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Apple Seeds Second Release Candidate Version of macOS Monterey 12.5 to Developers
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For me, Monterey has been pretty stable since about 12.1. (I usually wait until .1 of a new macOS before installing). I don't use Mail or the Stocks app, but the rest of the apps included in Monterey have worked well for me.
If you're basing your opinion of Monterey (the "mixed bag" comment) on the fact that there are lots of people in these forums that have posted issues they're having with Monterey, I'd suggest that's not the best indicator of how well Monterey would likely work for you.
A much better indicator (that doesn't exist, unfortunately) would be the percentage of Monterey users that are having a good experience with it.
You can't infer how many people are doing well with Monterey from forum posts here, unfortunately, because very few of them will create a new post to state that. Instead, people post when they're having a problem, in hopes that other forum users can give them ideas, or share a solution if they've previously encountered the same problem. (Sorry, I know you probably knew this already and I really don't mean to condescend.)
Of course there are lots of folks in these forums who know way more about macOS than me and are having legitimate problems (meaning, not "user error") with parts of Monterey. That doesn't mean you'll experience the same problems, and it doesn't mean Monterey generally sucks for most users.
I'd encourage you to give Monterey a try. (Though maybe wait until 12.5 is released to the public, which is likely imminent.) It might turn out to be a mixed bag for you, but I think it's much more likely that you'll have a good experience with it.
Best wishes.
My updating method has evolved from being an Apple beta-tester (with the maximum amount of pain and suffering in exchange for fulfilling my techno-lust) into abandoning all that and waiting for public release of macOS N.0 at which point I update to the existing version of macOS N-1. That pretty much always keeps me sane and on solid ground. I get a shiny new macOS update every year, but time shifted. Just got so sick of macOS bugs in the early versions compounded with application bugs (and even availability) for the new macOS version.
They haven’t announced anything; this is my conjecture.
We might see more point releases (12.x.y) through fall and beyond, especially given that they’ve cut off some hardware support, but I don’t think we’ll see another minor release (12.x.0). I think 12.5 chiefly exists as a last stable basis for backports and bug fixes.
When Leopard deleted data when moved between partitions back in 2007 or Mac OS 10.1 iTunes deleting data, should we have just winged it and find out for ourselves?How can one be critical with a OS when you are not using it?
Big Sur was the very first Apple Silicon OS and reasonable people would want to run from that to Monterey as soon as they are satisfied with it gone through several minor incremental releases. So IMHO run don't stop and install 12.5 MacOS when it goes public. Ventura in its earliest betas is like a more progression from Monterey, especially with Metal 3, Stage manger and other enhancements that make the OS more polished with AS support.
My experience with Monterey hasn’t been bad overall, and I find it pretty stable. The only issues I’m having are related to Bluetooth and Bluetooth peripherals. I really hope this 12.5 release finally fixes the Bluetooth connectivity problems with the Magic Trackpad 2 and the Dual Shock 4
You always rely on backups if something doesn't go correctly before installing new OS's. External HDD's are dirt cheap with a backup utility to create a ASR volume that you can use Migration Assistant. Your example is also very dated and doesn't represent what upgrading a typical Mac presents to most users. Some precautions always prepare a user for any outcome.
11.6 was released in September, 2021, so I would not by any means rule out that there's (at least) one more update for Monterey.
External drives have been around for decades. I have been using backup for years on Windows on Mac, that doesn't excuse the glaring bugs of GM releases of macOS over the years. Also, since you want something more recent, this is just this year alone:
The fix comes after users had been complaining about connectivity troubles in MacOS Monterey 12.3 with various accessories, such as game controls, displays, and graphics card components in external GPUs. Word of the issues seemed to surface first on Reddit, with users describing that Xbox, PlayStation, and other third-party controllers were not being recognized by MacOS 12.3.
Other issues users have noted include a potential power management flaw with Bluetooth headphones, and malfunctions with connectivity to USB-C, HDMI, and DisplayPort monitors.
Prior to the fix, users said the controller issues were persistent regardless of troubleshooting efforts, while display issues could be remedied by unplugging ports from their power sources and plugging them back in.
The changelog for MacOS Monterey 12.3.1 says that Apple has addressed issues including USB-C or Thunderbolt external display connections turning off when attached to a second display — Mac mini (2018) — and Bluetooth devices disconnecting from Macs when playing audio through certain Beats headphones, MacRumors noted.
Apple also provides fixes in MacOS Monterey 12.3.1 for two vulnerabilities. One is an AppleAVD bug, which “could allow an application to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.” The other is an “Intel Graphics Driver issue that could allow an application to read kernel memory,” the publication added.
Apple says the vulnerabilities may have been actively exploited. Because of this, the company says that users should update to the new system version as soon as possible. Source
I'm curious—what's the basis for your conjecture (that 12.5 is the last minor release)? I.e., how do you judge that a particular release is likely to be the last? [Unless, of course, it's released in Nov. or Dec., since you know there won't be any more after that.]
Given how buggy early MacOS releases have been, and given the time it takes for app makers to work out their own issues with the new OS, I've typically waited until x.4 or later to update. [Unless I buy a new Mac, in which case it's taken out of my hands—though I did once use Carbon Copy Cloner to install Snow Leopard on an MBP that came with Lion.]
This works great because I'm always using a fairly stable combination of OS and software.
It does time-shift me away from having the new shiny right when it comes out, but this is nowhere near as important to my user experience as stable operation.
This works great because I'm always using a fairly stable combination of OS and software.
It does time-shift me away from having the new shiny right when it comes out, but this is nowhere near as important to my user experience as stable operation.
1) there isn’t anything noteworthy in it; it’s really just a roll-up of fixes and 2) the next major releases is just around the corner
This isn't 12.3 anymore or March timeframe, its mid July and the release of 12.5 shortly which has resolved several issues that were discussed earlier here. Do you like to ponder about what happened to others or test it out on your own Macs with minimal risk?
Well, it’s my Mac, I bought with my money, I’ll decide when I want to upgrade and exercise my right to share an honest opinion.This isn't 12.3 anymore or March timeframe, its mid July and the release of 12.5 shortly which has resolved several issues that were discussed earlier here. Do you like to ponder about what happened to others or test it out on your own Macs with minimal risk?
I did exactly this, I always felt it was best practise unless there was some must-have feature I couldn't live without (spoilers: there never was). Until this year I was 'forced' to have N.0 on account of buying two new computers with Monterey installed...
This is really besides the point, though. You said: "Monterrey has turned out to be one of the most mixed bag releases of macOS to date. It’s like the new Lion. I’m still on Big Sur and have yet had the urge to upgrade."
It's unclear what you are basing that on. My experience on two different Macs shows bugs, yes, but nothing severe such as data loss or crashes, and it sounds like you don't really have any experience.
You continue:
"If Monterrey is like this"
Like what?
It's perfectly valid to decide to upgrade later, but you don't seem to have any personal experience with Monterey in particular to make claims about it being "mixed bag", "like the new Lion", and "like this".
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I think you've hit quote on the wrong post, I have never said literally any of those things.
Given that Apple is transitioning away from intel CPUs they seem to be desiring to end support as quickly as possible, so the next (maybe two) OSs I am hoping that they will try to have stable enough OSs so intel systems can just park on them for the duration of its life. I would not be surprised if they have a .6 version of Monterey.
Monterey has been good for me on my M1's Macs and my MacBook Pro 2018. Hope to get another OS or two to 2024 for my last intel Mac average 5 year support. We will see how it goes...
I think that it’s quite likely we see a macOS Monterey 12.6, iOS 15.7, etc around September.
It’s pretty much the schedule every year. Update in July. Final big update in September for those who aren’t (or can’t) update to the next major version
Are you aware of a layman's guide to using apple software restore for creating a clone of a partition prior to upgrading Mac OS? And then, of course, restoring back from that clone if necessary?
I always make sure to have a time machine back up before upgrading Mac OS, and I also keep my data backed up in the cloud as additional protection, but I wonder if there would be advantages to using ASR as well.
When they did the last transition, from PPC to Intel, the first OS to drop PPC support came out 4 years after the first OS to use Intel. If they follow the same pattern here, since the first AS-usable OS came out in 2020, the first OS to drop Intel should be released in 2024, which would be MacOS 15, which means the last OS with Intel support would be MacOS 14 (the one after Ventura), which will be released in 2023 and thus be EOL in 2026.
But that would mean the Intel Macs sold today (Mini and Pro) would lose their support only four years after purchase. Perhaps, if Apple does plan to drop Intel support with MacOS 14, they will at least extend the OS's security support for an additional year or two.
As far as intel based Mac Pro customers there still isn't an Apple Silicon successor to that Mac workstation that offers a modular upgrade capacity. So the discussion of when intel CPU based Mac products cease to have MacOS support is likely a lot further off.