While searching I've not found anything definite about when support is ending for Intel based iMacs.
I have a 2015 Mac running Monterey and wonder when I will need to replace it to remain secure when online. My local Apple Store were unable to throw any light on the question. Has anyone found any definitive information of this?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
iMac 27″, macOS 12.7
Apple employees do not participate here and until Apple officially announces that a future release of macOS no longer supports Intel Macs, it remains an unknown timeframe, and not subject to speculation.
Safari on Monterey should remain secure for the foreseeable future, and so should Apple Mail. Should issues develop, you can always use the current version of Firefox or Brave on Monterey.
Consider setting aside a future Mac purchase fund now for when the day arrives that you need a new Apple Silicon Mac.
Apple employees do not participate here and until Apple officially announces that a future release of macOS no longer supports Intel Macs, it remains an unknown timeframe, and not subject to speculation.
Safari on Monterey should remain secure for the foreseeable future, and so should Apple Mail. Should issues develop, you can always use the current version of Firefox or Brave on Monterey.
Consider setting aside a future Mac purchase fund now for when the day arrives that you need a new Apple Silicon Mac.
The most important thing for online security is your web browser, and 1st-party Apple support for Monterey has already ended. The latest version of Safari now requires Ventura or newer with the final Monterey supported update (17.6) released July 2024.
However Firefox, Opera, Brave, and many other 3rd party web browsers still support Monterey and receive regular security updates. Half still support Catalina, and the oldest extended service release is only now ending support for Sierra. This suggests another two-five years of online security for Monterey if you switch to a 3rd party browser.
The support timeline for newer Intel macs is unknown.
Your 2015 Mac is already unsupported by Apple both with the hardware support/repairs and OS updates since a 2015 Mac is now considered "Obsolete" by Apple.
You can certainly keep using it until the apps you use can no longer do what you need them to do. At some point your access to online services will slowly stop working, but any offline parts of an app should still function until the files you need to access change their data format where the older versions of the apps are unable to recognize those data format changes. Every app and service will be different.
Usually people who depend upon a device for work (especially anything critical) should consider purchasing a newer device and demote the older device for a temporary spare device or to repurpose the older device to other things more appropriate for it.
FYI, when you do finally retire it or give it away or sell it, make sure you follow the instructions in the following Apple article so that you disassociate your accounts from the device & wipe your personal data from it:
What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - Apple Support
That is most helpful and makes it clear what my options are. Thank you.
Thanks for the advice, I will start the fund straight away for a replacement Mac!
When will support for Intel based Macs end?
