upgrade mac operating system how long does it take

I am assuming Apple will increase it and doubt very much that a 2007 iMac or a 2009 MacBook capable of running 10.8 and 10.9 will be supported in a 2014 operating system.įor the purpose of this article, we will assume those early machines running 10.8 (and soon 10.9) will end OS support in August 2014, which is roughly when 10.10 should be released. Apple are releasing a new version of OS X each year, so 2014 should see 10.10, and nobody knows what the hardware requirements will be. This should be reflected in the price you pay.įor Macs capable of running Mac OS X 10.8, I have included support life for 10.9 Mavericks, as all Macs that can run 10.8 will be able to run 10.9, which is due to be released later this year. Of course, if you buy one later on, nearing the release of the next version or purchase a used machine, you get less support. This gives the maximum support life of each product. Below is a table listing each Mac product line.įor each product line, I have listed three versions (if available): the earliest version of each line to support OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, 10.7 Lion, and 10.8 Mountain Lion. Therefore it had an officially supported life of 5 years and 2 months.ĭoes buying an expensive Mac Pro give you longer support life over the cheaper Mac mini, or does the higher price of a MacBook Pro reward you with longer support life over a consumer-aimed MacBook? Let’s find out. It was supported through 10.6, but it couldn’t run Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, which was released in July 2011.

But how much truth is there in this? How long does Apple support their devices with up-to-date operating systems? By support I mean from the moment a Mac or iDevice is released until it is no longer supported by a version of Mac OS X or iOS.įor example, the first MacBook was released in May 2006 and came with Mac OS X 10.4.

Apple fans have been disgruntled over the past few years with an apparent forced obsolescence of hardware.

Upgrade mac operating system how long does it take