- Joined
- Jul 3, 1997
- Messages
- 66,795
- Real Name
- Ronald Epstein
I have four devices that are now enrolled in Public Beta. While I hesitated to install these betas on my devices, I ultimately decided to do so knowing that I had backups in place that I could perform if they were complete disasters.
I am going to give progress reports on each beta update as we head towards the final releases this fall. Some of the updates I will recommend, however at the same time, I have to give the standard warning that betas are works-in-progress and one is taking a risk installing these as their main operating systems.
Mac OS Monterey (currently at Public Beta 4): This is the one beta that at this point I do not recommend anyone installing. I started with Public Beta 3 and the first major issue that I have confirmed with other users is that MAIL does not work. This issue was not fixed in Public Beta 4. I am currently using AIRMAIL as my default client. SPARK works perfectly as well. Other than that, the operating system does work very smoothly. The only issues I have seen is that a few apps have not been updated to work with the new OS as of yet.
iPad OS (currently at Public Beta 4): I would recommend this beta as it performs very well with very few issues. The big issue I see is with Safari and typing a search term into its URL which causes the browser to open up a side bar that shouldn’t be there. A few crashes here and there, but performance is pretty solid.
Watch OS (currently at Public Beta 4): Absolutely no issues. One of the best enhancements I have found for my own personal needs is the watch giving an audible announcement regarding your exercise progress. Some minor UI tweaks as well to the timer functions is very nice as well.
IOS 15 (Public Beta 4): This was the one beta I was most afraid to install. After all, this is a phone which is considered a lifeline. I was really surprised to see that this beta is very solid and my iPhone performs extremely well under it. The only issues I have found is with music apps under CarPlay not working properly. However, I knew this would be an issue as I have experienced the same with prior year betas. Just a matter of the music services upgrading their apps. The best upgrade for me is FOCUS which is quickly accessible from the control panel and allows you to better define what kind of notifications, messages and calls can reach you under specific circumstances. The worst upgrade is SAFARI. I don’t mind the new tab system but when entering an URL or search terms within the URL field, it appears towards the bottom of the browser and does not seem as user-friendly as before. However, unfortunately, this new design is here to stay.
Conclusion: While Monterey is the one beta I would wait for an update on, you could essentially install all these betas on your devices and not have any major issues (just use another email client than MAIL on Monterey). I have been using the PB 3 and PB 4 operating systems on all my devices for about three weeks now with no regrets about installing them. Of course, some software might not work on Monterey. Some crashes may occur on iPad. CarPlay music services have not been fully updated on iOS.
I am going to give progress reports on each beta update as we head towards the final releases this fall. Some of the updates I will recommend, however at the same time, I have to give the standard warning that betas are works-in-progress and one is taking a risk installing these as their main operating systems.
Mac OS Monterey (currently at Public Beta 4): This is the one beta that at this point I do not recommend anyone installing. I started with Public Beta 3 and the first major issue that I have confirmed with other users is that MAIL does not work. This issue was not fixed in Public Beta 4. I am currently using AIRMAIL as my default client. SPARK works perfectly as well. Other than that, the operating system does work very smoothly. The only issues I have seen is that a few apps have not been updated to work with the new OS as of yet.
iPad OS (currently at Public Beta 4): I would recommend this beta as it performs very well with very few issues. The big issue I see is with Safari and typing a search term into its URL which causes the browser to open up a side bar that shouldn’t be there. A few crashes here and there, but performance is pretty solid.
Watch OS (currently at Public Beta 4): Absolutely no issues. One of the best enhancements I have found for my own personal needs is the watch giving an audible announcement regarding your exercise progress. Some minor UI tweaks as well to the timer functions is very nice as well.
IOS 15 (Public Beta 4): This was the one beta I was most afraid to install. After all, this is a phone which is considered a lifeline. I was really surprised to see that this beta is very solid and my iPhone performs extremely well under it. The only issues I have found is with music apps under CarPlay not working properly. However, I knew this would be an issue as I have experienced the same with prior year betas. Just a matter of the music services upgrading their apps. The best upgrade for me is FOCUS which is quickly accessible from the control panel and allows you to better define what kind of notifications, messages and calls can reach you under specific circumstances. The worst upgrade is SAFARI. I don’t mind the new tab system but when entering an URL or search terms within the URL field, it appears towards the bottom of the browser and does not seem as user-friendly as before. However, unfortunately, this new design is here to stay.
Conclusion: While Monterey is the one beta I would wait for an update on, you could essentially install all these betas on your devices and not have any major issues (just use another email client than MAIL on Monterey). I have been using the PB 3 and PB 4 operating systems on all my devices for about three weeks now with no regrets about installing them. Of course, some software might not work on Monterey. Some crashes may occur on iPad. CarPlay music services have not been fully updated on iOS.
