Which OS is the best one so far for MacBook Air M3?

Is Sequoia worth the upgrade? Yes.

MacBook Air M2 user here and having no problems with Sequoia 15.5. Battery drain is not an issue and there are no other deal breakers.

Very long time Mac user also, and keeping the OS updated is the best way to get the best and longest service from a Mac. Sure, one upgrade may affect battery drain, but probably the one after will fix that and other things. Upgrading is also a great way to keep things fresh and new.

I admit I do generally keep the automatic updates restricted to downloading only. This allows me to watch the boards for immediate signs of unusually widespread problems before installing. That doesn't happen often. I also ** no longer among the first to install any new major upgrade, like to Sequoia from Sonoma, for the same reason. These days I prefer not to be the guinea pig.

I agree with kaz-k.

I always recommend upgrading to the latest OS available as well as keeping automatic updates enabled.

Usually the first step in troubleshooting an issue is making sure the OS and software is updated to the latest available.

While I do not have a MacBook Air M3, my family members report no issues or battery runtime issues with a MacBook Air M1 and MacBook Air M2 running Sequoia 15.5, they also had no issues on earlier versions of Sequoia.

I owned a MacBook Air M2 a few months before Sequoia launched, I updated to Sequoia as soon as it was available and kept it updated until I sold the MacBook a few months ago.

I did not experience any issues or loss of battery runtime during that period.

I personally did not have any background applications or third party extensions etc installed.

I mostly just stuck to the included applications such as Safari, Music, Mail, Photos etc, only exception was Microsoft Office and the odd basic game from the Apple App Store.

If you are having battery runtime issues it might be worth checking what software is running and if any is showing abnormal energy usage or running when it shouldn't.

You could always reach out to Apple Support and ask their advice, check the battery health, or run a diagnostic test.

Batteries - Maximizing Performance - Apple

View energy consumption in Activity Monitor on Mac - Apple Support

Check the condition of your Mac laptop’s battery - Apple Support

Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac - Apple Support

Hi,

I think you should upgrade to latest macOS, Sequoia 15.5 for the security issues.

mechanic1357 wrote:

The trouble with that plan is that the latest release often includes many unsolved bugs. Best to wait for a release with several updates already included. You think Sequoia 15.5 is relatively bug-free? Maybe.

That's illogical. 15.5 is the 10th update of Sequoia. How many updates are you going to wait for?

mechanic1357 wrote:

"The more bugs you find, the more bugs there are" as software developers are taught. There seem to be lots of bugs caught in that latest release already.

Let us know what they are so we can find them on our Macs running Sequoia 15.5. I have three Macs so I would certainly like to know.

mechanic1357 wrote:

dialabrain wrote:

That's illogical. 15.5 is the 10th update of Sequoia. How many updates are you going to wait for?

"The more bugs you find, the more bugs there are" as software developers are taught. There seem to be lots of bugs caught in that latest release already.

You should realize that every single release of any software or operating system, no matter who the developers, is immediate attacked by a minority of users who experience issues. Everything. Tech blogs amplify the situation because only those with problems come to complain. And also realize that the vast majority of complaining users are able to correct their issues with a little help. Some also fixate on things that don’t operate that way they assumed or expected they would. That’s not a bug.

mechanic1357 wrote:

Is that a priority for users? I prefer systems that do their job reliably.

Security is the priority for me. The computer can't do its job reliably if it's not secure.

M3 MBP running the latest update of Sequoia with no issues. But then, I didn't have any issues with any of the previous versions of Sequoia, either.

Owl-53 wrote:

While some individuals visit these forums seeking technical solutions to specific Apple-related issues, there are also those who seek recognition or fame through their contributions.  😎

I'll remember you, Owl-53! 😏

mechanic1357 wrote:

Take a look at macOS Release Notes | Apple Developer Documentation

There's no unresolved issues listed for 15.5.

dialabrain wrote:

mechanic1357 wrote:

"The more bugs you find, the more bugs there are" as software developers are taught. There seem to be lots of bugs caught in that latest release already.

Let us know what they are so we can find them on our Macs running Sequoia 15.5. I have three Macs so I would certainly like to know.

Take a look at macOS Release Notes | Apple Developer Documentation

kaz-k wrote:

Hi,

I think you should upgrade to latest macOS, Sequoia 15.5 for the security issues.

The trouble with that plan is that the latest release often includes many unsolved bugs. Best to wait for a release with several updates already included. You think Sequoia 15.5 is relatively bug-free? Maybe.

dialabrain wrote:

That's illogical. 15.5 is the 10th update of Sequoia. How many updates are you going to wait for?

"The more bugs you find, the more bugs there are" as software developers are taught. There seem to be lots of bugs caught in that latest release already.

mechanic1357 wrote:

D.I. Johnson wrote:

Upgrading is also a great way to keep things fresh and new.

Is that a priority for users? I prefer systems that do their job reliably.

Is it a priority? Nah. Just a bonus. No need to let things get stale. 🙂

It's the new reports raised, resolved and unresolved, that we are interested in as well as historic/current issues. Don't appear to be listed, though. Trawling reports from these pages is a bit depressing.

IdrisSeabright wrote:

mechanic1357 wrote:

Is that a priority for users? I prefer systems that do their job reliably.

Security is the priority for me. The computer can't do its job reliably if it's not secure.

M3 MBP running the latest update of Sequoia with no issues. But then, I didn't have any issues with any of the previous versions of Sequoia, either.

While some individuals visit these forums seeking technical solutions to specific Apple-related issues, there are also those who seek recognition or fame through their contributions.  😎

Just stay On Topic

Ran 1 M1, Run 1 M2, 1 M3 and 1 M4 machines all with Sequoia 15.5

The only real issues I have, is which machine to use at any given time