Do you think macOS 12 Monterey is the last OS for the 2014 Mac mini?

[EugW]

Is that statement based on the fact that it geekbenchs similar to some iPad running a totally different architecture and a different OS, or actual first-hand experience with it?

1) I have used several other Macs with comparable CPU performance. While not great, they are as I said, to quote myself, "serviceable", even with modern browsers like Chrome with modern websites, and with business applications and basic mainstream consumer applications. I wouldn't want to use one of those as my personal primary machine, but for a secondary machine or on a strict budget, they are "serviceable".

2) iPad performance as indicated by Geekbench 5 actually does provide a reasonable estimate of performance when talking about mainstream apps such as Safari, Mail, and the like, even when compared against Macs in my experience. There are of course many exceptions, but for the mainstream stuff, it's actually a pretty decent ballpark indicator.

Anyhow, you were trying to use your power user experience to argue against a consumer machine. I was talking about basic consumer-oriented use, and in fact I actually specifically said that in my post, but you came back with an argument that dual-core doesn't do well with multiple VMs, which doesn't make much sense in that context.

 

[Amethyst1]

Anyhow, you were trying to use your power user experience to argue against a consumer machine.

I was just trying to point out that it makes no sense to me at all that the 2011 and 2012 minis were offered with quad-core CPUs whereas the 2014 was not. I should have stopped there, and apologise for not having done so.

 

[padams35]

I bet Monterey is the last (officially supported) MacOS for the 2014 Mini.

Apple has established a pretty clear track record of only implying support for 6 years after introduction or 3 years after discontinuation, whichever time frame runs longer. Any extra time is a bonus, but after watching Apple decide the May-2015 iMac didn't make the cut for the June-2021 WWDC Monterey announcement I don't think Apple is in a generous mood.

The only hope the 2014 mini has for running MacOS 13 is for Apple to decide not to drop any models. That might happen since it looks like the 2013 Mac Pro is due for yet another year of official support but with major culls having occurred 2 out of 3 release from Sierra onward the safe bet is cull.

 

[EugW]

I bet Monterey is the last (officially supported) MacOS for the 2014 Mini.

Apple has established a pretty clear track record of only implying support for 6 years after introduction or 3 years after discontinuation, whichever time frame runs longer. Any extra time is a bonus, but after watching Apple decide the May-2015 iMac didn't make the cut for the June-2021 WWDC Monterey announcement I don't think Apple is in a generous mood.

I had forgotten about that one, but the mid-2015 iMac was a weird one, as it was introduced AND discontinued in 2015. OTOH, the late 2015 iMac models are still supported.

The only hope the 2014 mini has for running MacOS 13 is for Apple to decide not to drop any models. That might happen since it looks like the 2013 Mac Pro is due for yet another year of official support but with major culls having occurred 2 out of 3 release from Sierra onward the safe bet is cull.

Reasonable assessment. One can hope though.

 

[EugW]

I've now been looking at the 2015 and 2017 MacBook Airs for a kitchen computer, since the 2008 MacBook (SSD, 8 GB RAM, patched Catalina) there now is painfully slow. I also wonder what kind of macOS support these will get. This is an especially strange situation since the 2017 uses the exact same generation hardware as the 2015. The 2017 just has a higher clocked CPU, but it's the same 5th generation Broadwell that is used in the 2015 model.

I'm pretty sure that the 2017 will get macOS 13, but what about the 2015 then?

 

[sublunar]

I've now been looking at the 2015 and 2017 MacBook Airs for a kitchen computer, since the 2008 MacBook (SSD, 8 GB RAM, patched Catalina) there now is painfully slow. I also wonder what kind of macOS support these will get. This is an especially strange situation since the 2017 uses the exact same generation hardware as the 2015. The 2017 just has a higher clocked CPU, but it's the same 5th generation Broadwell that is used in the 2015 model.

I'm pretty sure that the 2017 will get macOS 13, but what about the 2015 then?

I actually think Apple might err on the side of caution here and the 2015 and 2017 will be discontinued at the same time because it's the same chipset. The 2017 model was discontinued on July 9 2019, suggesting that the macOS for October 2024 will drop support for the Broadwell CPUs.

Similarly, the 2014 Mac mini which retained the older Haswell chipset was discontinued on October 30 2018 which might suggest that the macOS for October 2023 might be the last for that if they don't launch the macOS for that until November.

This is based on the premise that Apple will offer a minimum of 5 years of OS updates plus.2 years of security updates after that. However, let's not forget that Haswell MacBook Pros were discontinued quicker than the Mac mini 2014 in a clear case of Apple just using discontinued dates to cut off Macs.

In that case you might expect the 2015 model (which was discontinued on June 2017) to be get next year's MacOS (October 2022) but not the one after that.

 

[EugW]

I actually think Apple might err on the side of caution here and the 2015 and 2017 will be discontinued at the same time because it's the same chipset. The 2017 model was discontinued on July 9 2019, suggesting that the macOS for October 2024 will drop support for the Broadwell CPUs.

I hope you're right, but I'm kinda skeptical on this one.

Anyhow, I've just purchased a used 2017 MacBook Air. My options at the same price point were a mint condition 2017 Air vs. a slightly faster but less-than-mint condition 2015 Pro.

Since this is going to be an Xmas gift, I figured going mint was better, and IMO there's also a somewhat higher chance it will get updated for longer, even though both the 2017 Air and the 2015 Pro are Broadwell.

 

[padams35]

I actually think Apple might err on the side of caution here and the 2015 and 2017 will be discontinued at the same time because it's the same chipset.

It's not just the same chipset. They both have the same MacbookAir7,2 identifier. In the past that meant both were supported together, as was the case with the MacbookPro11,1&2&3 Late 2013 and Mid 2014 both running Big Sur. I'd say it is almost certain that both will be supported by MacOS 13.

Beyond that... it really comes down to if the Mid 2012 Ivy Bridge Macbook Pro's support drop was a unique fluke/exception or an example of planned policy.

 

[EugW]

It's not just the same chipset. They both have the same MacbookAir7,2 identifier. In the past that meant both were supported together, as was the case with the MacbookPro11,1&2&3 Late 2013 and Mid 2014 both running Big Sur. I'd say it is almost certain that both will be supported by MacOS 13.

Beyond that... it really comes down to if the Mid 2012 Ivy Bridge Macbook Pro's support drop was a unique fluke/exception or an example of planned policy.

I was going to say the chipset doesn't necessarily matter, but I had forgotten they were the same identifier. Good point.

I ended up buying the 2017 Air over the 2015 Air though regardless, because it was easier to find the 2017 in mint condition and it's a bit faster, and it only cost around US$40 more.

I guess to put it another way, that is one of the big (potential) advantages of the 2015/2017 MacBook Air over the 2015 MacBook Pro. The Air may get longer OS support, and it also has better battery life, and no delamination problem. But that Pro's Retina screen looks sooooo good.

 

[CunningGoblin]

I'm also optimistic that the 2014 Mac Mini will be supported by the 2022 version of macOS (Santa Cruz?). Five years after being discontinued would be 2023, but I doubt they'll support it quite that long.
I bought mine in early 2015 for iOS development and I've been using it for that purpose ever since and I'm planning to use it as long as it can sign and upload apps for the App Store. So even if Monterrey was the last supported OS, my Mac Mini will be useful throughout 2024 at least, though I'm hoping to get >10 years out of it.
It is kinda sluggish in Xcode, but it's nowhere near my bottleneck (that would be my brain) and I just get a kick out of getting good mileage from my hardware.