Apple releases 'Device Support Update' for macOS Big Sur machines

Macos Big Sur Preview Safari Hero (Image credit: Rene Ritchie)

What you need to know

Apple today released a 'Device Support Update' for macOS Big Sur.
The update adds support for updating and restoring iPhones and iPads.

Apple today released a macOS Big Sur "Device Support Update" to Mac users around the world, although the update is what can only be described as minor.

Apple says that the update is all about adding support for restoring and updating iPhones and iPads and it's likely that the release adds new iPhone 13 and iPad mini-specific icons and literature for the newly-released products.

While far from the best Mac update we've ever seen, this is an important one that ensures all of Apple's new hardware is better reflected when connected to a Mac running macOS Big Sur.

It isn't clear how long macOS Big Sur will be the most current version of the Mac's operating system, of course. Apple's new macOS Monterey update is set to arrive any day now, although Apple is yet to give anyone any kind of date as to when that might happen. The smart money is on a release within the next few weeks, with Apple possibly holding off until the rumored 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro notebooks are also ready to be announced.

Those new notebooks will feature mini-LED screens for the first time while improved Apple M-series chips should also be part of the package. This is expected to be the biggest Mac notebook refresh in a while with all eyes on Cupertino to see what's next.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.