macOS 26 Rumored to Drop Support for These Five Macs

[phuklok1]

There’s also just turning it into a Linux machine, which I suspect will be what we do with older M-Macs someday as well.

it’s just a shame because 99.9% of a modern os and software could care less what cpu runs it. linux proves that (as does MS and apple running on different platforms). it’s all done, including optimization, at the compiler level. i don’t know why people think apple will focus on better software after this. lol. these same people will complain when m1s are dropped for no real technical reason, they just don’t know it yet.

my college requires PCs in the engineering lab to run the software required. my old intel macbook pro got a new life and still let me be in macos to get things done, but many future young mac people will never be since they invested in PCs now because of lab requirements.

 

[svish]

Not surprised to see many of the Intel Macs starting to lose support. It might be even possible that it might be the last year for the remaining ones that do get the update.

 

[BornAgainMac]

Still rocking with my iMac 2020. Probably the last year.

 

[Bregalad]

I was expecting this. My 2019 iMac lacks the T2 security chip. Some of the other dropped models do have that chip, however, so clearly this is a marketing decision rather than a technical one. They really want everyone off Intel, but don't want to drop support for the most recent models too quickly.

It's still disappointing because the computer is capable of doing all I need it to do and the 5K display is incredible. The 27" iMac really is one of the most amazing products Apple ever made.

Mac OS 15 should get the full suite of security updates until September 2026 and will likely get critical security updates longer than that. Using a fully supported 3rd party browser should allow me to defer the purchase of a new Mac until 2027.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

I hope I am too but I think Apple dropping support for M1 Mac’s is coming sooner than we think

I think that’s very unlikely, seeing as the M1Ultra and the M1 iPad Air were literally released in 2022.
M1 devices will be supported by the latest software at least until 2027.
I don’t think there is a universe where Apple gives the 2017 Intel iMac Pro 8 major versions of macOS for eight years, but cuts off the M1 line at 6 or 5 major updates.
There’s also the fact that Apple was still selling M1 machines brand new on their store until last year, and they even still sell M1 Macs and iPads through third-party retailers.
I think, looking at the iPad Pro, which uses the predecessor to Apple‘s M chips, gives us a decent indication of how long M series Macs will be supported for.
The A8X iPad Air2 was supported from iOS 8 to iOS 15, and received its last security update in March. That’s eight full years of software support, and 11 years of security updates.
Same goes for the A9X and A10X iPad Pros, both received eight years of the latest software update and an additional three years+ of security updates.

It’s likely the M1 will receive the latest updates until 2028, followed by security updates until 2030-2031.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

The processor is fine (enough). It’s all about the stock RAM - which is both too low and not upgradable.

You are aware the M2, M3 and M4 all have variance with only 8GB of RAM?
Apple will support machines with 8 GB of RAM for at least another 7 years, until the M4 iPad and M3 Macs lose support.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

I find it so frustrating that Apple arbitrarily drops OS support like this.

My 2015 15" MBP runs wonderfully on Sequoia via OCLP.

There's really no good reason for Apple to not be including older machines in OS support for FAR longer than they are.

To be fair, most of the 2015, 16 and 17 machines were dropped because Intel declared end of life for Skylake and earlier in 2022, so Apple didn’t really have a choice there.
Even if they chose to continue software updates, they wouldn’t be getting proper up-to-date drivers from Intel.
I know it’s basically your thing to “Apple bad” over every comment section, but sometimes there are actual reasons for these things.
Sometimes there aren’t, of course, but most of the time there is a valid reason something gets dropped.

 

[Siliconguy]

The stinky thing of Apple's dropping support practices is that they drop support by generation, not actual specs. It does not matter if you have the base Macbook Pro 2018 or the maxed one, you are out anyway.
Wondering if they will do the same with the M devices, like dropping generation independently if you configured the device with base M or Pro or Max.

They did occasionally drop support by actual specs in the past. MacOS Leopard required a G4 at 867 MHz or better. That requirement made no allowance for the those who had the 800 MHz dual processor machines which could easily run it if you tricked the installer into installing it.

I suspect Apple low-balling the base RAM will bite them when they finally admit they can't run useful AI on the machine and do anything else on an 8 GB machine. For that matter is the AI portion of the M1 processor good enough to be useful? Its TOPS rating is 11. Isn't 40 considered the minimum now?

The M2 is only 16 TOPS. The M3 is only 18 TOPS. The M4 is 38 TOPS. Double all those for Ultra Versions.

No wonder the industry is so gung-ho on AI. Look at all the machines that must be replaced to use it, or at least that is what Marketing is going to convince you must be the case.

It's not just Apple. The Ryzen 7840 has 10 TOPS, about the same as the M1. The hot new Ryzen AI Max PRO 300 Series processors has 50 TOPS. It will be interesting to see what the M5 can do. The race is intense, and with no external GPU Or dedicated AI board possible Apple can not catch up on the desktop. Maybe they will have to care about the MacPro again.

 

[kwikdeth]

But of a bummer for 2018 mini owners as the higher end version of that model was sold until early 2023

 

[Siliconguy]

You are aware the M2, M3 and M4 all have variance with only 8GB of RAM?
Apple will support machines with 8 GB of RAM for at least another 7 years, until the M4 iPad and M3 Macs lose support.

There is support, and there is support. Sequoia already has no support for AI on Intel, and I think there are other OS features missing too. Apple saying "Apple Intelligence 2.0 requires 16 GB and M2 Ultra, M3 Ultra, or M4" while the rest of the OS works fine is entirely possible.

If near 40 TOPS is a requirement then it's M3 Ultra or M4 for a cutoff. The M3 Ultra is 36, the other M3s are 18. The M2 Ultra is 32. Borderline at best, IF the 40 TOPS requirement is just marketing hype.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

There is support, and there is support. Sequoia already has no support for AI on Intel, and I think there are other OS features missing too. Apple saying "Apple Intelligence 2.0 requires 16 GB and M2 Ultra, M3 Ultra, or M4" while the rest of the OS works fine is entirely possible.

In apple’s history, they have never restricted software features to aversion of a product with a certain amount of RAM.
Plus Apple Intelligence appears to be operating system agnostic, meaning that everything that came to the Mac also came to the iPad.
The iPad mini, the iPad Air and the iPad Pro all still default with 8 GB of RAM.
I know it doesn’t really support your narrative, but Apple is not going to start cutting machines that they just introduced two months ago (M3 iPad Air) or even just last year (M3 MacBook Air with 8GB of RAM) out of features. Especially since all Apple Intelligence features also have to run on the iPhone, and currently there is no iPhone with more than 8 GB of RAM… yet.
Maybe this will be a conversation in a years time when the iPhones, iPads and Mac’s have all been updated once again, but in the meantime, Apple’s not going to cut out the current iPad Pro and Air and the current iPhones out of software features being introduced next month.

 

[FasterQuieter]

Nice of them to spare the 5 Intel Mac Pro users still out there. Bet they wish they'd never released that thing.

 

[lazyrighteye]

You are aware the M2, M3 and M4 all have variance with only 8GB of RAM?
Apple will support machines with 8 GB of RAM for at least another 7 years, until the M4 iPad and M3 Macs lose support.

I am aware that there are 8 GB configs in M2 and M3. I was unaware that there was an 8 GB M4 config. I thought that debuted in a 16 GB minimum along with iPhone 16 (in conjunction with the updated 16 GB minimum requirement for Apple Intelligence). Regardless, it would don't seem a stretch to assume that M1 will be the first M-series that gets left out a future OS update (I have no feel for when). Followed by M2, then M3, etc.

With the intro of the M-series, it feels Apple missed an opportunity to finally make 16 GB a base config - which may be an easy armchair QB thing to say now. But the paltry 8 GB config has been in need of a bump for a while now. Had they done so with the switch to M-series, it certainly would have done wonders for M1,2 and 3 (and I guess 4) shelf lives.

 

[Corefile]

The experts at Max Tech have the inside scoop.

 

[H2SO4]

Reminds me of those articles about the people who still use PowerPC macs for one specific thing, some DAC or niche scientific software or something or other that they just can't get over or is more expensive that it's worth to.

I guess now we're just old enough to be those people, eh?

My coworkers made me use Mac OS 9 for their (and your) amusement

If you want to appreciate the present, try living in the past for a few days.

arstechnica.com

My purchases aren't even a rounding error on the Apple balance sheet so they're certainly not going to lose any sleep.
Mac OS because I want to, Windows because I have to. It's been this way for me for the last 20+ years.

 

[ph001bi]

This is it, my good ol'Mac mini 2018 is bring dropped. I am not surprised, I bought it as my media centre and I noticed of late that the fans are spinning quite a bit even with simple applications such as VLC in 4K. Maybe the time has come for an update. My MacBook Pro M1 Max from 2021 is still going strong though.

 

[EugW]

Why? I bought one in January pretty much brand new and it runs like a charm

macOS 26 is likely the last OS it will ever get.

 

[Corefile]

This is it, my good ol'Mac mini 2018 is bring dropped. I am not surprised, I bought it as my media centre and I noticed of late that the fans are spinning quite a bit even with simple applications such as VLC in 4K. Maybe the time has come for an update. My MacBook Pro M1 Max from 2021 is still going strong though.

Thermal repaste and clean out the fan. So much dust and crud accumulates.

 

[maxoakland]

So they're copying Microsoft's naming scheme from 1995? What??

 

[mlayer]

A month ago I was debating between a late 2015 iMac 5K and a 2017. If the 2015 is officially stuck on Monterey and the 2017 is stuck on Sequoia, I chose well with the older iMac. It’s not a noticeable difference for the features I use as this is a second machine used mostly for its screen, OCLP notwithstanding.

 

[JordanCautious]

Good thing I replaced my intel MacBook from 2020 last year with a M2 Air

 

[platinumaqua]

Ironically, a Windows laptop from the same era (2018, 8th gen Core CPU) are still supported in Windows 11 and will still be supported until Windows 11 goes out of support, which is at least 5 more years. That goes against the longevity argument touted by Apple and Apple fans about the why it's better to spend more for Apple hardware.

 

[platinumaqua]

I think M1 will be dropped next year or just after that.

Apple want to push people off the first generation of M series Macs and their marketing has increasingly been targeting those people.

M1 is still super powerful but it’s impacting new Mac sales in a big way. It was just so powerful but AI and the relatively low RAM allocation in base models gives Apple an excuse to end support.

lots of disagree reactions, but there is precedent on early support drops on "gen 1" hardware.

See the 2006/2007 Intel Core (2) Duo models; especially the Core 2 Duo ones with "32-bit EFI" that Apple absolutely cannot upgrade to the "64-bit EFI" version for whatever reason and Apple HAVE to (/s) drop booting from 32-bit EFI in Mac OS X Mountain Lion.

 

[platinumaqua]

I think there would be huge blow-back if they went "unsupported" with M1. People know (and so does Apple) it's just as capable to run the same OS's as M2-M4. Code-wise, is there really anything that is exclusively M4-compatible because of code that won't run on M1?

The technical reason would be M4 is on the ARMv9 instruction set, while M1-M3 is on ARMv8. They could cut off 3 generations at once if they want to use that as a reason to cut off support early.

 

[Fuzzball84]

The technical reason would be M4 is on the ARMv9 instruction set, while M1-M3 is on ARMv8. They could cut off 3 generations at once if they want to use that as a reason to cut off support early.

The combination of instruction set update, base memory increase to 16 GB and significantly faster NPU mean M4 would be a prime candidate for the next minimum spec for future OS updates.

But I think Apple have made a bit of a mess of their technical specifications across their devices. They continue to release iPads 8 GB RAM, even in 2025, despite the memory requirements of locally run LLMs.

I guess until they sort out the Apple Intelligence area of their offering they don’t really know what to do with certain specs. There are rumors of 12 GB RAM on this years iPhones despite the iPhone 16 series being designed for Apple Intelligence. I suspect cost and rushed release means the hardware may not be as long lasting as prior models have been. They have been released when computing requirements are on a steep gradient where AI is concerned.