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Sonoran49

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 27, 2022
36
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My 2012 iMac is going by the wayside due to the inability to update the OS past 10.13.16, Safari (getting out of date messages from financial institutions) and some of my most used software not allowing upgrades. I am going to go the M1 Mini because of cost compared to the iMacs. (I will wait to see what Apple rolls out in September). My issues revolve around ports; surprise surprise! I want to stay old school until I get things up and running:
  • M1 Mini probably 16GB/256GB
  • Wired Apple keyboard and mouse because I already have them (using both USB-A ports)
  • Old school spinning disk 1TB hard drive that I have for Time Machine; it uses a USB-A cable (I've run out of ports I think)
  • I'll use ethernet cable because the router is sitting right there
  • I will be buying a 27" monitor for my feeble eyesight. I don't need 4K necessarily because I don't do gaming or watch movies (HDMI connection)
Based on this setup I may not have enough ports unless I get some dongles & use a Thunderbolt port. Or I buy a hub. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks in Advance!
 
Either a USB hub, or a USB A to USB C adapter. I personally feel, if going the USB hub path, maybe think of getting one that is powered in some way. Might get better service from it. Merely my opinion...
 
Depends on your external harddrive but I'd get either a usb-b to usb-c cable or a micro-b to usb-c one and then you'd be all set for the moment. Mind you there are variants for both USB 3.0 and 2.0 with both of those connectors and while the 2.0 cable connectors are forward-compatible, I'd go with 3.0 if the hard drive supports it.

A USB-C to USB-A mini dongle from say Anker is also a nice-to-have. Maybe even easier to get two of those and not replacing the cable at all.
 
Sonoran49 said:
My 2012 iMac is going by the wayside due to the inability to update the OS past 10.13.16,
Click to expand...
A 2012 iMac can run 10.15.7, macOS Catalina, although the M1 Mini is a tremendously faster and more modern computer.
 
chrfr said:
A 2012 iMac can run 10.15.7, macOS Catalina, although the M1 Mini is a tremendously faster and more modern computer.
Click to expand...
Well mine must be pretty old because I can't get it to upgrade. 😢
 
I think any Apple USB keyboard will have two USB ports (either on each end of the keyboard, or on the back, next to the USB wire.) That would help your search for USB ports, as you can plug any USB mouse into the keyboard. I wouldn't use the keyboard ports for anything else but a mouse. The keyboard ports don't provide a lot of power, but certainly enough for a mouse.

Some 2011 iMacs were sold by Apple as new, until 2013. Not supported past 10.13.6 (High Sierra)
 
Sonoran49 said:
Well mine must be pretty old because I can't get it to upgrade. 😢
Click to expand...
Hmm, I have a 2012 Mini running Catalina and it got a recent update. Did you create a USB bootable drive with Catalina? This link should allow you to download Catalina directly from Apple’s server. If you are convinced you want a new Mini, I would hold off till October as that might be when Apple will update the Mini’s with the M2 chip.

forums.macrumors.com

macOS 10.15 Catalina on Unsupported Macs

How to update Catalina Machine Support Video Card Support Pre-Metal AMD video cards (Radeon HD 6xxx series and older without acceleration, Radeon HD 4xxx series and older with acceleration.) Pre-Metal Nvidia video cards (GeForce 5xx series and older without acceleration, GeForce 3xx...
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com
 
Sonoran49 said:
My 2012 iMac is going by the wayside due to the inability to update the OS past 10.13.16, Safari (getting out of date messages from financial institutions) and some of my most used software not allowing upgrades. I am going to go the M1 Mini because of cost compared to the iMacs. (I will wait to see what Apple rolls out in September). My issues revolve around ports; surprise surprise! I want to stay old school until I get things up and running:
  • M1 Mini probably 16GB/256GB
  • Wired Apple keyboard and mouse because I already have them (using both USB-A ports)
  • Old school spinning disk 1TB hard drive that I have for Time Machine; it uses a USB-A cable (I've run out of ports I think)
  • I'll use ethernet cable because the router is sitting right there
  • I will be buying a 27" monitor for my feeble eyesight. I don't need 4K necessarily because I don't do gaming or watch movies (HDMI connection)
Based on this setup I may not have enough ports unless I get some dongles & use a Thunderbolt port. Or I buy a hub. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks in Advance!
Click to expand...
Have you seen this thread?
forums.macrumors.com

macOS 12 Monterey on Unsupported Macs Thread

This thread will be dedicated to the discussion of running macOS 12.0 on unsupported Macs At the time of writing, WWDC has wrapped up and Developer Seeds have been sent out. We're eagerly awaiting for all our community developers and enthusiasts to test out the new version of macOS We will...
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com
There are several posts about using Monterey on the 2012 iMac (search the thread).
I am running Monterey on an iMac 15,1 with no issues!
 
"Old school spinning disk 1TB hard drive that I have for Time Machine; it uses a USB-A cable (I've run out of ports I think)"

Here is the solution you want:
www.amazon.com

Cable Matters 5Gbps USB C to USB 3.0 Adapter - 6 Inches, USBC Male to USBA Female OTG Adapter, Black

The Cable Matters USB 3.1 Type-C to Type-A adapter provides a convenient connection between the newest devices with USB Type-C and legacy USB peripherals with Type A. It adapts the Type-C port on a computer to connect all legacy equipment, peripherals, cables, hubs and chargers that ...
www.amazon.com
(You want AT LEAST 2 of these. 3 would be better.)

"I will be buying a 27" monitor for my feeble eyesight. I don't need 4K necessarily because I don't do gaming or watch movies (HDMI connection)"

Perhaps this list will be of some use:

IPS Monitors: List of the Best LCD Panels

Updated list of IPS monitors (also AHVA, PLS and other In-Plane Switching based tech) that offer the best color accuracy and wide viewing angles.
www.pchardwarehelp.com www.pchardwarehelp.com
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
DeltaMac said:
I think any Apple USB keyboard will have two USB ports (either on each end of the keyboard, or on the back, next to the USB wire.) That would help your search for USB ports, as you can plug any USB mouse into the keyboard. I wouldn't use the keyboard ports for anything else but a mouse. The keyboard ports don't provide a lot of power, but certainly enough for a mouse.

Some 2011 iMacs were sold by Apple as new, until 2013. Not supported past 10.13.6 (High Sierra)
Click to expand...

Yes my keyboard does have 2 usb ports. I hadn't thought of using one for a wired mouse.... Thanks. I use the keyboard usb port for backing up my devices and yes it will not charge them.
 
Sonoran49 said:
Yes my keyboard does have 2 usb ports. I hadn't thought of using one for a wired mouse.... Thanks. I use the keyboard usb port for backing up my devices and yes it will not charge them.
Click to expand...
Plug the mouse into the keyboard. If your iMac is a 2012 model, then the ports on the computer are USB 3.0, and your backup may go faster if the disk is connected directly to the computer.
 
chrfr said:
The upgrade won’t show as a software update, and now because Catalina isn’t the current version, it’s not listed in the App Store. Try opening this link in Safari: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/macos-catalina/id1466841314?Mt=12
If you definitely have a 2012 iMac and not an earlier model this will definitely install on your computer.
Click to expand...
I went to this link and when I clicked Download I immediately got the message that this version will not install on this computer..... :-( But thanks for the link.
 
Sonoran49 said:
I went to this link and when I clicked Download I immediately got the message that this version will not install on this computer..... :-( But thanks for the link.
Click to expand...
When you look at “About this Mac”, what model does it show?
 
Sonoran49 said:
iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011)... but I bought it in June 2012
High Sierra Version 10.13.6 (17G14042)
Click to expand...
Ok, so it’s a 2011 iMac, not a 2012, and 10.13.6 is the last operating system that computer supports natively.
 
OP wrote:
"Yes my keyboard does have 2 usb ports. I hadn't thought of using one for a wired mouse.... Thanks. I use the keyboard usb port for backing up my devices"

I have a Macally keyboard with 2 USB ports.

In my experience, USB ports found on keyboards are VERY slow (sometimes just USB1), so unless the keyboard specifically states the ports are USB3, I'd use the USB ports on the back of the Mini for backups. They'll probably go considerably faster.
 
Sonoran49 said:
(getting out of date messages from financial institutions)
Click to expand...
This, by itself, is no reason to buy a new computer.

Firefox
Brave
MS Edge
Chrome

All will run the very latest versions on Catalina as well as Safari itself. I'm in the same boat with a 2012 Mini, ready to pull the trigger on the next Mini update that is released
 
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