hoakley June 8, 2021 Macs, Technology

Which Macs will run macOS 12 Monterey? The answer isn’t simple

Yesterday Apple announced the next major version of macOS, which is due to ship in the autumn/fall, alongside the next versions of iOS and all the other OSes. Full details of new and enhanced features are given here.

You may recall my rather pessimistic speculation as to which models might be supported by macOS 12 last week, which ran:

iMac Late 2015 onwards,
iMac Pro,
MacBook Early 2016 onwards,
MacBook Air 2018 onwards,
MacBook Pro 2016 onwards,
Mac mini 2018 onwards,
Mac Pro 2019.

That was based on patterns of firmware versions, updates, and Intel chipsets.

I’m delighted to report that Apple’s confirmed list of supported models is considerably more generous:

iMac Late 2015 onwards,*
iMac Pro,*
MacBook Early 2016 onwards,*
MacBook Air Early 2015 onwards,
MacBook Pro Early 2015 onwards,
Mac mini Late 2014 onwards,
Mac Pro 2013 onwards.

I have put asterisks where I am gloating at my speculative accuracy.

However, there are some important exceptions buried in the footnotes concerning the most exciting features in Monterey. Some are only available on M1 Macs, but two of the biggest advances will only be available for a list more similar to my original.

Universal Control, which lets you use one keyboard and mouse/trackpad across your Mac and devices, is only available on:

iMac 2017 onwards, and 5K Retina 27-inch Late 2015,
iMac Pro,
MacBook Early 2016 onwards,
MacBook Air 2018 onwards,
MacBook Pro 2016 onwards,
Mac mini 2018 onwards,
Mac Pro 2019.

That’s almost identical to my original list.

AirPlay to Mac, allowing you to send content to and from a Mac, is only available for an even more limited list of models:

iMac 2019 onwards,
iMac Pro,
MacBook Early 2016 onwards,
MacBook Air 2018 onwards,
MacBook Pro 2018 onwards,
Mac mini 2020 onwards,
Mac Pro 2019.

All of a sudden, my first wild guesses look generous, and I can see many users becoming confused as to just what is supported by their Mac.

26Comments

Add yours

1

Norm on June 8, 2021 at 7:55 am

I was impressed by the Share With feature. While sharing photos and text works I assume with people on the new OS versions and not with Android or Windows.

But then there was the sharing of streaming media, music and video, in sync, with a friend or a group of friends, a single song or a playlist.

It looks like they made a deal with Hulu and Disney+ for sharing . . . But I would assume everyone involved in the share must have a subscription to the company streaming the content.

That leaves music and syncing music to movies that the Photos app creates. The tempo of the music matches the tempo of the editing. Very cool.

But would I be correct in assuming that this sharing of songs and playlist and movie making from my photo library set to music will require a subscription to Apple Music? Or will Apple use that feature as a free teaser to get more user to subscribe to Apple Music?

LikeLiked by 1 person
- 2
  
  hoakley on June 8, 2021 at 8:00 am
  
  Thank you. I’m sorry, I know no more than you, and I’m not sure that Apple has released such detail.
  Howard
  
  LikeLike
3

Alex on June 8, 2021 at 8:34 am

I am happy with the way Big Sur works on my MBP (at this moment) It’s a Mac model MacBookPro11,3 so I don’t believe the next macOS will run on it very well. That’s ok, with all the new features it looks like you’ll be wasting most of your time playing with your computer rather than actually doing something productive.

LikeLiked by 1 person
- 4
  
  hoakley on June 8, 2021 at 9:40 pm
  
  I’m not so sure that Monterey won’t run even better than Big Sur. Although Apple has still to disclose a lot detail, there don’t appear to be big internal changes, and it may run better.
  Howard.
  
  LikeLike
5

Colstan on June 8, 2021 at 9:56 am

I’m still running Mojave on my 2018 Mac mini because there weren’t any compelling reasons to move to Catalina or Big Sur. That changes now because of security updates coming to an end for Mojave, as well as compatibility issues with some computer games requiring newer versions of macOS. However, the biggest issue for me is the way that newer versions of macOS handle font rendering on standard definition monitors. The text in Catalina and Big Sur give me a physical headache when using my 17 year old Dell monitor (which happens to use the same panel as the Cinema Displays of that era). It’s finally time to retire that monitor.

I managed to get my hands on a brand new sealed boxed LG 21.5-inch UltraFine, the smaller brother to the current 27-inch. Yes, LG canceled this model over two years ago, so I’m not exactly sure where this technological leprechaun has been and why it was unopened. I just know that I got it for a good price and couldn’t justify the spending so much for the 27-inch.

Regardless, now I can finally move on to the latest version of macOS. It’s going to be a substantial change for me, when I move to Monterey, since I haven’t updated in three years and am looking forward to it.

LikeLiked by 1 person
- 6
  
  hoakley on June 8, 2021 at 9:41 pm
  
  Thank you.
  I’m sure that it will work out well.
  Howard.
  
  LikeLike
7

EcleX on June 8, 2021 at 12:51 pm

Apple used to support macOS updates for seven years; not it seems that it is six years for many Macs. I wish they supported them longer.

LikeLiked by 1 person
- 8
  
  Alex on June 8, 2021 at 2:49 pm
  
  Just like on their iPads and iPhones. It is in their business model. they need a person to repurchase their hardware to keep the billions flowing in and now with the M1 and M2 (on the horizon), this will increase their profits and hardware for the next decade.
  
  LikeLiked by 1 person
  - 9
    
    hoakley on June 8, 2021 at 9:48 pm
    
    Although Apple may benefit by people replacing their hardware, one key factor is not upsetting customers so they switch to a different platform and you lose them altogether. You can, if you want, keep running a Mac until it can no longer be repaired any more, which is likely to be more than 7 years. And lots of Mac owners do.
    Howard.
    
    LikeLike
- 10
  
  hoakley on June 8, 2021 at 9:45 pm
  
  Thank you.
  Apple has never supported macOS updates for seven years. As I’ve already pointed out, during other recent transitions such as that to Intel and to 64-bit, many Macs have been orphaned from macOS updates after less than 4 years.
  I think you’re getting this confused with the hardware support period, which is 7 years. If you have any written evidence of what you claim, I’d be very grateful if you could post a link. I’ve been looking for such statements – including the security maintenance on the last two releases of macOS – for several years without success.
  Howard.
  
  LikeLike
  - 11
    
    EcleX on June 9, 2021 at 1:55 pm
    
    Thanks. You are right about the seven years for hardware support period. But I also remember news in the past indicating supported Macs for new macOS releases and they also included seven years. I know that for sure, because it is a topic in which I am specially interested, and have paid attention to it. I cannot remember now where I saw that, but searching Google for
    supported macOS Sierra Macs
    shows the first hit from the horse’s mouth:
    
    macOS Sierra – Technical Specifications
    These Mac models are compatible with macOS Sierra:
    
    MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)
    MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
    MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
    Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
    iMac (Late 2009 or newer)
    Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
    
    https://support.apple.com/kb/sp742?locale=en_US
    
    Since macOS 10.12 Sierra was released on 20th September, 2016, the machines from 2009 had seven years.
    
    LikeLiked by 1 person
    - 12
      
      hoakley on June 9, 2021 at 2:42 pm
      
      Thank you.
      You don’t need to confirm Apple’s hardware support policy – it’s available in writing from Apple.
      However, at best your claim about 7 years of new versions of macOS is rumour. I have never seen anything like that in a written document from Apple, and I can’t imagine how it would express that in words without making its lawyers have apoplexy.
      Not only that, but your claimed example of Sierra doesn’t even pass that test:
      – Mac mini Late 2009, sold to June 2010, unsupported by 10.12 after 6 years 3 months,
      – Mac Pro Early 2009, sole to August 2010, unsupported by 10.12 after 6 years 1 month.
      As I have written previously here, Apple has stopped support in new versions of macOS much earlier too:
      “When Apple made the transition to 64-bit, several recent Macs were caught out and orphaned very early. My Mac Pro 8-core (then the top-end Mac), which was sold between April 2007 and January 2008, was last supported by OS X 10.7.5 in September 2012, and those who bought the MacBook Late 2008, which was sold as late as January 2009, suffered the same fate, just over three years after many had bought them brand new.”
      “Look back a little further to the last architecture transition, and you’ll find even younger orphans. For example, the iMac G5 20-inch, which was sold between October 2005 and March 2006, was last supported by OS X 10.5.8 which was released in August 2009, only just over three years after many were bought new.”
      I think that’s pretty compelling evidence that Apple has never had such a policy, not in my lifetime anyway.
      Howard.
      
      LikeLike
    - 13
      
      EcleX on June 10, 2021 at 6:21 am
      
      Thanks. I do not understand that. I mean, if a Mac is released on year X, and then it can be upgraded to a macOS version released seven years latter, that means seven years of macOS upgrades. As a practical example, the iMac 21.5-inch (released in 2012) can be upgraded to macOS 10.15 Catalina (released in 2019). From 2012 to 2019 are seven years. I know that because I have several units of it that I purchased in 2012, and they run Catalina. BTW, it shows wrongly supporting up go macOS 10.14 Mojave in the otherwise excellent Mactracker application.
      
      LikeLiked by 1 person
    - 14
      
      hoakley on June 10, 2021 at 11:53 am
      
      Thank you.
      I’ve not heard of after-sales service which is based not on when the product was made, or when you bought it new, but on the basis of when the product was first introduced. That would cause serious problems for Mac Pro Late 2013 users, as that model was sold for 6 years, meaning that anyone who bought one in December 2019 would only have had one year left of Apple’s macOS support at the time of purchase. Check Apple’s 7-year hardware service and that extends from when the product was last sold.
      However, if you really want to look at such a bizarre arrangement, try these:
      MacBook Pro 15-inch Glossy – introduced May 2006, last macOS update 10.6.8 v1.1 July 2011 – just over 5 years,
      iMac Mid 2006 17-inch – introduced July 2006, last macOS update 10.6.8 v1.1 July 2011 – 5 years,
      iMac G5 20-inch iSight – introduced October 2005, last macOS update 10.5.8 Aug 2009 – less than 4 years.
      And that’s only after searching for a few minutes. Apple has never made any such claim over support for new versions of macOS. If you think it has, then please provide the evidence of that statement, or in the absence of that, prove the above dates wrong.
      Howard.
      
      LikeLike
    - 15
      
      EcleX on June 10, 2021 at 1:37 pm
      
      Thanks. Yes, all that us true. I think that there was a misunderstanding. What I meant is that I know that there were Macs supported for seven years of macOS updates. I thought that Apple’s trend was to reduce such years, but it seems that we have examples of different periods of time over the years.
      
      LikeLiked by 1 person
16

Adam on June 8, 2021 at 5:43 pm

What about the Mid 2014 Macbook Pro (11,2/3)?

Are they planning on removing the NVIDIA 750M drivers from the final release, even though they are present in the beta?

They’re nearly identicall to the 2015 model, aside from some some things (like the keyboard) being moved from the uSB to i2c bus.i

LikeLiked by 1 person
- 17
  
  hoakley on June 8, 2021 at 9:50 pm
  
  That model isn’t on the list that I have seen as being officially supported in macOS 12, I’m afraid.
  You’ll have to ask Apple about NVIDIA drivers – I have no better idea than you.
  Howard.
  
  LikeLike
- 18
  
  Pico on June 9, 2021 at 5:48 am
  
  I forgot that the MBP11,3 still had NVIDIA GPU while the MBP11,5 got the AMD GPU. I mistakenly thought they were both AMD since the MBP11,3 was not affected by the big NVIDIA GPU recall of the earlier MBPs.
  
  Apple not wanting to continue maintaining the NVIDIA graphics drivers for so few models may be the most logical reason they they dropped with 11,3 while it’s so very similar to the supported 11,5 in terms of CPU.
  
  I wonder if there are other dropped vs supported models that cut off the NVIDIA and keep AMD.
  
  LikeLiked by 1 person
19

Zorin on June 8, 2021 at 5:50 pm

I’m a bit appalled by AirPlay to Mac being limited to such recent iMac models. The iMac is the most useful machine to be able to do this with, and they’re seriously constraining it for seemingly no reason.

LikeLiked by 1 person
- 20
  
  hoakley on June 8, 2021 at 9:51 pm
  
  Thank you.
  I suspect that there is a good reason. Because we don’t know it doesn’t mean that it’s absent.
  Howard.
  
  LikeLike
21

Michael Tsai - Blog - macOS 12 Monterey Announced on June 8, 2021 at 6:56 pm

[…] Howard Oakley: […]

LikeLike
22

Paul McGrane on June 9, 2021 at 3:07 am

It’s surprising that AirPlay to Mac doees not support the final Intel Mac mini while it does similar era MacBook Air, etc.

LikeLiked by 1 person
23

Lars on June 9, 2021 at 8:30 am

But then, there still is the “macOS 12 on unsupported machines” forum on MR, so there is hope for many of the machines left behind. Some of the features of Monterey can also be enabled by swapping i.e. Airport card or BT.
Writing this on my cMP3,1 (2008) machine running Monterey beta 1 with open core. 🙂

LikeLiked by 1 person
24

Marcos on June 9, 2021 at 1:00 pm

People are having success in running OpenCore 0.7.0 to install Monterey on recent unsupported macs such as the MacbookPro 2013-2015 and Macbook Air 2013-2014.
I don’t know which are the security implications of that, though.

There is a thread at MacRumors about that:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macos-12-monterey-on-unsupported-macs-thread.2299557/

I use my Mac in my work, so when Apple drops support for Big Sur I will buy a new Mac and only then patch my ancient MacbookPro11,2 to try to keep it with the most recent security patches.

LikeLiked by 1 person
- 25
  
  hoakley on June 9, 2021 at 2:54 pm
  
  Thank you.
  I wish you all success. I think the security issues will largely be unknown, and given that none of those Macs has secure boot, and many have known vulnerabilities in their firmware, let’s hope that it all works out.
  I’ll be surprised if any get Universal Control working, let alone AirPlay, so I’m not really sure whether it’s worth all the effort unless you enjoy hacking Macs.
  Howard.
  
  LikeLike
26

Which Macs Will Run macOS Monterey | on June 11, 2021 at 7:01 am

[…] it fixes a lot of Big Sur bugginess. If you wondered if macOS Monterey will work on your Mac, read this article listing the machines that will support it. Pay particular attention to the end of the article […]

LikeLike