Some Macs are getting fewer updates than ever. Here’s why this is a problem
Eric Lawson
When macOS Ventura was announced earlier this month, its system requirements were strictly stricter than those of macOS Monterey, which was released just eight months ago as of this writing. Ventura requires a Mac manufactured in 2017 or later, and eliminates support for a wide range of Monterey-backed Mac models released between 2013 and 2016.
It certainly looks more robust than newer versions of macOS only a few years ago, with system requirements tightening roughly every two years or so. But how bad is that really? Does a Mac purchased in 2016 receive fewer updates than a Mac purchased in 2012, 2008, or 1999? And if so, is there an explanation beyond Apple’s desire for more users to transition to the shiny new Apple Silicon Macs?
Using data from Apple and EveryMac.com, we’ve collected information about more than two decades of Mac releases — nearly everything Apple released between the original iMac in late 1998 and Intel’s latest Macs in 2020. We documented when each model was released, when Apple has stopped selling every model, the latest version of macOS is officially supported for each system, the dates these macOS versions received the latest score updates (such as 10.4.11, 11.6) and the latest regular security fixes. (I made some notes on how to choose to simplify and organize data, which I jotted at the end of this article.)
The end result is a spreadsheet filled with dozens of Macs, with many metrics to determine how long each has received official software support from Apple. These methods included measuring the time between discontinuing production for each model and stopping receiving updates, which is especially important for models such as the 2013 Mac Pro, 2014 Mac mini, and 2015 MacBook Air that were sold many years after they were sold. first introduced.
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