How long will apple support old hardware

[147798]

I have a 2009 MBP, and it needs replacement. Debating between a 2015 (for retina, etc) with all types of external drives, or a 2012, removing the optical and configuring some serious, internal storage.

As far as I can tell, performance should be good enough for me in terms of processor and memory. My one question -- how far back will they support the hardware with new OS releases. This is a bit like predicting the future, of course, but what is their track record currently? I think they started dropping support for some '08 models.

Can I get another 6-7 years of OS support out of a 2012 model design??

 

[JTToft]

The oldest MacBook Pro that still supports El Capitan is the Mid 2007 model, the first with Core 2 Duo and so the first with 64 Bit. Based on this, you'd expect the 2012 models to get updates at least until 2021.
But it's hard to say. Perhaps some major shift in architecture will happen before then, cutting off all prior models.