Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

2012 Mac mini - No Big Sur

ivnj said:
Actually it does. Security updates only go back 2 systems. So on 2023 my mac mini 2014 will be useless. And if big sur is the last update then it is useless. Browsers will only support for so long. And others apps too. Even the high sierra my 2014 mini came with already feels dated.

I have a G5 IMAC sitting in my basement boxed, Useless now. No browsers or email or other main apps work. There is 104FOX. But all sites are not supported. And when they stop that the its mo good.
Click to expand...
Actually it doesn't INSTANTLY turn it into a pile of junk. Even your own post says security updates go back 2 operating system versions, so you've got a couple of years before it's a 'pile of junk'...and even then your 2014 machine will not be USELESS, just not supported with security updates anymore, and eventually browser standards will move on so that you take the risk yourself in using a less secure/outdated browser, and developers decide to make use of some new hardware/API that your machine doesn't support.

The last G5 iMacs were produced in 2006, so complaining that a 14 year old machine is useless (or not supported anymore) is just...WOW!!!

My 2008 octo-core MacPro is working perfectly well on El Capitan (10.11.6) despite not having any security updates since 2018. Safari/Firefox/Opera still works, as does MS Office, Adobe CS6 (which feels faster than the latest Creative Cloud on my newer machines). Certainly not useless by any means.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Boyd01
ivnj said:
[automerge]1593490715[/automerge]


Actually it does. Security updates only go back 2 systems. So on 2023 my mac mini 2014 will be useless. And if big sur is the last update then it is useless. Browsers will only support for so long. And others apps too. Even the high sierra my 2014 mini came with already feels dated.

I have a G5 IMAC sitting in my basement boxed, Useless now. No browsers or email or other main apps work. There is 104FOX. But all sites are not supported. And when they stop that the its mo good.
Click to expand...

I have a 2014 mini in daily use, it is my oldest Mac. But even if in 2023 it stops getting security updates, that’s a solid 10 years of use/support! Should we really expect computers to function for 15, 20 years with the same security features as something brand new?
 
I had this issue two years ago with my 2011 mini, so I understand what people are feeling in this thread. But, I installed KDE neon on it and its got a whole new life. I do admit the HD3000 graphics are definitely showing its age.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Boyd01 and AppliedMicro
Bought my Mac mini 2012 (Quad-Core) right after it came out in late 2012.

Upgraded to 16GB RAM and SSD as system drive.
Didn't bother about the 2014 successor, as that would have been a downgrade in terms of performance.

Even - unsupportedly - ran a 4K display with this Machine for a while (at 4K30 via DisplayPort).
Catalina will be the end of the line for macOS support - though should get security updates for another 2 years (til late 2022).

That's getting a 10 years of use out of the machine. Pretty decent, I'd say.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4sallypat, iAssimilated and Boyd01
We can expect security patches for Catalina to end roughly in October 2022 which isn't a bad innings for the 2012 model. I'm just sad that the last OS that will work on the 2012 is the much maligned Catalina.
 
  • Like
Reactions: loby
CalMin said:
From https://9to5mac.com/2020/06/22/macos-big-sur-compatible-macs/ and https://www.apple.com/macos/big-sur-preview/

Here’s the full list of macOS Big Sur compatible Macs:

  • 2015 and later MacBook
  • 2013 and later MacBook Air
  • 2013 and later MacBook Pro
  • 2014 and later Mac mini
  • 2014 and later iMac
  • 2017 and later iMac Pro
  • 2013 and later Mac Pro
----

I wonder if there's a technical reason for this. Mine has a quad-core i7, 16GB RAM and lots of SSD space. It's still a beast for most daily tasks.

I'm not really complaining though - I got tons of mileage out of it and it will be fine on Catalina for a couple more years after that.
Click to expand...

From what I've read, it's a combination of the WiFi card used in those machines not having an updated driver (which is often the reason why an Intel Mac is left out in the cold for a new macOS release) and those Macs using Ivy Bridge, which is no longer getting firmware patches for security from Intel.

That all being said, unlike its 2011 predecessor, your 2012 Mac mini can be converted to be a pretty decent Windows 10 machine. I don't believe Intel has updated its drivers for Ivy Bridge based graphics and chipsets (such as what the 2012 Mac mini has in it) for Windows 10 in a while, but I also don't know that Windows 10 has changed that much throughout its various releases such that those drivers are no longer compatible. If nothing else, if you or someone you know can get you a copy of Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019, that OS should just work without changes and still get regular security/stability patches until 2029. Just a thought.
 
  • Like
Reactions: grandM
Not sure why this is a big surprise for some. Apple don't support the hardware anymore so it was going to drop off the OS updates. I knew this so I sold my 2012 Mac Mini last month.
 
MadCar said:
Must be some thing on the GPU side as the 2012 are more powerful than 2014 Mac Mini

Was going to leap on a new iMac or updated Mini but no hardware announced which is rather disappointing, all a bit Meh with todays updates all round.
Click to expand...

Must be the graphics chip (4000 series). My iMac 2012 has the same 4000 graphic card (except for the dedicated addition) and is not on the list.
 
phoenix-mac-user said:
There is no reason other than to get you to buy a new Mac. I am sure someone can invent a reason but I had a 2010 Mac pro that was an absolute monster with an AMD video card and they arbitrarily stopped supporting it to try to get me to buy their new Mac Pro.
Click to expand...
As technology moves on, older cpus, etc have missing features that newer ones have, so I would say that is th reason. I'm sure a brief session with google could help you uncover that
[automerge]1594646920[/automerge]
ivnj said:
[automerge]1593490715[/automerge]


Actually it does. Security updates only go back 2 systems. So on 2023 my mac mini 2014 will be useless. And if big sur is the last update then it is useless. Browsers will only support for so long. And others apps too. Even the high sierra my 2014 mini came with already feels dated.

I have a G5 IMAC sitting in my basement boxed, Useless now. No browsers or email or other main apps work. There is 104FOX. But all sites are not supported. And when they stop that the its mo good.
Click to expand...
Useless, or still running on a perfectly good OS? but 2014-2023 that outlasts a dell by about 5 years. cheers
 
  • Like
Reactions: MevetS
CalMin said:
From https://9to5mac.com/2020/06/22/macos-big-sur-compatible-macs/ and https://www.apple.com/macos/big-sur-preview/

Here’s the full list of macOS Big Sur compatible Macs:

  • 2015 and later MacBook
  • 2013 and later MacBook Air
  • 2013 and later MacBook Pro
  • 2014 and later Mac mini
  • 2014 and later iMac
  • 2017 and later iMac Pro
  • 2013 and later Mac Pro
----

I wonder if there's a technical reason for this. Mine has a quad-core i7, 16GB RAM and lots of SSD space. It's still a beast for most daily tasks.

I'm not really complaining though - I got tons of mileage out of it and it will be fine on Catalina for a couple more years after that.
Click to expand...
Check out the intro/page one on the Big Sur on Unsupported Macs thread here in the forums - Collin/Dosdude1 gives some answers to your questions about technical reasons. You will be able to run Big Sur via patcher on a 2012 Mac mini. The patcher doesn't rewrite MacOS, it changes kernel extensions to work with your equipment. I've used the patchers to put Sierra and Mojave on 2009 mac minis with great results. The _ MacOS on Unsupported Mac folks here on MacRumors know what they're doing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4sallypat and CalMin
Yes, I'm here with a dead-end Late 2012 concerning new MacOS.
It's ok for me, I am counting on +2yrs to buy a new Mac Mini.
They gave me a knot. But I took advantage.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dandeco
Renato Botto said:
Yes, I'm here with a dead-end Late 2012 concerning new MacOS.
It's ok for me, I am counting on +2yrs to buy a new Mac Mini.
They gave me a knot. But I took advantage.
Click to expand...
Same; I plan to buy a 2020 13" Intel MacBook Pro next month to have a Big Sur-compatible Mac, as I need a newer Mac laptop first (my current one is a 2009 polycarbonate unibody MacBook; I'll still hold onto it for running older 32-bit applications though!)
 
4sallypat said:
Same here - love the 2012 Mini - it still runs faster than my Air or iMac especially after both HDD were replaced out with dual SSD.

My 2012 Mini has about the same processor power as my 2015 MBP (both i7 & 16GB RAM) so I am not concerned...

I'll keep the Catalina for awhile since I had to buy a newer version of Microsoft Office for Mac and Adobe Acrobat because of the 64 bit enforcement...

Will wait for the ARM version whenever it releases....
Click to expand...
Selling my 2012 i7 Quad Core server Mini !

My new M1 base Mini is just blowing the pants off the i7 !

Plus no longer need to put the new Mini on a cooling fan pad to keep the i7 cool.

Amazing the M1 with 8GB can run cooler and faster than the 16GB Intel!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back