Can I continue to use my late 2013 iMac, or is it outdated?

As long as it's running satisfactorily and your apps still perform, it's fine to continue using a late 2013 iMac.

And its security is fine as long as you maintain safe practices when using the internet & downloading apps or files; and by staying alert to pfishing and other types of social engineering scams.

But do understand that a 12-year old machine will not last forever. All hardware will eventually fail. And new apps (and new versions of apps) may not be supported on macOS Catalina (10.15.x).

I suggest it's time to start thinking about replacing it.

I really like my own late 2013 Catalina iMac with its beautiful 27" screen and 1TB SSD. It's been a workhorse for many years. But now, its only purpose in life is to act as server of media files because it's been replaced by a 15-inch 2023 MacBook Air for everyday use. And Apple doesn't want to make it outdated. It already is!

As long as you practice safe computering, as our friend @MartiniR has suggested, and you're fine with the performance, you can use it 'til the screen falls off. You

I do agree, though, it's time to be thinking about replacing it. Twelve (!) years is a great run for any computer.

Go on and continue to use this iMac. When you do decide to switch it up, I suggest you give strong consideration to the newest Mac mini computers. The mini is a much faster Mac in a small footprint. Couple a mini with any beautiful screen and I believe you'll be very happy, at a price that can be well below that of a new iMac. And when that Mac mini is done, you can keep the screen and move on to another mini. Win, win!

pablitoviejo wrote:

Can I continue to use my late 2013 iMac, or is it outdated?

It is very outdated, but as long as it does what you need it to do, you can continue to use it.

I have a lovely iMac late 2013 iOS 10.15.7.

Am I to accept that Apple wants to make it outdated so I have to buy a new one?

Regardless of Apple's motivations, and regardless of whether you want to "accept" it, that old iMac is outdated. It might still be useful – I used a 27" Late 2009 iMac long, long after it became outdated. But technology moves on. (If it didn't, we would be stuck with machines with the capabilities of the TRS-80 or the Apple II.)

That Mac originally shipped with Mac OS X 10.8.4 (Mountain Lion). macOS 10.15.7 (Catalina) is the end of the line, which means that Apple provided you with seven free major macOS upgrades. Catalina is now six major versions behind Tahoe (the current version of macOS), at the point where even some developers with a history of offering software for old versions of macOS may be thinking of abandoning it.

Apple switched from Intel processors to Apple Silicon ones starting in 2021. Their product lineup now contains no Intel-based models. Only four Intel-based models can run macOS 26 (Tahoe), and Apple has announced that the next major version of macOS will not support any Intel-based Macs.

There have been a few improvements in speed in the course of 10+ years. For instance, here is how 24" M4 Macs compare to 21.5" Late 2013 iMacs in single-core CPU benchmarks.

The USB4 / Thunderbolt 4 ports on the M4 iMac are also much faster (for connecting high-end gear), and much more useful for modern gear, than the Thunderbolt 1 ports on the Late 2013 iMac. (Those are now useful mainly as Mini DisplayPorts.)

Can I continue to make use of this still wonderful machine which has one terabyte of solid state memory installed.?

Yes, if you have – or can still get – the applications that you need.

Vendors like Microsoft and Adobe, who have a policy of supporting the "most recent three", abandoned Catalina a long time ago. Catalina is also ineligible to receive current versions of Safari, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.

Current versions of Firefox, LibreOffice, and the Affinity Suite (free with registration, as long as you don't want the AI features) will run on Catalina. Current versions of other major third-party browsers now require Monterey – and thus are incompatible with your machine.

pablitoviejo wrote:

Many thanks, DIJohnson, for this also helpful reply. It's nice to know that you two have one feelings about your 13 iMac. The suggestion about going forward to a mini as the new centre of the system is a good idea which I had thought about and then, for some reason, forgot about again. What I'd like to work out is how to make the screen work between the iMac and the mini. It is possible/should be straightforward(?).

You're welcome.

You cannot use the iMac as a monitor for another computer. That 'feature' is dead in Apple hardware and software. Third-party solutions such as Luna Display or Duet Display are performance limited and suited only for uses where there will be little motion and where latency is not an issue, such as for application tool palettes. Not suitable for video. And you will still need a proper monitor to set up either of those options.

I also would like to do what someone else suggested, that's to say, access the 1tb SSD in the IMac for storage (and/i.e.(?) use the iMac ... as a server?).

To use the iMac as a server one may need only setup network sharing of the internal drive. Not usually too difficult. When you're ready to do that just ask here for guidance from the Community.

Target DIsk mode may be useful for accessing data on the iMac drive directly connected to another Mac, but I find network sharing to be just fine. Our friend, @Servant of Cats, posted some good info about using target disk in another older thread here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255829241?sortBy=oldest_first

A third option would be to remove the drive from the iMac when you're ready to retire it. You can then continue to use that drive with other Mac via a drive adapter cable or enclosure.

I'm also having difficulty with screen mirroring from my 2025 iPad to the iMac at the moment, and from my iPhone 13. Any thoughts or ideas would be welcome...

I never screen mirror so have nothing to offer regarding this. Others will. 🙂

claus237 wrote:

What is your opinion on a 2013 iMac is compatible with 2026 standard?

Is a 2013 imac absolete by 2026 standard?

Any 2013 iMac is now obsolete by any standard. And they will NOT run macos 26.x (Tahoe). On your 2013 iMac you are already runing the latest version of macOS that it can run (Catalina (10.15.x7).

IMHO any iMac earlier than 2019 would be a questionable use of purchase money. And even 2019 models' days are numbered.

BTW, I still have, and use, a 2012 MacBook Pro running High Sierra (10.13.6). I use it mostly for email access and photography work when I'm on the road; also a couple of 32-bit apps that won't run on Catalina or later.

The browser that I use on it is Firefox ESR (extended support release) which is still being supported on High Sierra. Firefox is currently supported on Catalina but expectations are that it too will move to ESR status sometime in the next year or so. ESR versions continue to be supported for critical security fixes but they don't get new features. Ultimately even the ESR versions reach end-of-life but there are years to go before that happens.

When the 2012 MBPro finally gives up the ghost I won't have any regrets - it has given me great service for 13+ years.

That said, I recently purchased an M4 MacBook Pro and it's the nicest, best performing laptop I have ever owned. Fully solid state, great battery life, beautiful screen. And I anticipate using it for at least the next 10 years.

claus237 wrote:

What is your opinion on a 2013 iMac is compatible with 2026 standard?

Is a 2013 imac absolete by 2026 standard?

Yes.

Catalina is still enough to run current versions of Firefox and LibreOffice – and a 2013 iMac would have USB-A (USB 3.0) ports that are still useful. So it might be possible to get some more use out of such an old machine. However, technology moves on, and in many ways, the 2013 machines have fallen behind.

It really is a question of is it outdated for your particular needs? MartinR provides a good summary and I agree with D.I. Johnson about considering a mini (I replaced my 2012 iMac with a 2024 mini).

I have some old equipment and in some regards I find it is better than a newer Mac for some of my needs. We are setting up a music player in our living room and I much prefer iTunes to Apple's Music app. In fact until I transitioned to using a new Mac last summer, I used a 2012 Mac with iTunes 7.5 (what, maybe 20 years old?) It was wonderful! Now that I have Music on my 2024 computer I rarely listen to anything.

In the past I have found that one major limit has been web browsers. Apple is the worst at supporting its apps for old equipment, but even if you use Firefox you may eventually find that support dwindles. I remember many years ago I was using a browser version that failed to render some web pages (heaven forbid, was it Netscape or Internet Explorer?) and that's why I had to buy a newer computer.

The issues I’ve had with older Mac’s isn’t their health — they work fine — it's the software that can no longer communicate with activation servers, if those servers are still working at all

and old macOSes that no longer support the required security protocols to ‘handshake’ with the activation servers that do still function

mostly i‘m talking about reinstalling and Activating old software

Adobe and Microsoft, for example, turned off their Activation servers for some old products

if your old Adobe and Microsoft apps are still working — it’s because they were activated when everything worked — if they stop working (or you need to reinstall them) you won’t be able to re-Activate them

even so — they will most likely stop working in the future — for example: Adobe Creative Suite 2 no longer works even if previously Activated — I speculate Adobe just turned it off…

LINUX is an option.............

I´m not using questions marks ,here......after option

Have received bad feedback about questions marks before!

BUT LINUX IS AN OPTION!

I have also the Late 2013 iMac running Catalina 10.15.7

"Outdated".............YES!

13 years, is a long time in the electronic age.

claus237 wrote:

LINUX is an option.............

I´m not using questions marks ,here......after option

Have received bad feedback about questions marks before!

BUT LINUX IS AN OPTION!

Are you asking a question but are, for some reason, afraid of using a question mark? As you can see, they work just fine.

Or do you mean something else?

Absolutely! 😀

Not all that talk, buy a new one!