My Late 2006 iMac is running fine on Linux Mint. I challenge you to find any smartphone from the year 2006 or 2007 that runs the latest version of any modern operating system.
Truth is, personal computers are a much more mature product category where older hardware is still viable, hence why I complain every time Apple drops support for Macs. It is more the case that Apple's support limits older Macs than older Macs limit Apple's support.
Had Apple left in OpenGL support and disabled Stocks, Home, Voice Memos on 2011 Macs due to those apps requiring Metal, I'm sure no one would be complaining.