Can I maintain my late 2015 iMac without Updates?

mcarrillo6026 wrote:

I’ve tried, multiple times. But it just does not upgrade, and when I brought it in for service I was told that Catalina was as far as it goes, and that’s where I’m at OS 10.15

Any of the Late 2015 iMacs can upgrade to Monterey.

If someone told you that your iMac can only upgrade as far as Catalina, either

• This was so long ago that Catalina was the current version of macOS,
• They were wrong, or
• You have not correctly identified which Mac you have

If your machine is an iMac and Catalina is as far as it can go, that would imply that it is a Late 2012, Early 2013, or Late 2013 model.

If you do have a Late 2015 iMac, and System Preferences > Software Update is giving you problems when you try to upgrade, you may want to try the App Store link in

How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

I would suggest bringing your backups up-to-date before you start.

steve626 wrote:

I have a 2015 iMac and it runs Monterey and it runs excellently. I can use it for virtually everything, but next year I believe TurboTax will no longer run on it, maybe the beginning of a pattern of obsolescence.

Later this year, Sequoia comes out. At that point, the "most recent three" will be (Ventura, Sonoma, Sequoia). Some companies like Adobe and Microsoft only support "the most recent three", and I wouldn't be surprised to find that the publishers of TurboTax had the same policy.

There are other developers who support old versions of macOS longer. I believe that the current versions of the Firefox, Chrome, and Brave browsers all will run on Catalina. As will current versions of LibrreOffice. As will the commercial Affinity V2 programs (Photo, Designer, Publisher). As will GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) and the backup utilities Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper!

Also I have seen some web sites not be 100% functional on it.

You may want to download the current version of Firefox. If it runs on Catalina today, I think that Monterey will be eligible for the main version for a while, and then eligible for ESR security updates for a while after that.

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

The late 2015 iMac should be able to go to macOS Monterrey.Identify your iMac model - Apple Support

mcarrillo6026 wrote:

I was basically told that they wouldn't charge me to recycle it. So long time user, have had and taken care of my Mac for a long time, and now there is no reward for having it so long. And it still works fine! So if anything I'm being penalized for having and taking care of an item for a long period of time (that really isn't THAT long). So I supposed my question is, if there is no reward for longevity, if Im being penalized for taking care of what I have for an extended period of time, and not be able to protect and update my computer (even though it still works!); what then, is my motivation for upgrading to a new Mac?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Follow the other advice provided to correctly identify your Mac model and determine the latest MacOS for it. I have a 2015 iMac and it runs Monterey and it runs excellently. I can use it for virtually everything, but next year I believe TurboTax will no longer run on it, maybe the beginning of a pattern of obsolescence. Also I have seen some web sites not be 100% functional on it.

There are not "rewards" for keeping an older Mac running. We have 2015, 2013, and 2010 Macs here and I keep them running sort of for fun. I use modern Macs for serious things. 9 years is quite old for keeping a computer, you are to be commended but the trade in value is driven by market demand and supply, not by Apple. There is virtually no demand for a 9-yr old iMac, so you will find no trade in value for it. How much would you pay for a 9-yr old iMac from someone you did not know? Why would you expect someone to be selling it? What would you expect its remaining lifetime to be? The reward for keeping it is being able to use it. No one is penalizing you. Note that parts for such old computers are virtually impossible to find except on places like eBay and then what one gets is unpredictable and almost always is something from someone else's failed device.

Servant of Cats wrote:

steve626 wrote:

I have a 2015 iMac and it runs Monterey and it runs excellently. I can use it for virtually everything, but next year I believe TurboTax will no longer run on it, maybe the beginning of a pattern of obsolescence.

Later this year, Sequoia comes out. At that point, the "most recent three" will be (Ventura, Sonoma, Sequoia). Some companies like Adobe and Microsoft only support "the most recent three", and I wouldn't be surprised to find that the publishers of TurboTax had the same policy.

Also I have seen some web sites not be 100% functional on it.

You may want to download the current version of Firefox.

I have Firefox and Chrome for the occasional web sites that don't work right under Monterey and Safari.

I run TurboTax on another Mac under Sonoma. It runs under Monterey and the 2015 iMac but that system is too slow for it. Office 365 is still up to date under Monterey but it might be the next package to stop updating soon.