Hi there, I have a iMac (iMac12.1), intel COre i5, 2.7 GHz, 8 GB memory. The current system is Mac OS X 10.6.8 (10K549) Darwin 10.8.0 and it seems there is no further update available (auto search/detection for software update resulted in no asnwer/update). However, some applications have regularly prompted for a system update. Please assist on what options are available for me here. Thank you.
iMac (21.5-inch Mid 2011), Mac OS X (10.6.8)
Your Mac can be upgraded to the most recent (Yosemite, 10.10)
Upgrading to Yosemite
You can upgrade to Yosemite from Lion or directly from Snow Leopard. Yosemite can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for FREE.
Upgrading to Yosemite
To upgrade to Yosemite you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or Lion installed. Download Yosemite from the App Store. Sign in using your Apple ID. Yosemite is free. The file is quite large, over 5 GBs, so allow some time to download. It would be preferable to use Ethernet because it is nearly four times faster than wireless.
OS X Mavericks/Yosemite- System Requirements
Macs that can be upgraded to OS X Yosemite
1. iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 7,1 or later
2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 5,1 or later
3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 2,1 or later
5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
7. Xserve (Early 2009) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
To find the model identifier open System Profiler in the Utilities folder. It's displayed in the panel on the right.
Are my applications compatible?
See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps.
Upgrading to Lion
If your computer does not meet the requirements to install Mavericks, it may still meet the requirements to install Lion.
You can purchase Lion at the Online Apple Store. The cost is $19.99 (as it was before) plus tax. It's a download. You will get an email containing a redemption code that you then use at the Mac App Store to download Lion. Save a copy of that installer to your Downloads folder because the installer deletes itself at the end of the installation.
Lion System Requirements
1. Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7,
or Xeon processor
2. 2GB of memory
3. OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
4. 7GB of available space
5. Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
Many thanks Kappy and stedman1 for your quick reply/advice. I was pretty excited and have backed up my iMac ready for the update. But a quick search on the web has revealed numerous issues following update to Yosemite (wifi etc etc). I'm not a complicated user of the iMac but would certainly like to avoid potential issues with wifi or with the stability of the iMac. I will do a bit more research online including the recently released version of Yosemite (not sure if I'm going to get much info).....and then decide to proceed or not. Thanks anyway for directing me to a possible option for my iMac.
iMac Mac OS X 10.6.8 Upgrade Options
