Whether or not to install Combo Update - Apple says no ?

[katewes]

For ages now, the conventional wisdom from these forums is that, for every minor point upgrade, it's better to install the Combo update. Never heard any reasons, but people just found it to be so. And I've done that, and had no problems.

However, in the recent macOS upgrade 10.13.3 I notice that Apple' instructions are that the Combo is only for 10.13.1 and 10.13.1 users, whereas it specifically asks 10.13.2 users to use the partial updater. I've never seen this before, and went back to some earlier updates Combo pages from previous years, and this delineation was never mentioned.

• f you have another Mac computer running macOS High Sierra 10.13.2, please install the macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 Update.
• If you have another Mac computer running macOS High Sierra 10.13 or 10.13.1, please install the macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 Combo Update.

https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1954?locale=en_GB

Hence, what does everything think? Follow Apple, or persist with the collective wisdom of the Mac forum intelligentsia, and install the Combo update?

 

[simonsi]

Lol - the App Store update wouldn't install on my 10.13.2 so I used the combo successfully on two machines...

 

[Darth.Titan]

The “wisdom” of installing the combo update has always been something of an old wives’ tale as far as I’m concerned.

I’m sure that there have been some isolated cases in the past where installing the combo update might have solved some update issue, but I’ve been installing the standard delta updates for years and never had any issues.

 

[Marcopolo53]

Was running 10.13.2 Supplemental build 17C205 upgraded from 10.13.2 build 17C88 and ran the Combo 10.13.3 build 17D47 without issues.
The only thing that strikes me about Apple assertion to run Delta 10.13.3 if already on 10.13.2 Supplemental is many of the Meltdown and Spector issues were patched in the Supplemental. Those still on 10.13.0 and 10.13.1 will not get all the patches in 10.13.3 Delta and thus 10.3.3 Combo is required? That is only a guess and not based in fact.

 

[maflynn]

The “wisdom” of installing the combo update has always been something of an old wives’ tale as far as I’m concerned.

Agreed, I stopped worrying about that so many years ago, I can't even remember when I searched out a combo update. Apple has done a great job with its updates, and while maybe it was an issue on 10.4 or 10.5, its a non-issue now.