Can new fall MacBook Pro's OS be downgraded?

[golfnut1982]

I'm assuming these will come with Monterey, correct? And we won't be able to downgrade the OS, correct? TIA

 

[Audit13]

It may be possible to downgrade to Big Sur or Catalina but, at this point, no one knows for sure until the new models are released.

 

[velocityg4]

Normally Macs can only go as low as the OS available on their initial release. If Monterey is out when they're released. Then Monterey is as low as they'll go. If they come out while Big Sur is still the current OS. Then later get Monterey included when Monterey comes out. They can be downgraded to Big Sur.

But who's to say it'll still work this way with ARM Macs.

 

[Fishrrman]

I'll take an off-the-wall guess that Monterey is going to be "the minimum OS" that will boot and run the upcoming MacBook Pro 14" and 16" models...

 

[Amethyst1]

It may be possible to downgrade to Big Sur or Catalina but, at this point,

An Apple Silicon machine will definitely not run Catalina.

 

[Amethyst1]

Normally Macs can only go as low as the OS available on their initial release.

There are (entirely unsupported) exceptions to this rule with both PPC and Intel Macs. Apple Silicon may well be different though.

 

[velocityg4]

There are (entirely unsupported) exceptions to this rule with both PPC and Intel Macs. Apple Silicon may well be different though.

Apple Silicon supports dual boot (at least on paper). As long as you can technically dual boot and people have access to the root folder. I'd expect there will be workarounds and hacks.

Apple would basically have to lock down the Mac like i(devices) to stop it.

 

[posguy99]

It may be possible to downgrade to Big Sur or Catalina but, at this point, no one knows for sure until the new models are released.

It would not be possible to downgrade to Catalina, of course. Catalina does not support ARM processors.