How to Upgrade to Mountain Lion - I have old black macbook

Your Mac is too old, you may be able to use Lion but that's not so good.

Are you trying to use iCloud, is that why you want to upgrade?

I just lost my iphone and I want to be able to save whatever images I had on my photostream.

It's probably too late for that, since you would need to turn it on on the iPhone too.

You also need to further identify your MacBook, because the very first ones can't run Lion.

Click on the Apple Menu's, "About This Mac," then press the "More Info" button. Under Hardware, Model Identifier it has to be a MacBook2,1 or higher for Lion. A MacBook1,1 is limited to Lion.

If it is capable of Lion, you would also need a minimum of 2 Gigs of RAM.

angelayue238 wrote:

I have the black older version of the macbook. I am looking at the about mac and it says it is the 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo.

13" MacBook Early 2008 is what I able to figure. 6GB of RAM max, one 4GB and one 2GB module.

angelayue238 wrote:

What is the version I should be running my laptop on? I have 10.6.8 is that the most I can update my laptop to?

10.6.8 is the best for that older model of machine however if you max the RAM it could run 10.7 if you want to call Apple to order it and they send you the download link.

I really do not advise 10.7 for that older model of machine, it's going to be slow as your processors and graphics are quite dated. Also much of all your current software will no longer work, or will require paid upgrades as PPC based software (Rosetta in 10.6) will not work in 10.7+.

http://roaringapps.com/apps:table

OS X 10.4/10.5 need to upgrade, 10.6.8 ok still

If the 10.7 upgrade bricks your firmware, your out of AppleCare and it's a out of pocket fix, I don't even think they can fix that older machine anymore.

That current value of that machine if it's in good condition is about $500-$700, perhaps you might want to sell it online and then apply that to a newer machine. + all new software.

Apple is leveraging features like iCloud etc with their smaller devices to force a more rapid hardware turnover on their Mac's which make them a lot of money.

Many of us Snow Leopard users just ignore all the temptations and keep our machines, and their ability to run our PPC software. Currently about 25% of OS X version market share.

If you require more longevity between operating system versions, like it appears you are since you just upgraded to 10.6, you might want to consider getting a Windows 7 machine (online) instead as it's supported until 2020.

Apple changes their OS X version every 1-1.5 years, it's a real hassle as they leverage that and feature to get you to buy hardare a lot faster.

Also what is mobile me on the 10.6.8?

MobileMe was the iCloud predecessor, it's been discontinued.

Well the photostream is on and I am able to view the images on my ipad but I want to be able to view them on my laptop. Is this possible? Or is my computer too old to run any version that accomodates icloud and photostream?

Your machine can, but it's probally best to buy a new Mac and leave the Black MacBook on 10.6.8 max and use it in reserve or sell it rather than risk bricking it with 10.7 and/or buying more RAM and all new software.

Invest the software and RAM on a new Mac instead, as it appears you can easily afford it.

You can use iCloud in 10.6.8 for Mail, Address Book, and Calendar. I don't recommend syncing Address Book as it caused me a lot of problems with duplicates that kept reappearing.

Snow Leopard iCloud - Address and iCal

Snow Leopard iCloud – iCal

Snow Leopard iCloud – Mail

There is an app that will enable the use of iCloud (Contacts and Calendars) on Snow Leopard that works well. It supports iCloud integration on 10.5.8 or later. The disadvantage is that it is $99.

But here it is:

Soho Organizer

Once again:

Click on the Apple Menu's, "About This Mac," then press the "More Info" button. Under Hardware, Model Identifier it has to be a MacBook2,1 or higher for Lion. A MacBook1,1 is limited to Lion.

I made a mistake earlier, a MacBook1,1 is limited to Snow Leopard. That's why you need to determine whether you have a 1.1 or a 1.2.

Hey Lannie, I think a typo crept by you, shouldn't that be limited to Snow Leopard?

has to be a MacBook2,1 or higher for Lion. A MacBook1,1 is limited to Lion.

Thanks. I wasn't aware of the application. I hope it syncs contacts better than what I posted. 😁

It's really good, and it offers many more features than the combination of Contacts and Calendars do, but it's still $99, which is a lot.

There is a 30 day trial, it installs and removes without any fuss, try it out.

I would buy it but Apple covered that for free with 10.7 onwards. 🙂

Lion 10.7.5 is the max for a 4.1. You need 2 gigs of RAM minimum, I'd recommend 6 Gigs, it's the max.