My Mac won't update to later software versions

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SimonPlatten Author

Level 1

19 points

My Mac won't update to later software versions

I have a:

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015)

Processor 4K GHz Quad-Core Intel i7

Memory 16 GB 1867 MHz DDR3

Graphics AMD Radeon R9 M395X 4 GB

The operating system:

macOS Monterey

Version 12.7.1

If I click Software Update... there is no update, there is nothing wrong with this computer its as fast today as the day I purchased it, however I want to continue to use this computer and now I find that I cannot update it to later software versions, this is not only a problem for macOS, but other software I use, I cannot install the MySQL Workbench as it will not run on the older OS.

Why? Can this be fixed ?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iMac 27″, macOS 12.7

Posted on Nov 23, 2023 11:38 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

SimonPlatten Author

Level 1

19 points

Nov 24, 2023 3:58 AM in response to dialabrain

That’s simply not true, software is engineered to be backward compatible, if software was engineered to only run on the latest equipment the market would be very small. I’ve been a software engineer for over 35 years. This practice of not supporting older equipment is a market generation scheme by Apple.

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Answer 2

SimonPlatten Author

Level 1

19 points

Nov 24, 2023 12:45 AM in response to Ingo2711

Thank you for the response, I've managed to progress by downloading an older version of MySQL Workbench, however its a shame that given the specification and price of the iMAC that I cannot continue to update/upgrade it.

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Answer 3

May 9, 2024 7:20 PM in response to SimonPlatten

So my late 2016 MacBook Pro didn't qualify for the MacOS Ventura release that released October 24, 2022. So the last release support for a 2016 MacBook PRO was October 25, 2021, or 5 years after its build date. That is a pretty short life span. I think Steve Ballmer did better than that, let that sink in, even Steve Ballmer did better than that...

I should also add that I have one of the swollen batteries that bloated after less than 20 battery cycles and Apple says it is not a defect.

This customer didn't order lemons but apparently that's the only menu item for me...

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Answer 4

Ingo2711

Level 9

73,089 points

Nov 24, 2023 12:42 AM in response to SimonPlatten

Sorry, but the built in hardware does not support any further upgrades than the latest release of macOS 12, Monterey.

You will need at least the 2017 model to install macOS 13, Ventura.

How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

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Answer 5

dialabrain

Level 10

124,769 points

Nov 24, 2023 2:49 AM in response to SimonPlatten

SimonPlatten wrote:

however its a shame that given the specification and price of the iMAC that I cannot continue to update/upgrade it.

FWIW, a 2015 iMac is 8 years old. Hardware and the software has advanced in those years. That will always be the case. One way to look at it is a 2007 iMac could never run what a 2015 iMac can.

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Answer 6

May 10, 2024 7:50 PM in response to Jimmy_NoVa

Jimmy_NoVa wrote:

So my late 2016 MacBook Pro didn't qualify for the MacOS Ventura release that released October 24, 2022. So the last release support for a 2016 MacBook PRO was October 25, 2021, or 5 years after its build date.

You said that Ventura came out in October 24, 2022, which it did.

Then you said that the last release for a 2016 MacBook Pro was October 25, 2021. According to MacTracker, that was when Apple released Monterey 12.0.1. Monterey 12.7.4 came out on March 7, 2024. That's about seven years and five months (give or take) after your MacBook Pro came out in October 2016.

If Sonoma's successor comes out late this Fall, then there will have been eight years during which the 2016 MBPs were able to run one of the "most recent three" versions of macOS – anything from Sierra to Monterey.

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