macOS Mojave will drop support for some older Macs released before 2012

Fewer people will be able to upgrade to this fall's macOS Mojave, which has tightened the minimum hardware requirements needed to install and run it, according to release notes from the developer beta.

Whereas High Sierra will run on many Macs from 2009 and 2010, the oldest Macs supported by Mojave are 2010 Mac Pros with Metal-compatible graphics cards installed. Otherwise the cutoff is typically 2012, and in fact no basic MacBooks are supported prior to 2015 models.

The complete compatibility list includes:

MacBook (Early 2015 or later)
MacBook Air (Mid-2012 or later)
MacBook Pro (Mid-2012 or later)
Mac mini (Late 2012 or later)
iMac (Late 2012 or later)
iMac Pro (all models)
Mac Pro (Late 2013)
Mac Pro (2010 or later with Metal-compatible GPU)

It's not clear why Mojave would have higher specifications, but the answer could be related to GPU performance. Apple is deprecating OpenGL and OpenCL in the new OS, and the software may simply be more visually demanding, supporting features like time-based Dynamic Desktops, 32-person FaceTime calls, and the ability to edit photos, videos, and PDF documents within Quick Look.

Some other signature features of Mojave will include a long-demanded Dark Mode, stacked desktop icons, and a Gallery View in Finder. Several previously iOS-only apps are coming to the OS, such as Home and Apple News, and the Mac App Store is being redesigned in a manner similar to its iOS counterpart.

iOS 12 — also coming this fall — will support all of the same devices as iOS 11, going as far back as 2013's iPhone 5s.

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61 Comments

macxpress

said about 5 years ago

Planned Obsolesce! /s

Seriously though, I bet its because of Metal and Apple dropping support for OpenGL/CL. Thats still a good amount of Macs that support this new version of macOS...some as far back as 8yrs ago, going on 9yrs by the time macOS 10.15 its released.

If you're someone who uses an older Mac you have to know there will eventually be a cutoff where your Mac is no longer supported. Its the chance you take by continuously using an older Mac.

And its not like your Mac just stops working just because you're not using Apple's latest version of macOS. You can still easily use your Mac with High Sierra for at least 2-3yrs if you choose to do so.

rob53

said about 5 years ago

That's unfortunate. My 2011 MBP quad i7 can still run circles around many current i5's and has been my traveling computer. Some banking websites still don't work properly on my iPad so I'll need to start saving money for an upgrade. Seven years is still a long time for a computer to be supported.

wood1208

said about 5 years ago

Like IOS 12 performance improvement on older iPhone, hope Apple doing the same for macOS Mojave running on 2012 MBP

techprod1gy

said about 5 years ago

I have always appreciated Apple's willingness to ruffle some feathers to do the right thing. I think this boldness is what has made them and their products great over the years. Plus 6 years is an eternity in Tech so I don't feel they are over aggressive with their strategy.

tomeone

said about 5 years ago

Guess it’s time for me to upgrade from my 2010 iMac. This way I get to enjoy some of those software and hardware features added in the last 8 years I’ve been deprived of. ;)

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