There has been quite some discussion about Catalina & the new MP7,1 over on that forum. My impression to date has been that the hardware is excellent, but Catalina is just dreadful. Have posted again here:
Wondering if anyone has returned their 7,1 and if so why?
forums.macrumors.com
With all due respect: there is nothing more annoying & unhelpful than the casual chime-in that 'it works here ...'. Seems to be a plague on blogs.
Clearly, installs can vary greatly depending on specific use assumptions & one should always try to present a little empathy for those who may be having serious issues and are understandably upset (& with such a high purchase cost for a self-proclaimed 'pro' computer').
eg, if I were using Apple-only apps, perhaps could be smoother sailing, who knows. But I very much agree with those who unhappy with Catalina. Its a complete dog. Case use here (just for example):
exact same software and usage (expect for Logic & FCPX of course) on Window 10 Pro on a Dell T7910 workstation; exact same installs for a Mac Pro 5,1 running Mojave.
- DAWs: Nuendo, Wavelab, Studio One, Ableton Live, Logic Pro. + many audio plugins and virtual instruments including Universal Audio, Sound Toys, Steinberg Absolute 4, Native Instruments Komplete Ultimate, etc.
- NLEs: DaVinci Resolve Studio 16, FinalCutPro, ditto re. plugins including industry standards Neat Video OFX, Neat Video FCPX, FilmConvert Pro, etc.
- Productivity apps including MS Office, Acrobat Pro, Chronosync, Carbon Copy Cloner, Handbreak, etc.
- Driver & CPs for RME UFX+, Decklink MiniMonitor 4k, SoftRAID, etc.
Suffice it to say - in my context and studio - there are many unresolved issues here in relation to the awful Catalina. *None* of that is present with the same installs in Win104W 1909 or Mojave.
Without picking though all of that, there have also been enormous issues with security more broadly. That includes (of course) disabling security and allowing external boot from the BIOS ... excuse me, ahem, UEFI. abeit needing special command and another wired keyboard .. (give me F2 to the BIOS anyday).
Past that, then there are many install issues that require Security & Privacy CP intervention. And that is inconsistent, sometimes clear, sometimes poor OS handling of multiple, confusing screens; sometimes nothing at all to warn. Eg, Logic Pro would not run some (expensive) AU plugins; turns out one had to manually dig around Security & Privacy, then the Authorization [sic] tab to allow ... a week goes by ...
The silly 'notarization' behaviour where the installer will not run (no explanation), but then you right-click, & you choose 'don't open' or 'open' ... go figure ... who in Apple thought that was useful?
Speaking of installs, many apps had to be dumped or at least required expensive update costs (this is not a 32 bit issue). Needless to say, these apps run perfectly on latest Windows & Mojave.
File permissions, what a drag. On and on and on. Suffice it to say, when I migrated across hundreds of project files to a new RAID 4 volume on the MP7,1, some apps like Nuendo would not load saying 'read only' or later not be able to save, again citing 'read only'. This is despite all dirs being set as admin RW & user RW ... the only eventual fix was to set all dirs to Everyone RW (security anyone?) ... another week goes by. Ditto numerous file permissions problems with Carbon Copy Cloner, particularly in booting from another volume & attempting to restore.
Yes, I fully agree with the Catlina complaints, is dreadful, and all in the name of placebo 'security' which is meant to reassure by all those bazillions of password requests and 'are you sure' prompts ... please ... this is 'pro'?. Mostly just very annoying & time consuming. From what I've experienced - and has been the case in many earlier, difficult MacOS rollouts - the silver lining will be firmware and OS software updates over (say) this next quarter in particular, and then we 'should' be more fully leverage our investment in the MP7,1.