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AverageGuy

macrumors member
Original poster
May 21, 2010
43
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I am looking for a laptop to run Catalina and to buy some time before the new generation of ARM based Macs hit. I have a 4GB 2011 MBA that is now not OS supported beyond Yosemite. Use mostly for office tasks and web surfing. I found a mid-2014 MBP 13” 2.8 i5 16GB 512GB 80 Battery Cycles for about $375. One or two small dings, but mostly clean. Battery change if necessary is a little bit of a pain compared to non-retina, but this seems like a deal! What do you all think? Would I get a few years before Apple makes this processor obsolete? Or should I look for a 2015 or a newer used non-retina Air? Can I run Catalina on this as compared to Mojave? Thanks.
 
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That sounds like a terrific deal.. almost too good. If it's legitimate, I would go for it. You'll love the upgrade over the Air even if it is quite a bit thicker and heavier. Retina screen alone is worth it.
Consult this page for a definitive answer, but that machine should run Catalina no problem. It runs fine on my 2012 MBA so you should be good to go. Changing the battery should be a snap as long as you have the right tools.
 
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I am looking for a laptop to run Catalina and to buy some time before the new generation of ARM based Macs hit. I have a 4GB 2011 MBA that is now not OS supported beyond Yosemite.
A 2011 MacBook Air, even with 4GB of RAM, will run up to High Sierra (version 10.13.6.)
 
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If it’s legit, absolutely do it. I’ve been holding onto my 2014 15” Pro since functionally, every new MacBook after 2015 seems like a downgrade.
 
My 2011 11” inch air is actually a 2 GB Ram model. What is the latest operating system that will comfortably run on that, and should I sell it if I get the 2014 Mac Pro? I see there are people on eBay that are paying $200 for that?
 
$200 for a 2014 Mac Pro sounds like a steal. What I read is to make sure that it has the upgraded CPU as the base isn't great.
 
$200 for a 2014 Mac Pro sounds like a steal. What I read is to make sure that it has the upgraded CPU as the base isn't great.
You might be confused. The OP's thread is about a 2014 MacBook Pro and the CPUs on those really don't vary much from the lowest to highest end models.
 
So the initial thread was about a 2014 MBP 16 512 i5 for about $375 that is being offered to me. I was asking whether that was a good deal? I merely said that my 2GB 64GB 2011 11” is probably worth around $200 and was asking whether it made sense to sell it as OS upgradeability is very limited. If I buy the 2014 MBP and sell the 2011 Air, I have a great upgrade for not much. I imagine that I will only get maybe 2 years out of the 2014 MBP before it’s upgradeable end of life! But better than being stuck with a non-retina machine that can’t be upgraded!!! Also wanted to know whether a 2015 is a better machine and whether it would be supported longer than a 2014? Same wondering whether a i7 will be supported longer than a i5? Sorry for any confusion!
 
So the initial thread was about a 2014 MBP 16 512 i5 for about $375 that is being offered to me. I was asking whether that was a good deal? I merely said that my 2GB 64GB 2011 11” is probably worth around $200 and was asking whether it made sense to sell it as OS upgradeability is very limited. If I buy the 2014 MBP and sell the 2011 Air, I have a great upgrade for not much. I imagine that I will only get maybe 2 years out of the 2014 MBP before it’s upgradeable end of life! But better than being stuck with a non-retina machine that can’t be upgraded!!! Also wanted to know whether a 2015 is a better machine and whether it would be supported longer than a 2014? Same wondering whether a i7 will be supported longer than a i5? Sorry for any confusion!
The 2014 MBP is a much better computer than the 2011 Air, no question. The 2015 is newer and would probably be supported longer– after all the 15" 2015 model was sold new until 2018. The processor in the 2014 will not have any difference in length of support.
 
The 2014 MBP is a much better computer than the 2011 Air, no question. The 2015 is newer and would probably be supported longer– after all the 15" 2015 model was sold new until 2018. The processor in the 2014 will not have any difference in length of support.
Thank you for this. I read that Apple considers obsolete 5-7 years after last produced. 2012 Ivy Bridge last produced 10/16 but 2014 Haswell that I am looking at last produced 3/2015!!! So could the 2014 I am looking at lose OS support before 2012 does? I already have one computer 2011 Air that is unsupported and concerned about being in that situation with the computer I buy now, in spite of a good deal!!! How long can I expect out of this 2014 model? Someone said instruction set Haswell vs 2015 Broadwell is the same, but different mobo. 2015 stopped production 2017, so does that automatically mean it will be supported for two years longer than the 2014. This could mean one OS update! This could be significant in terms of security protocols not supported. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks.
 
Thank you for this. I read that Apple considers obsolete 5-7 years after last produced. 2012 Ivy Bridge last produced 10/16 but 2014 Haswell that I am looking at last produced 3/2015!!! So could the 2014 I am looking at lose OS support before 2012 does? I already have one computer 2011 Air that is unsupported and concerned about being in that situation with the computer I buy now, in spite of a good deal!!! How long can I expect out of this 2014 model? Someone said instruction set Haswell vs 2015 Broadwell is the same, but different mobo. 2015 stopped production 2017, so does that automatically mean it will be supported for two years longer than the 2014. This could mean one OS update! This could be significant in terms of security protocols not supported. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks.
Generally Apple supports a laptop with new OS releases for 7 years post initial release. It adds 2 years of security support on top of that.

I'm running Catalina on my 2012 15" Retina MBP.
 
From what i have seen, according to Apple, it is 5 to 7 years post last manufacture date. This would put your model in line with that, and may not allow for another OS update? Where did you get your information? I may post a general question regarding obsolescence to see what people say. There is a lot of conflicting information, perhaps that is the design that Apple wants! It does make a difference when purchasing used equipment. It seems in theory that a 2015 would offer two more years than a 2014, but based on what you are saying it would only add one year?
 
I don't
From what i have seen, according to Apple, it is 5 to 7 years post last manufacture date. This would put your model in line with that, and may not allow for another OS update? Where did you get your information? I may post a general question regarding obsolescence to see what people say. There is a lot of conflicting information, perhaps that is the design that Apple wants! It does make a difference when purchasing used equipment. It seems in theory that a 2015 would offer two more years than a 2014, but based on what you are saying it would only add one year?
I don't expect a 2020 update for MY 2012 macbook pro.

Check this link https://eshop.macsales.com/guides/Mac_OS_X_Compatibility. Checkout the macbook pro section. You can check the history of past macs and how many years they were supported in the past.
 
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