Ithaca College

Apple has announced that it will release macOS Mojave (10.14) on September 24th. IT advises not installing the new operating system just yet because:

• IT has not yet verified that software and systems commonly used at IC are compatible with the new operating systems
• As previously announced, some older Mac apps (32-bit) may not work as expected with Mojave

Current versions of macOS support applications that are both "32-bit" and "64-bit". Starting with macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 (the last major release), applications that are 32-bit began showing a one-time alert when opened. The alert means that the application will eventually no longer run in its current (32-bit) version on your Mac. Timeline:

• April 2018 – macOS began displaying alerts about 32-bit applications
• September 2018 – With the release of Mojave, Apple states that Mojave will allow 32-bit apps to run, but there is no guarantee that they will run as expected or properly. When opening 32-bit applications, the user will see a message that “This app will not work with future versions of macOS”
• Fall 2019 – With next year’s major macOS release, it is expected that 32-bit applications will not be able to run at all on that or any future macOS versions

Apple has been supporting 64-bit applications, which can access dramatically more memory and enable faster system performance, for many years, so most applications you use are probably already 64-bit. However, some apps are still in 32-bit format. Some of the 32-bit apps on your Mac are supplied by IT and we will take responsibility for determining how best to proceed with them. For apps you have acquired on your own, you should contact the developer to ask if they will be providing a 64-bit version. If not, you will need to look for an alternative program that will meet your needs.

For more information about how to check your operating system version, how to find out what 32-bit applications your computer has, and other important information, see:

• IT knowledge base article
• Apple's support article

Information Technology Service Desk
104 Job Hall
servicedesk@ithaca.edu
607-274-1000