Apple discontinues standalone updates in favor of OTA installers?

Well, it appears that Apple has finally decided to move a step further by discontinuing the availability of individual DMG packages for future versions of macOS in favor of OTA installers. This controversial move has caused frustration among Mac users who find the standalone updates handy in critical situations.

Starting with Big Sur the Cupertino-based giant is phasing out the Downloads page by keeping only essential security updates for legacy software.