March 29, 2021
Dear Apple Inc.,
I saw an article published by Inc. the other day, claiming that Apple’s most valuable product isn’t the iPhone, but instead intangible consumer trust. But right now I’m feeling betrayed on that front. Recently I feel like Apple could have signaled that it values its relationships with companies like Microsoft more so than consumer experience and privacy. And I think Apple’s justification for what it did was a weak one. What I’m talking about is something that looks a lot like planned obsolescence – how 32-bit applications no longer work at all in the latest Mac OS (Big Sur). Perhaps it was a conscious choice not to accommodate 32-bit applications, maybe arbitrary, or even scheming. It’s especially problematic for earlier versions of the Microsoft Office suite.
Consumers like myself are essentially being forced to choose between operating system security and stability versus being able to use software we previously purchased or had the rights to. There are privacy and security issues at stake. By using an outdated operating system (especially one that no longer gets security patches), one essentially leaves themselves vulnerable to security issues. Why didn’t Big Sur at least offer a legacy mode (or “compatibility mode” like Windows does)? It seems like a reasonable thing to do. No one expects a legacy mode to be optimized. And we shouldn’t need to get into using virtual machines.
It’s not that we didn’t have warning about the compatibility shortcoming. But that doesn’t mean it was necessarily the right thing to do. I now use an early-2015 Macbook Pro. I had been contentedly been using the OS versions up through Catalina (including with Microsoft Word and Excel), but later on I got reminders to upgrade to Big Sur, for something like optimal security and stability. I eventually decided to take the plunge. I can’t say I’m impressed so far, but these days I’m not often a power user. (Setapp describes Big Sur as being like the iPadification of the Mac.)
The 32-bit issue most affects me in that I’m no longer able to use Microsoft Word and Excel programs I had regularly been using on my personal Mac before (Office 2011). Why? Because the old programs are no longer “optimized” (whatever that means) for a 64-bit system. If there’s a better explanation than optimization, I’d love to hear it. Unfortunately my web search didn’t yield any helpful answers. Honestly, the optics of this compatibility decision don’t seem great for Apple, especially considering that only the latest Microsoft Office versions are now available for licensing or purchase via Microsoft (365 or 2019), and aren’t inexpensive (for one personal use license, $69.99 per year and $149.99 one-time, respectively). The App Store also offers 365. One has to wonder whether this could have been a concerted effort between the two companies. The 365 subscription model sounds particularly dubious. Will an average family of four really pay $100 each year for the privilege of casually using the latest Microsoft Office programs? And who’s to say a similar optimization phase-out wouldn’t happen in the coming years if I outright bought Microsoft Office 2019? (What about the 2016 version on eBay?)
For the moment, I’m giving LibreOffice a fair try, at least before considering more premium options. I think I’m like many in that I don’t prefer the Apple-provided Pages and Numbers alternatives. Using the Apple programs, think it’s problematic having to do the export step to save as a Microsoft Office format (docx, xlsx), where on LibreOffice you can just save-as those formats. When sharing is more important than privacy, Google Drive with GoogleDocs and GoogleSheets, etc., are convenient options.
I thought Apple was better than planned obsolescence, and I trusted it wouldn’t force me to give up software unnecessarily. I’m disappointed in what may have happened here, and I hope that Apple will consider including 32-bit compatibility or at least a legacy mode in future Mac OS releases. Or at the very least offer a more palatable explanation.
Thank you for your consideration.
picocosm 