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Apple Stops Supporting Windows 7 in Boot Camp on New MacBook Pro, MacBook Air Models

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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boot_camp_icon.jpg
Apple's newly refreshed MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro models no longer support running Windows 7 with Boot Camp, according to Apple's Boot Camp support document. Boot Camp on the new notebooks only works with Windows 8 or later, so it is impossible to use Boot Camp to install Windows 7 on the machines.

For those unfamiliar with Boot Camp, it is Apple's software designed to allow Mac users to install Microsoft Windows on their machines.

Apple also dropped Windows 7 Boot Camp support in the 2013 Mac Pro, suggesting the software would cease to be supported by future Macs, but Macs released in 2014 continued to offer Windows 7 installations. The 2014 MacBook Air and the 2014 MacBook Pro will be the last Apple notebooks that support Windows 7.

Though Boot Camp no longer supports Windows 7, the operating system can continue to be used on these newer machines with virtualization software like VMware Fusion and Parallels.

It is not surprising that Apple has opted to phase out support for Windows 7, given its advanced age. Windows 7 first became available to the public in 2009 and was followed by Windows 8 in 2012. Despite being six years old, Windows 7 continues to be the most heavily used Windows-based operating system.

Mac users were not happy with Apple's decision to cease Windows 7 support in the Mac Pro, and it's likely the dropped support in the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro will also be met with resistance. Windows users have not yet embraced Windows 8 due to both its cost and its interface, which deviated significantly from the design of Windows 7.

Windows 10, coming later this year, may encourage stalwart Windows 7 users to upgrade, as it melds Windows 7 design elements with Windows 8 design elements for a happy medium that might satisfy a wide range of tastes. Windows 10 pricing has not been unveiled, but it will be a free upgrade for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 users.

(Thanks, Daniel!)

Article Link: Apple Stops Supporting Windows 7 in Boot Camp on New MacBook Pro, MacBook Air Models
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2015/03/20/new-macbook-pro-air-no-windows-7-bootcamp/
Last edited:
J

JCrz

macrumors 6502
Sep 12, 2014
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I don't think anyone uses Bootcamp with a legal copy of Windows. #Bootcampgate
 
S

samcraig

macrumors P6
Jun 22, 2009
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Now you see that. For those that think that Apple doesn't want to help Microsoft - here they are helping the upgrade path of "slower" adopters ;)
 
greytmom

greytmom

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Jun 23, 2010
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I'm running a legal copy of Windows 7 on my MBP, with Parallels. It's running like crap though. I used to run it in Boot Camp on my older Mac, and it worked much better. Really wishing that the few things I do in Windows would be supported on Mac so I can ditch it altogether. Mainly my Access databases... anyone know of any Mac alternatives?
 
Nunyabinez

Nunyabinez

macrumors 68000
Apr 27, 2010
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Provo, UT
Windows 7 is a decent OS, but I actually enjoy using windows 10.

Microsoft wants everyone to get off Windows 7 and onto 10 for all their devices.

I think MS would actually approve of this because they want everyone on every capable device to be on 10.
 
longofest

longofest

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Jul 10, 2003
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Kaibelf

Kaibelf

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Apr 29, 2009
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People can complain all they want, but it's not Apple's job to coddle people who use a legacy (and face it, it IS legacy) piece of software from a direct competitor. Why should they?
 
Icaras

Icaras

macrumors 603
Mar 18, 2008
6,343
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Funny seeing OS X 10.10 is 0.00% in OS system share trend in the netmarketshare.com link in the article.
 
G

gordon1234

macrumors 6502a
Jun 23, 2010
580
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JCrz said:
I don't think anyone uses Bootcamp with a legal copy of Windows. #Bootcampgate
Click to expand...

Speak for yourself. It's also not just individuals that use Boot Camp. My company has dozens of Macs deployed in dual-boot configurations. Boot Camp and virtualization have gone a long way towards making Macs acceptable in traditionally Windows-only workplaces.

Our IT department basically has the policy that you can request a Mac,but it has to have the ability to run Windows for some active directory stuff. So they're either all dual boot or they ship with a Windows VM, depending on the use cases.
 
3bs

3bs

macrumors 603
May 20, 2011
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I know the new Macbook isn't out yet but any ideas how performance would be on running Windows on it? Similar to the Yoga 3?
 
2

2457282

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greytmom said:
I'm running a legal copy of Windows 7 on my MBP, with Parallels. It's running like crap though. I used to run it in Boot Camp on my older Mac, and it worked much better. Really wishing that the few things I do in Windows would be supported on Mac so I can ditch it altogether. Mainly my Access databases... anyone know of any Mac alternatives?
Click to expand...

I use open office which has a database app that is good enough for what I do. give it a try and see if will work for you.
 
poiihy

poiihy

macrumors 68020
Aug 22, 2014
2,301
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This is no big deal. You can easily install Windows without Bootcamp Assistant. Then use Apple's Bootcamp software from Apple's website.
First create a new partition for it in Disk Utility. Format probably doesn't matter as the Windows installer will reformat it anyway.
Boot into your Windows Install disk.
Format and install into the partition you made.
Now you have Windows installed. Now you just need the software and drivers.
Download the software from Apple's website.
Put it on a USB stick or something.
Install it.

----------
opeter said:
Actually Windows 10 is free for all.
Click to expand...

It's weird how the previews are free but the releases are not.
 
R

ralphdaily

macrumors regular
Aug 18, 2008
145
104
Birmingham, AL
Windows 8 in Fusion is good enough for me. All I do is occasionally run Quicken for Windows. At the time I switched to mac, the mac version of Quicken wouldn't accept my substantial Quicken for Windows data.
 
RMo

RMo

macrumors 65816
Aug 7, 2007
1,253
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Iowa, USA
Kaibelf said:
People can complain all they want, but it's not Apple's job to coddle people who use a legacy (and face it, it IS legacy) piece of software from a direct competitor. Why should they?
Click to expand...

It's certainly not Apple's job to do so, so nobody can complain about that--but I'd hardly call Windows 7 "legacy." Sure, it's been superseded by Windows 8.x, but Microsoft is supporting it until at least 2020. Maybe Windows XP is "legacy." ;)

---

MacRumors said:
Windows 10 pricing has not been unveiled, but it will be a free upgrade for Windows 8.1 users.
Click to expand...

The upgrade will actually be free for Windows 7 and 8.1*, but only for the first year. Pricing--or even what kind of licenses they'll offer--after that has not yet been announced.

*I think you need at least Windows 7 to upgrade to Windows 10 in the first place, so this is effectively free for all licensed non-enterprise users.
 
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