The easy answer is “probably, but not yet.”
Unless you have some super urgent business need for some of the new features (and we don’t mean you want to geek out and play), hold back. Like our recent warning about iOS 8, new software, including new operating systems, always has bugs, especially when first released. Depending on the context of your mix of applications, plug-ins, and hardware accessories, your mileage will vary in terms of which bugs you experience.
In order to ensure that your productivity is not interrupted, we strongly encourage you to avoid the Yosemite upgrade until we can work with you to ensure that your environment is completely compatible. Below we have listed applications in several groups; those will not work under Yosemite, and probably never will as the developers’ don’t have any plans to update them, and those that don’t work now, but are reportedly being updated by the developer’s for compatibility. There are also those that are reported as being 100% compatible, but take that with a grain of salt. Please keep in mind that if you upgrade and run into an application that you need regularly that is not compatible, the only option will be to completely erase and rebuild your computer (after backing up your data). Obviously that is expensive in both time and energy and therefore best avoided!
Applications known to not work, or are not supported (read as: you will or may run into issues and there is no avenue for support)
- Although iOS 8 is ready for free download via iTunes we strongly recommend you hold off on installing the upgrade until all the apps services you care about are compatible with it. Once you upgrade, it is a major undertaking to go back to iOS 7, and it may not be possible (it is not supported by Apple). Note that this can affect your iPad and iPod Touch as well.
- Although the iPhone 6 and 6+ are available for purchase, we strongly recommend that you do not purchase the new iPhone until all the apps and services you care about are compatible with iOS 8. iPhone 6 and 6+ come pre-installed with iOS 8, therefore downgrading the software is not an option.
- You can check the status of any of your apps’ compatability on the App Store. Note that the App should state specifically that it is iOS 8 compatible. If iOS 8 is not mentioned, you should assume that it is not considered tested and compatible yet.
If you just can’t contain your excitement, and find yourself jumping into iOS 8 now, please do heed this additional caution. There is a new feature, iCloud Drive, that you should not enable until your computer is also upgraded to Yosemite (assuming it’s compatible and will be upgraded). In short, this feature is a new way for iOS apps to sync and share data with your computer, and if you enable it on your iOS device, before your computer is running Yosemite, it may actually prevent your iOS apps from being able to share data with your computer. This is due to a decision the developers made to sync the “new” way. Please pay special attention to this step in the setup of your device. If you’d like more detail on this specific issue, there is a great article on Mashable.
As a quick reference, here is the iOS 8 compatibility status of a few apps we know most of our business users have on their iOS devices…
- 1Password = Compatible, requires version 5.0.1
- LastPass = Compatible, requires version 3.1.0
- SamePage = Unknown at this time
- Evernote = Compatible, requires version 7.5.0
- DropBox = Known Issues, Fixes in Development
- SugarSync = Compatible, requires version 4.2.2
- Inrix Traffic = Unknown at this time
- Documents to Go = Compatible, requires version 5.2.2
- Good Reader = Compatible, requires version 4.4.0
- Daylite Touch = Known Issues, Fixes in Development
To sum up, your experience depends on how you use a piece of technology, so your mileage may vary. If you don’t mind a few speed bumps and want to explore, go for it. But, if you need your device to work whenever you reach for it, then we’d recommend holding off and keeping an eye on the updates from Apple.
