: I retract this paragraph. Safari 15 is available for Big Sur and Monterey. I cannot recommend Safari 15 unless you can try it yourself. Visit an Apple Store or Retailer for a thorough looksee. The new tab layout and color changes are a shock according to users on some forums I read.

Big Sur update 11.6.1 took about 15 minutes to download and a good 40 minutes to install and at least 3x reboots. I have a 2017 iMac. Backup your data before installing. Make sure you remember your iCloud password and account password.

My advice is stick to Big Sur for as long as you can for low key users. High end users are another story and that's not my territory.

I know a lot of you have upgraded. The rest of us are laggards and maybe glad of it. Once upon a time, I upgraded fairly quickly. I don't like to mess with my comfortable setup.

[targetpractice]

1. Mac User since 1985, and tech support for them since then...

Apologies to Tetrachloride... I must disagree.

Monterey is great... Apple indeed played around with the Safari interface a bit between Big Sur and Monterey, but they settled upon something good... They changed Safari's interface, but in Monterey's Safari 15 Preferences, choose "Preferences > Tabs > Separate" to get the familiar view. It'll be what you are used to in Big Sur and earlier.

In my opinion... It's always best to update to the latest macOS... So many of my client's tech support issues are because they haven't updated to the latest OS while software they use usually depends upon the latest releases.

Apple OS releases are well thought out and get better and better, unlike Windows updates.... Monterey is not a revolutionary update, it's an evolutionary one... Apple made what's good in Big Sur better for Monterey. Upgrade.

[Tetrachloride]

2. I will adjust my original post to account for Safari which i I was unaware of.

in the original post, I was concerned on the appearance of the new Safari 15.

However, regarding Monterey, I make it a policy to not advise an upgrade unless to XX.2. , such as 15.2 -- unless the user is completely backed up 2x. A point.1 update is insufficient experience.

[targetpractice]

3. Yeah... Everyone hated the new Safari UI...

I'm a member of the developer program and get the beta releases, but I'm not a developer... just a nerd... Apple tried to introduce a new kind of tab interface in Safari 15 and it didn't go over well with testers.

I dunno... I back up my files, of course... But, never found it was necessary at the end of the day for Apple OS updates. I don't do time machine or anything. I've been doing this for a while, and maybe I'm living on the edge too much. All my important stuff is stored on iCloud Drive or Dropbox... I do have a religious habit of totally erasing everything, restore my machine from factory settings, and then let my stuff download from the cloud after a refresh. I like a nice and clean machine every once and and awhile. Backups of system stuff tend to carry over a lot of old junk that is unnecessary. But, I do install every update.... Every update fixes bugs and whatnot.

However, I think you are proceeding with caution, and your advice is solid.

[Tetrachloride]

4. If we ever get a secure connection, I can tell you a couple shocking issues.

One ancient and one not so ancient. The ancient one got fixed ..... but there could be more.

I can't bring myself to test the second one without backups and video camera. Hopefully, someone fixed it.

[AllaN01Bear]

5. am running big sur now and went to tabs / seperate /and couldnt find the option.

mine is keeping safari from auto poping up when i boot up. safari keeps booting up during running sessions . otherwise big sur is good .

[targetpractice]

6. That tab view option is in Monterey...

I forgot what Safari tabs looked like in Big Sur already. The classic tab Preference option is in Monterey.

Consider Monterey as a refinement to Big Sur.... But, stick with what you like, I suppose... However, you should catch up with OS updates eventually.

[AllaN01Bear]

7. went to big sur awhile ago.