macOS Ventura and Connected Accounting and ERP

Modified on Mon, May 22, 2023 at 12:05 PM

macOS Ventura (macOS 13) is the latest free update to macOS. With the feeling that each major macOS update is more of a fine tuning vs a major update, we wanted to examine how macOS Ventura would benefit business users with a special focus on our Connected Accounting and ERP platform.

What is macOS Ventura?

macOS Ventura, aka macOS 13, is this years (2022) major operating system update. Similar but still distinguished from Microsoft, which now is releasing major feature updates within Windows 10/11, Apple releases a renamed/rebranded version of the macOS annually in the Fall and we have included a release history later in this post.

This release frequency is often welcome by individuals but can be troubling for business users. Like macOS Monterey in 2021, Ventura has a few new features, under the hood improvements, and a continued focus on security and privacy.

The following article from The Verge really summarized the key points of the update and as the title suggests, there isn't to many.

Apple macOS 13 Ventura review: a bunch of good updates you can mostly ignore

For those that don’t follow macOS, Apple releases a new version of its operating system once a year. All Apple’s releases for the past 20+ years have been named after a landmark in the state of California so sometimes it can be a test of name/version match to understand exactly which version it is. Although this can be confusing, it does make it a bit more interesting than just a straight version number (sorry Microsoft).

Recent Release History:

macOS 10.15 Catalina (2019) started a shift towards more stringent requirements for applications by only allowing 64-bit apps, which Connected Accounting and ERP Version 10 was and is.
macOS 11 Big Sur (2020) continued that path and added even more refinements, along with a Rosetta 2 emulator as Apple transitions from Intel to their fantastically speedy homegrown M1 chips.
macOS 12 Monterey (2021) has continued this move and started to present application warnings about compatibility if the application does not support native M1 architecture.
macOS 13 Ventura (2022) is seemingly finishing the conversion to Apple Silicon with more features only available on M1/M2 devices.

macOS Ventura - Changes that Connected Accounting Business Users Might Like?

As we took a look at our blog from last year on macOS Monterey we quickly realized that populating this list with tangible and useful features for a business user, was going to be very tough. We have done our best but it is hard to shake the feeling that macOS Ventura is one big security patch with a sprinkling of new functionality.

Key Features a business user may find useful:

Safari Passkeys

We all know that logins/passwords are a simple fact of daily life for business users. As described by Apple, "Passkeys introduce a new sign‑in method that is end-to-end encrypted and safe from phishing and data leaks. This makes passkeys stronger than all common two‑factor authentication types. They also work on non‑Apple devices." If it is storing your Connected on Demand credentials or the many other logins, this is a great help and can avert the need to pay for an external password manager.

Apple Mail - Delay Send and Improved Search

For those users who use Apple Mail (Apple Mail is supported by Connected), there have been minor improvements. The notable one is an option to delay the sending of an email or schedule it. We were surprised this did not already exist as we have enjoyed this in Outlook for some time. Additionally an improved search has been added that should help make Mail more useful for business applications. Connected Accounting and ERP supports both Apple Mail and Microsoft Outlook for emailing documents like invoices, order confirmations, and/or customer statements of accounts. Reference: Email Setup for Connected Accounting and ERP

System Settings

We aren't sure this is a benefit, but Apple has redesigned the System Settings with a new interface and menu. As business application developers, we often live in settings windows and found this redesign confusing and a little clunky. It doesn't seem this will change anytime soon, or ever, so we have resigned to the fact that we just have to get used to it.

Focus

Focus has been enhanced so that custom settings can be created with certain people and/or apps being allowed for notifications. If you are shipping orders, verifying financial statements, or purchasing, a custom focus is always helpful for getting uninterrupted work done using Connected.

Intel Macs and macOS Ventura

As the transition from Intel based Macs continues, in our opinion, there was not much left out out for Intel based Macs that was of great importance. Our feeling is that the security and under the hood improvements are the biggest reason to use macOS Ventura. Most of the security, especially Safari Passkeys are available to Intel mac users.

Is the Connected Accounting and ERP software compatible with macOS Ventura?

The simple answer is Yes - Connected Accounting and ERP desktop software is compatible with macOS Ventura.

Apple’s transition to M1/M2 (aka Apple Silicon) chips affects the Connected Accounting and ERP application in the following ways:

1: Connected 10.3.5x or greater is required. Connected runs in the Rosetta 2 emulator and will become a "Universal" application with Connected 11 in February 2023.

2: Periodically, when Connected is started it will receive and app compatibility message. If Apple withdraws support for Rosetta 2 in 2023, Connected 11 will already be available and provide an update path. We feel it is likely this support is withdrawn in either 2023 or 2024

3: Connected 11 will be the "Universal" (aka universal binary), that is native to Apple Silicon (M1/M2 and beyond). Our original date was Fall 2022 but we had to push the update as it would have been ready far too close to the Holiday Season in December. Connected 11 has been rescheduled for release in February 2023, after a busy Holiday Season and 1099 submissions.

Final Verdict?

As far as the Connected Accounting and ERP software application is concerned, it is full steam ahead with macOS Ventura. Connected Desktop users can enjoy a macOS application that is fully supported and not offering emulator or VM work arounds. It is full steam ahead for Connected 11 in February 2023.

If keeping up with Apple’s cutting-edge improvements is proving difficult for your business, our Connected Desktop or Connected on Demand Cloud may be right to replace legacy applications that are no longer supported or moving forward.