macOS Big Sur elevates the most advanced desktop operating system in the world to a new level of power and beauty. Experience Mac to the fullest with a refined new design. Enjoy the biggest Safari update ever. Discover new features for Maps and Messages. Get even more transparency around your privacy.

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Chances are, your Mac can run macOS Big Sur

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The following models are supported:

  • MacBook (2015 or later)
  • MacBook Air (2013 or later)
  • MacBook Pro (Late 2013 or later)
  • Mac mini (2014 or later)
  • iMac (2014 or later)
  • iMac Pro (2017 or later)
  • Mac Pro (2013 or later)

To see which model you have, click the Apple icon in your menu bar and choose About This Mac.

Make sure you’re ready to upgrade.

Before you upgrade, we recommend that you back up your Mac. If your Mac is running OS X Mavericks 10.9 or later, you can upgrade directly to macOS Big Sur. You’ll need the following:

  • OS X 10.9 or later
  • 4GB of memory
  • 35.5GB available storage on macOS Sierra or later*
  • Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
  • Some features require a compatible internet service provider; fees may apply.

Upgrading is free and easy

Upgrading from macOS Catalina 10.15 or Mojave 10.14?

Go to Software Update in System Preferences to find macOS Big Sur. Click Upgrade Now and follow the onscreen instructions.

Upgrading from an older version of macOS?

If you’re running any release from macOS 10.13 to 10.9, you can upgrade to macOS Big Sur from the App Store. If you’re running Mountain Lion 10.8, you will need to upgrade to El Capitan 10.11 first.

If you don’t have broadband access, you can upgrade your Mac at any Apple Store.

  • OS X 10.9 or later
  • 4GB of memory
  • 35.5GB available storage on macOS Sierra or later*
  • Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
  • Some features require a compatible internet service provider; fees may apply.

For details about your Mac model, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen and choose About This Mac. These Mac models are compatible with macOS Big Sur:

  • MacBook (2015 or later)
  • MacBook Air (2013 or later)
  • MacBook Pro (Late 2013 or later)
  • Mac mini (2014 or later)
  • iMac (2014 or later)
  • iMac Pro (2017 or later)
  • Mac Pro (2013 or later)

Siri

Requires a broadband internet connection and microphone (built-in or external).

Hey Siri

Supported by the following Mac models:

  • MacBook Pro (2018 or later)
  • MacBook Air (2018 or later)
  • iMac Pro (2017 or later)

Dictation, Voice Control, and Voice Memos

Requires a microphone (built-in or external).

Spotlight Suggestions

Requires a broadband internet connection.

Gestures

Requires a Multi-Touch trackpad, Force Touch trackpad, Magic Trackpad, or Magic Mouse.

Force Touch gestures require a Force Touch trackpad.

VoiceOver gestures require a Multi-Touch trackpad, Force Touch trackpad, or Magic Trackpad.

Photo Booth

Requires a FaceTime or iSight camera (built-in or external) or USB video class (UVC) camera.

FaceTime

Audio calls require a microphone (built-in or external) and broadband internet connection.

Video calls require a built-in FaceTime camera, an iSight camera (built-in or external), or a USB video class (UVC) camera; and broadband internet connection.

Apple TV

High dynamic range (HDR) video playback is supported by the following Mac models:

  • MacBook Pro (2018 or later)
  • iMac Pro (2017 or later)
  • Mac Pro (2019) with Pro Display XDR

Dolby Atmos soundtrack playback is supported by the following Mac models:

  • MacBook Air (2018 or later)
  • MacBook Pro (2018 or later)

Sidecar

Supported by the following Mac models:

  • MacBook (2016 or later)
  • MacBook Air (2018 or later)
  • MacBook Pro (2016 or later)
  • Mac mini (2018 or later)
  • iMac (late 2015 or later)
  • iMac Pro (2017 or later)
  • Mac Pro (2019)

Supported by all iPad models with Apple Pencil support:

  • 12.9-inch iPad Pro
  • 11-inch iPad Pro
  • 10.5-inch iPad Pro
  • 9.7-inch iPad Pro
  • iPad (6th generation or later)
  • iPad mini (5th generation)
  • iPad Air (3rd and 4th generation)

Continuity Camera

Requires an iPhone or iPad that supports iOS 12 or later.

Continuity Sketch and Continuity Markup

Requires an iPhone with iOS 13 or later or an iPad with iPadOS 13 or later.

Handoff

Requires an iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector or with USB-C and iOS 8 or later.

Instant Hotspot

Requires an iPhone or iPad with cellular connectivity, a Lightning connector or USB-C, and iOS 8.1 or later. Requires Personal Hotspot service through your carrier.

Universal Clipboard

Requires an iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector or with USB-C and iOS 10 or later.

Auto Unlock

Requires an Apple Watch with watchOS 3 or later or an iPhone 5 or later.

Approve with Apple Watch

Requires an Apple Watch with watchOS 6 or later or an iPhone 6s or later with iOS 13 or later.

Apple Pay on the Web

Requires a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air with Touch ID, an iPhone 6 or later with iOS 10 or later, or an Apple Watch with watchOS 3 or later.

Phone Calling

Requires an iPhone with iOS 8 or later and an activated carrier plan.

SMS

Requires an iPhone with iOS 8.1 or later and an activated carrier plan.

Home

Requires an iPhone with iOS 12 or later and a configured Home app.

AirDrop

AirDrop to iOS and iPadOS devices requires an iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector or with USB-C and iOS 7 or later.

AirPlay

AirPlay Mirroring requires an Apple TV (2nd generation or later).

AirPlay for web video requires an Apple TV (2nd generation or later).

Peer-to-peer AirPlay requires a Mac (2012 or later) and an Apple TV (3rd generation rev A, model A1469 or later) with Apple TV software 7.0 or later.

Time Machine

Requires an external storage device (sold separately).

Maps electric vehicle routing

Requires an iPhone with iOS 14 and a compatible electric vehicle.

Maps license plate restrictions

Requires an iPhone running iOS 14 or an iPad running iPadOS 14.

Boot Camp

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Allows Boot Camp installations of Windows 10 on supported Mac models.

Exchange Support

Requires Microsoft Office 365, Exchange 2016, Exchange 2013, or Exchange Server 2010. Installing the latest Service Packs is recommended.

Windows Migration

Supports OS X 10.7 or later and Windows 7 or later.

App Store

Available only to persons age 13 or older in the U.S. and many other countries and regions.

Photos

The improved Retouch tool is supported on the following Mac models:

  • MacBook Pro (15-inch and 16-inch models) introduced in 2016 or later
  • iMac (Retina 5K models) introduced in 2014 or later
  • iMac (Retina 4K models) introduced in 2017 or later
  • iMac Pro (2017 or later)
  • Mac Pro introduced in 2013 or later
  • Apple Books
  • Apple News
  • App Store
  • Automator
  • Calculator
  • Calendar
  • Chess
  • Contacts
  • Dictionary
  • DVD Player
  • FaceTime
  • Find My
  • Font Book
  • Home
  • Image Capture
  • Launchpad
  • Mail
  • Maps
  • Messages
  • Mission Control
  • Music
  • Notes
  • Photo Booth
  • Photos
  • Podcasts
  • Preview
  • QuickTime Player
  • Reminders
  • Safari
  • Siri
  • Stickies
  • Stocks
  • System Preferences
  • TextEdit
  • Time Machine
  • TV
  • Voice Memos
  • Activity Monitor
  • AirPort Utility
  • Audio MIDI Setup
  • Bluetooth File Exchange
  • Boot Camp Assistant
  • ColorSync Utility
  • Console
  • Digital Color Meter
  • Disk Utility
  • Grapher
  • Keychain Access
  • Migration Assistant
  • Screenshot
  • Screen Time
  • Script Editor
  • Sidecar
  • System Information
  • Terminal
  • VoiceOver Utility
  • Arabic
  • Catalan
  • Croatian
  • Simplified Chinese
  • Traditional Chinese
  • Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong)
  • Czech
  • Danish
  • Dutch
  • English (Australia)
  • English (UK)
  • English (U.S.)
  • Finnish
  • French
  • French (Canada)
  • German
  • Greek
  • Hebrew
  • Hindi
  • Hungarian
  • Indonesian
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Malay
  • Norwegian
  • Polish
  • Brazilian Portuguese
  • Portuguese
  • Romanian
  • Russian
  • Slovak
  • Spanish
  • Spanish (Latin America)
  • Swedish
  • Thai
  • Turkish
  • Ukrainian
  • Vietnamese

With the Motorola 680×0 architecture running out of steam and Motorola’s 88000 making haste slowly, Apple had to look a bit further afield for its next processor architecture. Here’s how IBM’s RISC project became the heart of the Mac.

Early RISC Work at IBM

The story of the PowerPC began in the early seventies when John Cocke and his team at IBM began designing one of the earliest RISC processors, the 801. By the mid-1970s it was believed that microprocessors had become as complex and feature rich as they ever would, so further advances would have to come in the form of miniaturization or fundamental shifts in thinking about processor design.

John Cocke studied several processor designs of the day and realized that the more complex commands in ordinary processors were rarely used and only added complexity to the chip, which served to slow it down. As a result of eliminating seldom used instructions, the IBM 801 had slightly less than a hundred commands, while Intel’s 8086 had over 400.

The 801 was ready for release in 1977 and performed at 15 MIPS, about as fast as the Quadra 605 that Apple had introduced more than a decade later.

The first product that used the 801 was the IBM RT PC, which used the chip with a standard PC AT bus. Few companies adopted the RT PC or 801 until 1990, when IBM released PowerPC.

Apple Looks at RISC

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Apple reached the same conclusions about RISC design that IBM had in the mid-seventies. The Motorola 680×0 processor Apple used in its Macintosh computers was beginning to show its age. The promised revision to the line, the 68040, was pushed back further and further, and Apple had little confidence that Motorola would be able to consistently produce processors competitive with the next generation x86 processors.

In 1986, Apple planned a response to the stagnating 68000 line and started a project to replace the processor. Incredibly ambitious, the project, code named Aquarius, would create a four core RISC processor. A team of fifty engineers was assembled, and John Sculley even authorized the acquisition of a Cray supercomputer to aid in designing the processor, yet little progress was made.

Hugh Martin, a microprocessor expert personally recruited by John Sculley, was tapped to lead the successor to Aquarius, Jaguar (right). Jaguar would use a preexisting RISC design to create a multiprocessor workstation. The machine was to be a showcase of top of the line technology. Martin selected the Motorola 88100 processor and planned to use four in the new machine.

Even before NeXT started creating NeXTstep, Apple was creating an operating system based on the microkernel Mach, named Pink. The microkernel design meant that the kernel handled only very basic exchanges between the hardware and other pieces of software. All the other services and software were divied up into servers, which were all capable of communicating with each other. The chief advantage of the microkernel design was stability. If a server crashed, it could be restarted without restarting the entire system. (See Full Circle: A Brief History of NeXT for more information on NeXT, NeXTstep, and servers.)

The chief weakness of the powerful Jaguar workstation was that it was totally incompatible with older Mac OS software – and the Mac OS itself. The engineers decided not to emulate the Mac OS because it would discourage developers from adopting the new operating system.

Emulation

During a ski trip in Reno, Nevada, a group of Apple engineers led by Jack McHenry decided to start a project that would make the Jaguar machine compatible with older software. Work began almost immediately when the engineers returned to Apple, and the project was named Cognac. It was stopped when the company moved away from the 88k processor.

Jaguar would have to find a new processor. Several prototype boards were created around ARM (which Apple owned in part) and MIPS processors, but they were not adopted.

Gary Davidson, an expert in emulation, wrote an emulator for every new processor that was adopted. His software was based on the 90/10 theory of emulation. The theory centered around the observation that 10% of the software was being used 90% of the time, which meant that only a small portion of a program had to be run at a time. As a result, the emulators he created were very fast, typically as fast as a Mac IIci running 68k software.

PowerPC and the Mac

The 88100’s only major customers were Apple Computer and Ford. Once Apple dropped the chip, so did Ford, and Motorola was unable to afford continuing development. IBM, after being shown the Mac OS running on Intel hardware (part of the Star Trek project), approached Apple about porting the Mac OS to run on the PowerPC 601 CPU, the processor was used in the RS/6000 workstation.

On July 3, 1991, IBM offered to help Apple finish Pink, its object oriented operating system for Jaguar, if Apple would adopt the PowerPC processor. Motorola was brought in to help manufacture the new processors, and the deal was sealed, creating the Apple-IBM-Motorola (AIM) alliance.

IBM began refining the PowerPC design and split it into two different classes. The PowerPC processor used in the RS/6000 series (actually a collection of processors on one die) was renamed POWER1, and the processors destined for consumer class workstations and embedded apps were named PowerPC.

The first commercially available PowerPC processor was the 601, and it was the one adopted by Apple for its earliest PowerPC computers. The chief difference between the new PowerPC and POWER1 was the size of the processor – the PowerPC was dramatically smaller and ran cooler.

In order to simplify the process of bringing the partially completed Pink operating system to the PowerPC processor, IBM made the PowerPC’s bus compatible with the Motorola 88100 processor, allowing Apple to get by with only a partial rewrite of the lowest levels of the operating system.

Cognac and Jaguar, renamed Tesseracht, raced to produce a finished product. The hardware designs for both machines were slightly modified Jaguar designs, and the biggest hurdle was software.

Breakthrough

Cognac had its breakthrough during the Christmas holiday (while the Tesseracht team was on vacation) when Gary Davidson completed the 68k emulator for the PowerPC (PPC) and ran the Mac OS in emulation on the prototype (housed in an LC case, it was named the RISC LC or RLC).

RLC performed better than the recently released Quadras and would perform even better with native PPC software. The scope of the team changed from hardware and emulation design to basic software development, as portions of System 7 were rewritten for the PowerPC processor.

As the Mac OS was prepared for PowerPC, a new kind of app was created so software developers could release one file for both PowerPC and 68k users. Cognac created “fat” binaries, program files that contained both PowerPC and 68k code, allowing the same program to run natively on new Macs and old.

By March of 1992, Pink was stagnant, Tesseracht was canceled, and some of the engineers moved over to Cognac to complete the project in time for the new deadline of January 24, 1994 – the tenth anniversary of the release of the original Macintosh.

Power Macintosh

In 1993, three models were readied for release. The least expensive was code named Piltdown Man for the hoax of a half-man/half-ape found in Britain at the turn of the century. Piltdown Man would be housed in a Quadra 610 case. The midrange PowerPC-based computer was code named Carl Sagan, and it was in a Centris 650 case, and the top of the line machine was code named Cold Fusion.

Sagan took issue over the use of his name and sued Apple to prevent the company from using it. Apple complied and renamed the machine BHA, for Bone Headed Astronomer or Butt-Head Astronomer. Sagan threatened to sue again, so Apple renamed the prototype LAW (for Lawyers Are Wimps).

The new product line was named Power Macintosh. It was announced on time, and the machines (the 6100, 7100, and 8100) that shipped in March 1994 outperformed comparable Pentium-based computers.

Further Reading

  • The PowerPC Triumph, Dr Bott
  • PowerPC, Wikipedia
  • IBM Fellow John Cocke passed away on July 16th, IBM
  • John Cocke, Wikipedia
  • RISC, Wikipedia
  • IBM RT, Wikipedia
  • Motorola 8800, Wikipedia
  • IBM RS/6000, Wikipedia

Bibliography

Some of the sources used in writing this article:

  • Apple: The Inside Story of Intrigue, Egomania, and Business Blunders, Jim Carlton
  • Infinite Loop, Michael Malone
  • The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, Alan Deutschman
  • Apple Confidential 2.0, Owen Linzmayer
  • Odyssey: Pepsi to Apple . . . a Journey of Adventure, Ideas & the Future, John Sculley

Keywords: #powerpc #powermacintosh #aimalliance

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