Upgrading from Sonoma 14.5 to Sequoia 15.6.1

Suzy2014 wrote:

A few questions:

1. Will all my settings in Preferences be preserved?

2. If you did this upgrade, did you experience any issues with the upgrade or problems after the upgrade?

3. Any major known bugs with the latest version of Sequoia on an iMac like mine?

4. Did Apple design team move again functions, displays, change the location of icons, etc. just to make it hard to find things?

1) Yes, your System Settings should not change.

2) No, I had no issues updating my Intel or Silicone Mac.

3) No, but some third-party software could possible require updating.

4) No, but there are a few new Features that might require some minor action.

see > Update macOS on Mac - Apple Support

and > What's new in the updates for macOS Sequoia - Apple Support

Suzy2014 wrote:

1. I am considering upgrading from Sonoma 14.5 to Sequoia 15.6.1 on an iMac with 8 cores, 8GB memory and M3 chip.mac:

Will all my settings in Preferences be preserved?

2. If you did this upgrade, did you experience any issues with the upgrade or problems after the upgrade?

3. Any major known bugs with the latest version of Sequoia on an iMac like mine?

4. Did Apple design team move again functions, displays, change the location of icons, etc. just to make it hard to find things?

Thanks.

Settings are preserved yes...

Anticipate no issues

15.6.1 bugs are being sorted— macOS26 Tahoe is scheduled for release in the fall

Sonoma to Sequoia is not much noticeable change.

The current Sonoma is macOS 14.7.8 not sure why you would not stay current for the security releases.

I always advise to stay current unless you have some compelling reason not to.

There will always be some adjustments to accustom yourself with in any upgrade this is to be expected.

Baby steps are preferred as opposed to major jumps in the macOS if you fall behind...

The current stable release of Sequoia including bug fixes, security updates is macOS 15.6.1

Keep your Mac up to date - Apple Support

Keep your Mac up to date - Apple Support

Sequoia is akin to oysters and caviar: an acquired taste. Between the extreme security paranoia (i.e., fiddling with permissions inevitable) and other design quirks, does take an effort getting used to. Indeed, if you do not absolutely NEED to change (i.e., some MUST USE app that only takes Sequoia or work-related imposition), don't.

Suzy2014 wrote:

1. I am considering upgrading from Sonoma 14.5 to Sequoia 15.6.1 on an iMac with 8 cores, 8GB memory and M3 chip.

I honestly didn't noice much difference, at least not in anything that affected my day-to-day use, between Sonoma and Sequoia. The update was completely uneventful. The upgrade to Ventura made a far bigger difference.

But always have a backup just in case.

Suzy2014 wrote:

I need zero new bells and whistles; I just wish that the OS I am using (and the apps that work with it) functioned reliably and without bugs (which is just wishful thinking)

That has been my experience with most macOS updates. Switching from 32-bit to 64 was a bit jarring but except for a couple of games, I didn't really have any issues. There are occasional bugs but I haven't run into anything that prevented me from doing my work.

Where I do see people having issues is when they are doing higher level stuff than what I (or probably most people) do.

I do not upgrade as I am not technical and after every upgrade I spend my life fighting its impact instead of benefiting from it. I have a great, perfectly functional iMac I bought in 2014, loaded with Mojave, having many more useful ports than the new imac I had to buy in 2024 when Apple discontinued support for the OS version after Mojave. It is a crime to have it there and not used just because Apple forced me to upgrade to Sonoma.

Apple doesn't force anyone to update their OS. Yes, if you buy a new computer, it will come with the current version but, as long as your old one keeps working, you can keep running whatever version of the OS works for you on your computer.

It would be nice if Apple had a version for seniors that allowed staying with the same OS, on the same computer for those who do not care for new features and don't have the know how and money to keep upgrading software and hardware and deal with bugs and technical issues created by upgrades. One could get security updates and nothing else. I would gladly pay for it.

What do you need to pay for? Just don't update. And please don't assume that all "seniors" want to stay with older equipment or software.

Suzy2014 wrote:

Is it true that if I do not upgrade now to Sequoia, after Tahoe comes out, I will not be able to upgrade to anything else but Tahoe?•

Not true.

After Tahoe is released (anticipated in mid-September), Apple will continue to support Sonoma & Sequoia ... Sonoma for at least 1 more year, Sequoia for at least 2 more years. Apple's traditional approach is to support the current + previous 2 releases of macOS.

Many app providers (Microsoft, for example) follow Apple's lead. So, your Office 365 will continue to be supported with updates on Sonoma for at least 2 years beyond the release of Tahoe. Even after that, you can still use Office 365, it just wouldn't get further updates.

You may choose to stay on Sonoma as long as you wish. You do not need to upgrade. And you won't be locked out of upgrading to Sequoia or Tahoe in the future.

Suzy2014 wrote:

Is there a way to apply to version 14.5 that I have only the security updates or the only way to get them is to get Sonoma 14.7.8?

The only updates that are occurring to Sonoma are security updates and bug fixes. So Sonoma 14.7.8 is what you should install.

Unfortunately if I want a supported version I do have to get new hardware that supports the new software, so I have no choice.

Not sure what you mean by this. Your M3 iMac came with Sonoma, it's compatible with Sequoia, it will be compatible with Tahoe and can be expected to be compatible with at least the next 3 releases of macOS after Tahoe. Why do you think you need to replace the hardware?

IdrisSeabright wrote:

And please don't assume that all "seniors" want to stay with older equipment or software.

👍