Have One of These 16 Apple Devices? Software Support Ends This Fall

[MacRumors]

Apple will end software support for 16 devices this fall across four product lines, with the Apple Watch seeing the most sweeping cull in the product's history.

The full extent of this year's software drops became clear with the announcements of macOS 27 Golden Gate, iPadOS 27, tvOS 27, and watchOS 27 at WWDC this week. The one bright spot is that iOS 27 features identical device support to iOS 26, with no iPhone models removed from the compatibility list, and the same goes for the HomePod.

The Apple Watch sees the sharpest cuts. watchOS 27 drops the Series 6, Series 7, Series 8, Apple Watch Ultra (first generation), and Apple Watch SE (second generation) in a single wave, requiring an S9 or S10 chip. watchOS 26 had supported the same lineup as watchOS 11 before it, including the Series 6 and later, the SE (2nd generation) and later, and all Apple Watch Ultra models. Wiping out three launch generations at once is the biggest loss of latest-generation support for Apple Watch to date.

The iPad lineup also sees an unusually aggressive set of cuts. iPadOS 27 raises the floor to the A14 Bionic chip or the M1 chip, dropping five models that still run iPadOS 26: The iPad Air (3rd generation), the iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation), the iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation), the iPad (8th generation), and the iPad mini (5th generation). By comparison, iPadOS 26 cut only a single device from the iPadOS 18 list (the 7th generation iPad).

macOS Golden Gate brings the era of Intel Macs to a close. The four remaining Intel machines supported by macOS Tahoe don't make the cut this year: The MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019), MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports), iMac (2020), and Mac Pro (2019). Apple said last year that macOS Tahoe would be the final release for pre-Apple silicon Macs, and macOS 27 makes that official.

Apple TV sees two models dropped with tvOS 27: The Apple TV HD from 2015 and the Apple TV 4K (1st generation) from 2017. Only the 2nd and 3rd generation Apple TV 4K models will receive the update. The full list of devices losing support for the latest software this fall is as follows:

watchOS 27

• Apple Watch Series 6 (2020)
• Apple Watch Series 7 (2021)
• Apple Watch Series 8 (2022)
• Apple Watch Ultra (1st generation, 2022)
• Apple Watch SE (2nd generation, 2022)

iPadOS 27

• iPad Air (3rd generation, 2019)
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation, 2018)
• iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation, 2018)
• iPad (8th generation, 2020)
• iPad mini (5th generation, 2019)

macOS 27 Golden Gate

• MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
• iMac (2020)
• Mac Pro (2019)

tvOS 27

• Apple TV HD (2015)
• Apple TV 4K (1st generation, 2017)

Owners of affected devices aren't entirely without options in the near term; Apple typically continues issuing security patches for the previous OS version for at least a year after it's superseded. For the latest features, though, newer hardware is the only path forward. Apple's new operating systems are expected to be released in September following a period of beta testing.

Article Link: Have One of These 16 Apple Devices? Software Support Ends This Fall

 

[Squidiey]

That's why I already switched to Linux since 2 years and I have plans to get a Pixel phone with GrapheneOS this month. Plus a Casio watch instead of an Crapple one.

God damn Crapple.

 

[Whats-a-computer?]

Some of these dont sound reasonable to me. Keeping the 2020 iPad Pro (A12Z) but dropping the nearly identical 2018 iPad Pro (A12X)…
I dont like it.

 

[Taq'aix]

No upgrade needed here.

The 14 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 2 are still holding the line! 👌🫡

 

[MilaM]

I have three devices from the list, and I'm just going to continue using them. I'm not mad they are not supported anymore. But I also don't see a reason why I should upgrade now.

Apologies in advance for DDOS attacks coming from my unpatched Apple TV in the future 🫣.

 

[E__F__]

Title is misleading to folks who don't pay attention to how Apple software works. They still get supported software just not the latest OS.

 

[Burntumber]

Who would have thought buying a watch would become obsolete, especially the Ultra.

 

[Darajavahus]

The last 27 iMac? and there is still none to upgrade for the same value, Studio Display plus Mac Studio are so much more expensive... 😖

 

[TSE]

Apple Watch Ultra 1 owners from all over the world are taking a stand and starting the ULTRA REVOLUTION!!!

All others free to join! Head to the Apple Watch forum and join the thread!!!

 

[Populus]

I’m so pleasantly surprised to see there is no iPhone left behind this time! Let’s hope this improvement in performance for older devices doesn’t come at the cost of efficiency and battery life. I wonder if Apple will keep this 8 years of software support going forward.

As for Macs, it is my understanding that this last cuts in support is due to the Intel-ARM transition. I’d like to see those 8 years of software support for Apple Silicon Macs.

 

[Arran]

No upgrade needed here.

The 14 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 2 are still holding the line! 👌🫡

But not for long.

I also have an Ultra 2. I bought it when it was released (Sep 2023) but I think 2026 will be the optimal year to replace it if Apple's upgrading processors (not just the chip) on a 3-year cycle.

I guess we'll see in September.

 

[!!!]

watchOS 27

• Apple Watch Series 6 (2020)
• Apple Watch Series 7 (2021)
• Apple Watch Series 8 (2022)
• Apple Watch Ultra (1st generation, 2022)
• Apple Watch SE (2nd generation, 2022)

What exactly is so demanding about the new watchOS that it drops so many still decent watches? I don't recall anything even being announced at WWDC for the watch.

 

[Baff]

I wonder if Apple will keep this 8 years of software support going forward.

They are chopping off watches at the 4 year mark, so you shouldn't get your hopes up.

 

[EchoplexSE]

I’ve become so indifferent to software updates, I truly do not care because the Ultra will continue to do what it did before. Crazy that OS updates are dropped for an $800 watch after 4 years but it really doesn’t matter to me, they seem to make things worse in general.

 

[Radeon85]

I have one Apple TV HD, which is just used on a crappy TV, and one first-generation 4K. Two others are second-generation 4K, so those will be good for another year.

Ten years of support though is more than good enough, plus they have started to show their age with a stuttery UI in 26 anyway.

 

[Taq'aix]

But not for long.

I also have an Ultra 2. I bought it when it was released (Sep 2023) but I think 2026 will be the optimal year to replace it if Apple's upgrading processors (not just the chip) on a 3-year cycle.

I guess we'll see in September.

Why? The AWU2 is getting watchOS 27. Replacing perfectly capable hardware every three years because the calendar says so is peak consumerism and makes zero sense.

 

[Scott Baret]

Whew...guess I traded in the MacBook Pro at just the right time! The value went up to $220 overnight from $200 (I'm guessing since Apple can pilfer RAM chips from the old Pros) and now it's going to be effectively obsolete.

 

[CraigJDuffy]

I’m not that mad that my iPad Pro 2018 (11”) isn’t getting iPadOS27 but I do think it makes absolutely 0 sense to drop support when this is a bug fix and efficiency update.

Apple Watch is the same, what is so demanding that it requires being droppped?

I do think Apple should be held accountable for this shocking lack of support; it encourages so much e-waste.

 

[jchurchill]

There has not been a compelling Apple Watch upgrade since the 7. I bought my 8 less than 3 years ago, so dropping support this quickly is jarring.

 

[aevan]

That's why I already switched to Linux since 2 and I have plans to get a Pixel phone with GrapheneOS this month. Plus a Casio watch instead of an Crapple one.

God damn Crapple.

This is why? Apple supports devices with latest versions for years, and even longer with security and bugfixes. Apple devices last a long, long time.

 

[gummybear2026]

Title is misleading to folks who don't pay attention to how Apple software works. They still get supported software just not the latest OS.

No guarantee Apple will continue supporting the software for those devices for very long.

 

[Astuces iOS]

I have none lol... sad for people who bought Mac Pro

 

[aevan]

Who would have thought buying a watch would become obsolete, especially the Ultra.

Yes, later this year all these watches will stop working, because they won't have the new smart stack suggestions and more intuitive find my app.

 

[Populus]

I’m not that mad that my iPad Pro 2018 (11”) isn’t getting iPadOS27 but I do think it makes absolutely 0 sense to drop support when this is a bug fix and efficiency update.

Apple Watch is the same, what is so demanding that it requires being droppped?

I do think Apple should be held accountable for this shocking lack of support; it encourages so much e-waste.

Yeah, I would be pissed off if I still had my 2018 iPad Pro… although it would be 8 years old by now, right? It doesn’t feel that long ago. Time flies.

Anyway chopping off the 2018 model when they are still supporting the 2020 model which has a very similar SoC and 6 GPU cores instead of 4… I don’t understand it either, as there are iPads with just 3GB of RAM being supported.

Now I’m wondering if Apple will offer the same support to my M2 iPad Pro as to the M2 MacBooks… actually the M2 iPad Pro has more GPU cores than the base M2 MBA. But if they get 8 years (which is quite optimistic) it could last until 2030. We’ll see…

 

[LukeDa]

What exactly is so demanding about the new watchOS that it drops so many still decent watches? I don't recall anything even being announced at WWDC for the watch.

They dropped the processor which is the same on all these watches. That’s why for watches it’s good to get a new one when new processor is introduced - now it seems it’s every 3 years and when you get subsequent watches from the same processor line, you get shorter support. It seems that in a not too distant future, Ultra 3 owners will be very disappointed