OS X 10.11.3 (El Capitan Version 10.11.3) Released

[honestone]

Earlier today, Apple released V10.11.3 of El Capitan. There are two ways to "apply it":

1. If you want the complete version which can be used as a stand alone installation, then one can get it from the App Store:

http://www.macworld.com/article/3024256/macs/ios-9-2-1-and-os-x-10-11-3-are-now-available.html

2. If instead one just wants to have a "simple" way to upgrade, the Combo Updater is also available from here:

https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1859?locale=en_US

I am going via the Combo Updater route. In fact, I am in the process of downloading that file to my Mac Mini as I compose this post. I'll do it later for my MacBook Air.

Of course, prior to applying the upgrade/update, make sure you have a current backup, and preferably a bootable one.

Update: I have applied the update to my Mac Mini, and everything is working fine. I am currently in the process of upgrading my MacBook Air, and I expect the same, positive result. I'll have to wait a few days to see if there is any improvements/issues, etc. But for now, things work fine.

 

[Barry M. Glasgal]

It appears you are satisfied with El Capitan. I'm using Yosemite 10.10.5. on my Mac mini. I have been reluctant to upgrade to El Capitan due to comments of dissatisfaction from some users. Also, have you experienced any compatibility issue with Office Suite or other apps?

 

[honestone]

It appears you are satisfied with El Capitan. I'm using Yosemite 10.10.5. on my Mac mini. I have been reluctant to upgrade to El Capitan due to comments of dissatisfaction from some users. Also, have you experienced any compatibility issue with Office Suite or other apps?

When one decides to do an upgrade from one Mac OS to another, it takes a good amount of advanced planning. Also, each one's situation with their machine is different, so what is an "all inclusive" approach for one is not necessarily good for all. Some things that need to be considered are:

1. How one uses their machine. That is, is it necessary to use "labor intensive" applications, or to run multiple applications at the same time?

2. To go along with that, how much memory does one have? And, can it be increased (if possible)?

3. Similarly, what is the type of internal hard drive one has, and its associated speed?

4. Performing periodic maintenance on the hard drive.

5. How much free space is left on the internal hard drive.

6. Making backups to an external device (or devices).

So, with all that in mind, here is my situation, and how I handle such major OS upgrades.

First, I use both of my Macs primarily for checking EMails, and surfing the web. But, there are times when I need to use Word, Excel, Adobe Acrobat, and a few others.

Secondly, each of my machines have 4 gig of RAM. The Mac Mini has a 256 gig SSD, and my MacBook Air has a 251 gig SSD. Both of those hardware "features" are more than enough for my needs. Also, for each SSD, I have more than 60% free space left.

Third, I make a dedicated effort to keep each of my Macs "lean and clean". That is so, so critical. The tools I use to help me with that (besides my own efforts) are Onyx, TechTool Pro, and SuperDuper!.

Fourth, in preparing for such a major OS upgrade, one must insure that their third party applications are compatible with the new OS. For me, there were 5 critical ones:

1. 1 Password
2. TechTool Pro
3. SuperDuper!
4. Office 2011
5. Onyx

Except for TechTool Pro, all the necessary upgrades for the other 4 products came out prior to the release of the initial version of El Capitan, OS 10.11. (There have been subsequent upgrades for each of those 4. The latest one for Office 2011 is V14.6.0). But, the one for TechTool Pro did not come out until after OS 10.11 had been released. Even though that was important, the main reason why I did not move from Yosemite is that the first beta of OS 10.11.1 appeared in early August, almost 8 weeks before 10.11 was released at the end of September. So, I just waited for OS 10.11.1 to be released, which was near the end of October. Again, that was actually perfect, considering when TechTool Pro's compatibility was finalized.

I have not experienced any issues at all running OS 10.11.3 (newest version of El Capitan) on either of my Macs. In fact, I am not noticing any "real" difference from Yosemite.

I believe I've answered you questions, albeit in quite a lot of detail. Of course, I have not yet detailed how I did the actual upgrade. If you want to know, let me know, and I'll do in a subsequent post.