When will Apple drop macOS support for M1 systems?

[Corefile]

It seems like once a system is four years old then the new macOS release won't work any longer. When will M1 systems stop working?

 

[Nermal]

There's probably some time to go yet. Apple is unlikely to kill off any Arm systems until after the last Intels, and Intels are still being sold (Mac Pro). Maybe around the OS 16 timeframe?

 

[joloriquelme]

My bet is at least 10 years of support for every Apple Sillicon powered Mac.

So, the first M1 MBP/MBA should be out of support by the near end of 2030.

In my country, the M1 MBA is still on sale (very cheap).

 

[kitKAC]

It seems like once a system is four years old then the new macOS release won't work any longer.

Based on what? My work 2015 got 7 years of support before it got left on Monterey. Pretty sure my 2011 got 7 years as well before it got left on High Sierra.

 

[BeatCrazy]

10 years. Seriously.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Maybe the 10 years offered by some. However, expect various Apple software apps to evolve away from supporting earlier hardware sooner than that. And of course new features that could work just fine will be deemed not suitable for Macs that are "too old."

So if OPs question is about security updates, up to 10 years may.. that's MAY... apply. However, by about year 5 or 6, expect new versions of popular Apple apps to not work- or not fully work- with them... and select new features in Apple apps that may seem quite desirable to not work with them either (unless a hack is created and then several of them will prove to work just fine).

The correct answer is nobody here knows. Only Apple knows. Perhaps there is a master plan to "vintage" Silicon FASTER than they "vintaged" Intel Macs... much like how iPhones start getting that "long in tooth" tag within only a few years.

Personally, I'm guessing that Silicon Macs may be generally good for only about 5 years... before key features start dropping off fast to press hardware upgrades... just like A-series devices. These would still be technically "supported" but practically failing to be fully functional with key Apple software. Then it just becomes frustrating that someone sends you a new Pages file which can't be opened because your "far more powerful than any Wintel computer" in 2022-23 is unable to open a Word Processor file made by the same company in 2027... because that super-powerful computer no longer gets updates of that software and the new versions require file structure changes that makes new "saves" incompatible with previous versions.

I'll certainly hope for 10 full years of full use as implied by some posts.... but modern Apple Inc's motivations make me pessimistic about even my best guess at 5.

 

[Bigwaff]

It seems like once a system is four years old then the new macOS release won't work any longer. When will M1 systems stop working?

The systems don't stop working, they just stop receiving security or software updates. Your M1 Mac will work for a very, very long time. I think a hardware issue is more likely to send your M1 to the recycling center than software.

 

[Yebubbleman]

It seems like once a system is four years old then the new macOS release won't work any longer. When will M1 systems stop working?

Umm...not sure where you get four years from. macOS Ventura came out in 2022 and it dropped support for Macs introduced six and seven years prior.

The other thing to consider is that Apple is currently supporting three kinds of Mac hardware right now:

- Intel Macs that don't have a T2 Security Chip (2017 model MacBook Pros; 2017 model MacBooks; 2017 model iMacs; 2019 model iMacs)

- Intel Macs that have a T2 Security Chip (2018 model Mac minis; 2018, 2019, and Early 2020 model MacBook Airs, 2018 and 2019 models 15-inch MacBook Pros; 2019 model 16-inch MacBook Pros; 2018, 2019, and Early/Mid 2020 model 13-inch MacBook Pros; 2020 model 27-inch iMacs; the iMac Pro; 2019 model Mac Pros)

- Apple Silicon Macs (Any Mac released on November 10th, 2020 or later)

They're going to likely move to stop supporting Intel Macs without the T2 Security Chip in new macOS releases before they drop Intel Macs WITH the T2 Security Chip. The soonest that happens is this Fall. They're not going to drop Intel Macs WITH the T2 chip THAT SOON. And it's likely that Apple will release at least one macOS version that supports all Apple Silicon Macs, but otherwise drops all Intel Mac support. It's going to be a while. If you are worried about longevity when it comes to buying your Mac, buy an M2 based Mac. Though, there's also no guarantee that the same macOS release that kicks M1 Macs to the curb won't simultaneously kick M2 Macs to the curb as well.

There's not a lot of publicly known SoC sub-components in M2 that aren't also in M1. If Apple decides, for instance to make having ProRes Encode/Decode engines a requirement for the operating system due to a fundamental feature, then you might see M1 Macs dropped, while M1 Pro, M1 Max, M1 Ultra, M2, M2 Pro, M2 Max, and newer keep support. A similar thing happened with Ventura (which requires, at a minimum an Intel Mac with HEVC-hardware decoding on the processor). Apple could also draw the line at requiring DDR5 (which M1 doesn't have, but M1 Pro, M1 Max, M1 Ultra, and all M2 variants all have). Hard to say.

No matter how you slice it, I'd say M1 Macs have a good while longer to get updates. I'd be more worried about Intel Macs without the T2 at this point. Incidentally, unless your Intel Mac is an Intel 16-inch MacBook Pro, a 2020 27-inch iMac, an iMac Pro, or a 2019 Mac Pro, you probably ought to already be shopping for your next Mac.

 

[anshuvorty]

Whenever Apple decides to transition the M1 systems to "obsolete" status is my guess.

 

[ian87w]

Nobody knows. This is the problem with Apple. Unlike Microsoft, Apple never have an official lifecycle of their software. With Windows, Microsoft provided clear timetable on when a software will no longer be supported. As such, users/businesses can budget their IT spending appropriately. Can't do that with Apple.

 

[GrumpyDonkey]

My bet is at least 10 years of support for every Apple Sillicon powered Mac.

So, the first M1 MBP/MBA should be out of support by the near end of 2030.

In my country, the M1 MBA is still on sale (very cheap).

Doesn't matter if it is on sale in a country, only matters if Apple are still selling it in their stores or online (not the refurb section).

The truth is Apple will drop support as and when they want. They'll make up some excuse to drop support that is totally arbitrary, as they have been doing for the past 15 years.

 

[TGM85]

Think of it as a curve:
100-90% chance of 5 years of support (so 2025 at the minimum)
90-50% chance of 7 years of support (so 2027)
50% or less of 10 years of support (so 2030)

An M1 mac will last you a long time in any case.

 

[zapmymac]

I hope when they fully transition to Apple Silicon they will extend official updates at least, at minimum, for security updates to eight years.

 

[Yebubbleman]

1. As has been mentioned, Apple pretty much guarantees 5 years from the date of purchase and, again, as has been mentioned, Apple is still selling the Intel MacPro.

Apple, by law, is required to make replacement parts and repairs available to products up to 5 years past the date of discontinuation (7 years if in the U.S. State of California or the nation of Turkey). Apple is NOT required to nor do they guarantee five years of support for the operating system past the date of discontinuation, let alone the date of purchase. I have no idea where you or anyone else citing that gets it from. Apple all but guarantees three years of support for macOS releases. But they aren't even required to do that either.

2. In my experience, most of the machines are actually good for closer to 7 years.

Completely depends on the Mac. If you bought a MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012), you got 8 years of being able to run the latest macOS release and 10 years of being able to run a supported macOS release. If you bought a MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016), you got 6 years of being able to run the latest macOS release, and will have had 8 years of being able to run a supported macOS release. If you bought that Mac's immediate predecessor, the MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015), you'd have had 7 and 9 respectively. Apple also drops different Macs at different times and for different reasons. There's no clear consistency to it one release to the next.

3. With Apple controlling the chip set of the ARM SOC, I’m betting closer 7 - 10 years. 10 years is a lifetime in tech, but it seems possible as the chip iterations seem to be using similar processes.

The manufacturing process of the CPU/SoC has nothing to do with anything. The chip features and what Apple deems to be absolutely necessary for that operating system to run the way they want with the features they want is what usually does it. Also whether or not Apple can get supported drivers for Intel Mac components has been a big factor too.

4. My typical recommendation is that a business machine for heavy workflow, such as video editing or animation is good for twp chip iterations. Meaning if you buy an M1, expect to upgrade at M3: every 2-3 years.

That's excessive, especially since M2 Max is out and most M1 Pro users in those settings are barely able to make their Macs sweat. That might've been more applicable in the early Intel Mac era or PowerPC era. But the performance differential isn't that great between these generations.

With the MacPro being neglected, these numbers grew dramatically.

The Mac Pro being neglected didn't cause longevity to increase. The slowdown of hardware performance gains caused that longevity to increase. A 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro is still a fast computer. Yes, there are faster out now, but that doesn't mean that in 2023, that same computer isn't still fast. You couldn't say the same of a 2006 Intel Mac in 2010. Nor could you of a 2002 PowerPC Mac in 2005.

 

[unrigestered]

personally i'm also in the "7 years for major updates, plus two additional years of more or less lacklustre additional support" camp.
though i would of course be happier if the 7 was actually a 10 and those two additional years should mean FULL support for security fixes anyway, but we know that Apple does not work that way.

 

[Yebubbleman]

1. Again, as you’ve mentioned, while Apple doesn’t guarantee in writing, the typical scenario is at least 5 years of support and often more.

My point is that there is no typical. At least 5 years supports the trend for Macs produced in the last decade. Would I go to Vegas and gamble my rent money on that? No.

2. For pro work, 2-3 years or every other chip iteration is a standard that works so your machine is fast enough to run the, often third party, software and plug-ins without slowing down. It’s not needed for general use but for intensive work.

Software is not catching up to hardware THAT FAST. If you want to buy an M3 Max to replace your M1 Max, I'm not going to stop you. But I'm also not going to tell you that it's absolutely necessary for things for which you shouldn't be using the Ultra variant instead. That might've been the case back in the PowerPC days and in the earliest of Intel Mac days. It's not the case now.

4. It seems like you agree with most of what I was saying but structured it differently.

No. You are saying things I do not agree with.

I am writing based on my own experience of owning, and running FCP on, every pro machine since the PowerMac G4.

And I am saying based on my own experience of supporting and engineering solutions for not just myself, but other people with use cases that vary wildly (let alone differ from my own) since the Power Mac G4.

The point of upgrading at a user level is to have a machine that isn’t annoyingly slow. The point of upgrading at the pro level is to use the most up-to-date software and do so in less time to maximize your workflow.

For those who are buying 16-inch MacBook Pros with the M2 Max and for whom every single second is money because the producer is standing over your shoulder waiting for the render time to end, sure. You'll upgrade every year because those three seconds gained is money. That is an extremely small percentage of professionals out there.

For literally every other kind of user out there, upgrading every other release is overkill. The most up to date software isn't even being optimized for those newer chips until those chips are no longer the newest out there anyway. M1 Ultra optimization wasn't immediate. By the time it's out commonly out there, M2 Ultra or M3 Ultra will be available.

 

[NewUsername]

It will probably run the latest macOS until about 2027 and then get two more years of security updates. But that's just an educated guess, it might be any year between ± 2025 and 2030.

While most Macs get about 7 years of full support from their introduction date, there is a lot of variation. The 2007 iMac only got dropped with macOS 10.12, which was released in 2016. That's 9 years of full support. The original 2008 MacBook Air, on the other hand, got dropped with macOS 10.8 which was released in 2012, so it only got 4 years of full support.

 

[okkibs]

The Intel Macs were supported on average for 5 years after Apple stopped selling them: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/202...es-than-they-used-to-heres-why-its-a-problem/

If M1 is discontinued at the next possible point in time, which would be sometime later this year, and Apple makes the latest MacOS available for 5 more years, then M1 Macs would receive the newest MacOS version for the last time in 2028. That MacOS version would be the latest one until mid 2029.

So at the very earliest that can be expected these Macs would stop receiving the newest MacOS in 2029. After that, Apple doesn't guarantee to patch all security flaws on the older MacOS, but there are still some patches and maintenance releases. It will also take about two to three years until the newest apps start to require a newer Mac with a newer MacOS.

Thus, M1 will be usable with the latest apps until 2030 at the very minimum.

However: Now that Apple manufactures its own CPU, its own GPU, its own storage controller and so on... (versus Intel Macs) these devices don't depend on third party support as much anymore. For example many Nvidia graphics card don't work beyond MacOS High Sierra because Nvidia stopped developing drivers for MacOS, and some otherwise perfectly capable Macbooks were taken out of support a year early.

If anything, Apple now has the means to support their devices for a longer time.

Although with the iPhone they only offer the latest iOS for 5-6 year from time of release either, so Apple could actually reduce support times if they wanted to, unless Tim Cook happens to stop by and clarify this we won't know for sure.

In any case, expect your M1 Mac to run the latest apps until 2030, maybe a couple years more. Personally, even though it's obviously important to provide new software for older hardware, I replace my Macs after 5-6 years, 7 years at the very latest, so I've never had any issue with this. My nowadays very slow Mac from 2015 with a dualcore Intel is still on Monterey and that poor CPU is really struggling. I don't see any point in upgrading to Ventura (which is possibly with OCLP though not supported by Apple), it struggles with playing Youtube videos and creates excessive fan noise in summer.

Does it still run the latest apps on Monterey? Technically it does. But any photo and video editing on my Adobe subscription is painful. Forget attaching an external monitor unless you want the mouse cursor to start lagging and the fan to blast on max speed. So I really don't care to get the latest OS support.

 

[unrigestered]

If anything, Apple now has the means to support their devices for a longer time

sure, but: do they do this on their iPhones and iPads? 🤓

 

[antiprotest]

It seems like once a system is four years old then the new macOS release won't work any longer. When will M1 systems stop working?

4 years? What are you talking about?

 

[okkibs]

sure, but: do they do this on their iPhones and iPads? 🤓

Historically devices running a desktop OS have had longer support. This is why 5 years of support on a Mac is considered bad, but 5 years on a smartphone is considered good. With 5-7 years Apple supports their mobile devices the longest. Google now does 5 years from when a device first comes to market, after which security updates stop. The iPhone 8 already does a minimum of full 6 years of support, and if it gets the latest iOS release this year, it would actually go into a 7th year.

These two device classes might actually be starting to align now, we see that smartphone support timeframes are increasing a bit, and Windows and MacOS are decreasing (Windows 11 is not officially supported on many capable devices due to a technicality with TPM, and inofficially with OCLP you can extend MacOS support on older Macs beyond what Apple provides).

Apple might meet in the middle where both end up receiving 7 years or so of support.

I know people look at Windows 10 that easily supports 10 year old devices and say this should be the norm. But I am not so sure, I've seen problematic laptops and I personally have a Dell Latitude that even though it runs the last (latest) Windows 10 build, I can't install all drivers, and Dell doesn't have a Windows 10 section at all, stopping at Windows 8, and sometimes I get bluescreens especially when trying to use standby. And there is no assistance from Dell since that machine officially never received Windows 10. So I have to rely on the drivers installed by Windows Update.

So technically a 10 year old Windows laptop will run an up-to-date Windows build, but 100% functionality is in no way guaranteed. The effort is about the same as installing Ventura on my no longer supported 2015 MacbookPro. Except that the MBP won't bluescreen and sleep is also reported to actually be working just fine. And I think older (retina) MacbookPros that don't have Nvidia graphics also support Ventura just fine.

So if anything, I am happy by how well MacOS runs on older Macs, and I'll take my slow hot-running dualcore 2015 MBP (still with Monterey) over a Windows laptop from that era any day. Looks brand-new too and better than most Windows laptops today (topcase replaced with the battery in 2020).

 

[gpat]

Apple could support M1 until 2030, but most people will change them before that, as soon as they realize that 8GB RAM is puny and not equivalent to 32GB on Windows like some deluded fanboys say.

 

[orionquest]

It seems like once a system is four years old then the new macOS release won't work any longer. When will M1 systems stop working?

Since when have computer, sysetms stopped working after 4 years??

 

[theluggage]

The OP is asking for advice. The history supports 5 - 7 years of OS support.

5+ years is likely ...but the history doesn't "pretty much guarantee" (your original words) anything.

Also, its very unclear whether OP was asking "when will support be dropped" or "when will new releases stop working" - and that could be less than 5-7 years, esp. when you count from when the machine was last on sale rather than launch. Ventura (2022) dropped 2017 MacBook Air models that were sold alongside newer models until 2019.

 

[fisherking]

M1 support ends thursday 1:45 pm EST. i know this because

A: i read it on a web forum
B: i interpreted my dream last night with that as the result
C: i just feel it

you're welcome 😎