Beyond any speed increases built-in with the software the workflow has improved, so updates make sense.
I am writing this blog post using Pages on my MacBookPro, I could pick up my iPad, launch Pages on it, and continue working on the post with ease.įor applications such as Photoshop, the continued development for Smart Objects has changed the way I process photographs for the better. I enjoy recent changes to iCal and Notes across my Apple devices and the ease of using HandOff. Ignoring the importance of security patches, upgrading operating systems usually improves your productivity. Let us end this tale of woe, because now I will outline the benefits of new software, and will outline a pre-update checklist.
In 2011, the free upgrade to Mac OS X Lion cost me £130 because my old USB audio interface was not supported.
Over the years system updates have meant that my scanners and audio interfaces have had to be replaced because no new driver software had been written for the newly installed operating system.
You may not have one and so you may loose the ability to open older files, which may be important to you.Ĭomputer peripherals rely on driver software. Before upgrading, consider your future proofing strategy.
One way to future proof word-processed documents is to save them to Rich Text Format, or PDF for archiving. To open older documents you would need an older version of the Pages application. For example the latest version of Pages by Apple will only open Pages ’05 files or later.
There is a deeper point about ancient QuarkXpress files, sometimes an application update or system software upgrade means saying goodbye to accessing files or using some hardware. The oldest computer in my studio is a 2001 Powerbook which can be coaxed into life to open ancient QuarkXpress files which really only satisfies the geek in me. The ultimate end for a computer is when security patches are not available for it, and when application software such as InDesign, Word, or Keynote is so old that opening files on newer systems requires too many tweaks to page layouts and the like. In the Apple world Macs on different ages of Operating Systems tend not file share seamlessly, the greater the age difference the less the cross capability becomes. Sadly, High Sierra the next MacOS is unlikely to be supported on that machine, so I won’t be able to upgrade to it. With 16GB of RAM and a Solid State start-up disk, it is a good machine that still seems fast enough.
The 2009 Mac Pro is now over eight years old. This is something I did with my 2009 Mac Pro, a bought a refurbished video card for it last year, and it has given the old dear a new lease of life, even though it’s end is near. For some users, Mac or PC, they have the option of upgrading the video card of their computer to maximise the benefits of new software such as Photoshop. Perhaps we can call that kind of upgrade issue annoying. Without MGE some new Photoshop functions would be disabled. Older computers could be upgraded to CS6, though if the video card was not new or powerful enough the MGE would not work. For example a few years ago Adobe introduced the Mercury Graphics Engine (MGE) which sped up applications such as, the then new, Photoshop CS6. However, once a computer reaches its fifth year new operating systems and application software may need newer hardware to run fully. Each new software release on a new computer tends to make things work better again with caveats to follow. For the first three years it will cope and even benefit from application and system software updates. Security updates are necessary to protect your computer, and should be made almost as soon as they become available with a couple of caveats which I will cover later.Īs a general rule a computer can have a five to six year life. I suggest the life of any networked computer should be limited to the availability of security patches. The problem with older networked devices is their vulnerability to attack. The professional life of iOS devices is shorter than that of my Macs. With three iPads of varying ages only my iPad Pro can be kept up-to-date my first generation iPad is still going strong but only on older software. Updating Apps on my iPhone can be a daily occurrence. Let me start with declaring I am a Mac and iOS user. It is for the non-techies this article is intended. System administrators tend to be averse to updates, especially when there is no ‘road-map’ for future developments, but they are experts and it is their choice to stubbornly refuse to embrace change. In this article I cover the pros and cons of updating, including creating a safety net incase something goes awry. I am supposed to be an expert, but I still worry if pressing UPDATE is a clever move. Updating application software, or worse still upgrading an operating system fills me with a quiet dread.