Quick question. I have a MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012). I was wondering why the macOS Big Sur update isn’t available for my computer. It’s only a year older than the 2013 ones and has a lot of storage. Is there a way you can make it available for me? Thank you.
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 10.15
Because you need a 2013 or later MacBook Air to upgrade to Big Sur. Apple does not publish reasons, but the most likely is that the mid-2012 Air does not have metal-compatible graphics support. So, no you cannot install Big Sur by any means.
You do have the hardware compatibility to upgrade your mid-2012 Air to Catalina.
How to get old versions of macOS. Use only the Safari browser. Perform a last Time Machine backup on your existing operating system, and realize that no 32-bit applications will run on Catalina which requires 64-bit only versions. I suggest that you install the free Go64 application that will list all of your existing 32-bit software, and then determine if the 32-bit application vendors now offer 64-bit versions for Catalina. Also check with your current printer/scanner vendors to see if they have released 64-bit drivers since Oct 2019 specifically for macOS 10.15 - 10.15.7.
Because you need a 2013 or later MacBook Air to upgrade to Big Sur. Apple does not publish reasons, but the most likely is that the mid-2012 Air does not have metal-compatible graphics support. So, no you cannot install Big Sur by any means.
You do have the hardware compatibility to upgrade your mid-2012 Air to Catalina.
How to get old versions of macOS. Use only the Safari browser. Perform a last Time Machine backup on your existing operating system, and realize that no 32-bit applications will run on Catalina which requires 64-bit only versions. I suggest that you install the free Go64 application that will list all of your existing 32-bit software, and then determine if the 32-bit application vendors now offer 64-bit versions for Catalina. Also check with your current printer/scanner vendors to see if they have released 64-bit drivers since Oct 2019 specifically for macOS 10.15 - 10.15.7.
This is not where you ask questions directly to Apple, but I think I can answer it for you.
Apple no longer supports your MacBook Air, due to its age. It's 9 years old, and though it may work fine and have plenty of storage, Catalina is as far as you can go with the osx updates. The internal architecture of your MBA can't handle the Big Sur code. We all run into this issue eventually. You either stick with whatever os you're running, and take the risks of something going wrong, or buy something new(er) that can run the newer osx updates.
Another reason to get a new(er) computer is the older they get the more likely they'll experience some sort of catastrophic failure; usually the hard drive will fail, the battery won't charge anymore, or the external ports quit working, but you never know.
I had to replace my 2018 MBA keyboard 2 weeks after I updated it to Big Sur. It worked perfectly before the update. Not sure why Big Sur screwed up the laptop keyboard, but it did. The keyboard issue happened to so many Apple laptops after updating to Big Sur, that Apple is covering the cost of replacement keyboards for those laptops that qualify under the "Service" notice.
I Want To Use A New Software Update, But My Computer Is Too Old
