I don't understand this table - why is there a date range for each OS? Eldest (should be oldest) supported models for El Capitan, for example, isn't 8-10 years (2007-2009), it's 10 years (2007). That is, by definition, the oldest supported model.
Yes, but the road, or at least the officially supported road, for every pre-2018 Windows PC ends in 2025 with the restrictive hardware requirements for Windows 11.
Different years for different product lines.
I’d be perfectly happy on 14 as long as they kept posting security updates. There’s not much more I need the OS to do than it does right now. It would be nice if they just kept posting security patches for intel based systems until they end their lifecycle. Also, now it just pushes the damn choice - do I bite the bullet and build a Linux server instead of my Mac Mini. It’s still an option.
This is not a purity test. Having an Intel processor does not make a Mac “dirty” or a not a true Mac. Lots of people have still have useful Macs with Intel processors and will keep them for a while.
It makes me laugh when I read posts saying they literally want Apple to stop supporting Intel ASAP and the importance to go forwards. Computers aren't phones and only the nerds/fanboys/big tech enthusiasts upgrade every 2-3 years. Normal people keeps their computers for 6-8 years minimum and not getting updates after 3-5 years is just unacceptable.
Agreed… but then how could they force people into the “latest and greatest” mentality. I don’t care so much about new functionality as much as security patches. They’re a part of my life IRL. I’ve got a MBP 2015 that still suits my needs that I actually just upgraded to 1TB. Shortening the upgrade cycle is just a push like Windows 11 to upgrade.
Agreed, but like the above user said, the real concern is security updates. When your Mac stop to support the latest macOS it mean you have 2 more years before your machine become obsolete for Apple and THAT is the real concern I have.
Iphone 7 got booted after less than 3 years ...Not to be overly pessimistic, but I think it's pretty clear now that this is the last Intel macOS release.
Monterey supports 2013 and newer. Ventura's cutoff is 2017. That's 4 years of models dropped this year. Considering the cylinder Mac Pro an outlier makes it 3 years. Either way, that brings us to 2020 at next WWDC.
Why kill so many capable machines and then not commit to it? The way I see the strategy, Ventura halves the Intel support list, and macOS 14 finishes the job, making it seem more gradual than if 5+ years of models are unsupported all at once. It wouldn't make sense to anger so many people this year for no reason.
And... I wouldn't be sure about Apple Silicon, either. If they do kill Intel in 2023, I'd bet on them taking advantage of this "new normal" product lifespan, and unsupporting M1 in 2024-2025. We can probably expect 4 years going forward.
Really hoping I'm wrong, but cynicism seems to be the right approach to modern Apple. Absolutely fantastic products, undeniably greedy company
The iPhone 7 was released 6 years ago. It’s no wonder that it is losing OS support, now.
Or it means that the Intel Macs will only receive OS updates for 5 years. The question then is when does that countdown start? I do believe that we will see more and more new features that are AS only with Intel Macs just getting simple features or no new features at all, eventually.
I make it a habit to know when a device was first released and will not purchase it more than 2 years after release, and only if on sale. It has served me well for the past 13 years. I end up being the purchaser for my family who has mbps, ipads, iphones, watches, and mac minis. We only upgrade devices after 3-8 years so we tend to hold onto stuff (and I try to get a good deal).
Yeah, surprisingly my in-laws have to upgrade their 2012 mini and it’s not because of Apple, it’s because of TurboTax. Turbo Tax now only runs on Big Sur and higher. I was hoping to be able to move all the data off my 2014 mini (I hardly use it) and pass it over to them so they can get a few more years of life out of it but I’m not quite ready to make that call yet plus my wife is insistent that we keep a desktop (that she never uses, of course) so they’ll make the buy. Fortunately Cyber Monday is coming.
I agree with you but so far the M chip macs have no upgradability, no ram, hd etc. It’s a mixed blessing. Plus I find Ventura to be one the modern road apples lol. Buggy as hell, settings menu is horrible. Hopefully apple fixes their many mistakes, windows 11 machines starting to look pretty good. Monterey is so much better!
