I currently recommend using Parallels Desktop 15 for Mac for Catalina-ready virtualization. It makes sense to use Mojave, rather than an earlier macOS release, because Mojave will receive security updates longer than older versions of the operating system. All you have to do is run Mojave in a virtual machine to keep your older software functioning. Happily, you can still upgrade to Catalina without losing access to older apps, thanks to virtualization. However, many apps weren’t worth the time or money for developers to refresh with 64-bit support. That time has now arrived.Īpple began putting 64-bit processors in Macs starting around 2006 and shifted to greater OS support for 64-bit apps a decade ago with 10.6 Snow Leopard. In June 2018, Apple confirmed the end of 32-bit apps, noting that 10.14 Mojave would be the last operating system to allow them to run (see “ macOS 10.14 Mojave Will Be the Last to Support 32-Bit Apps,” 12 June 2018). The new version of macOS marks the end of old 32-bit apps whose software code was never refreshed to support 64-bit CPUs.
We’re nearing 32-bit-ageddon with the release of macOS 10.15 Catalina sometime in October 2019. Moving to Catalina: Keep Your 32-Bit Mac Apps Running with Parallels #1594: iOS 15.2.1, AirTag stalking, CES Tech Trends for 2022.#1595: Replacing the Time Capsule, AT&T and Verizon 5G coverage expands, is iOS 15's Focus overkill?.#1596: OS updates, Apple Q1 2022 outpaces supply constraints, Yahoo POP bug, Apple Personal Safety User Guide, Simply Piano.#1597: Apple Watch fitness tracking, cloud storage issues, Roku Express 4K+, watchOS 8.4.1.#1598: OS updates, Fantastical 3.6 self-scheduling, Mindfulness measures HRV, Monterey on too-old Macs, TidBITS list gremlins.