This version of macOS 10.12 cannot be installed on this computer.

To answer those complaining and those saying we should buy new laptops...

• I have a mid 2009 MacBook Pro
• I have also now bought a new 12" Macbook and I love it for its portability.
• However, my Mid 2009 is still going strong and is an excellent home unit / backup (with USB ports and an optical drive).

So.... in summary I agree with both points of view, upgrading to a new faster more portable Macbook is cool!! (literally as it doesn't heat up like my 2009 does)

BUT..... I think its unfair that my 'still going strong' 2009 which is still part of the family is now not getting the latest software.

Just because people have a 2009 doesn't mean they are mean fisted 'upgrade refusers'... it could mean that like me they love and cherish their old Macs alongside the new one 🙂

On a separate but related note...Food for thought... If you buy a $1,000 watch do you throw it away after 7 years? I doubt it...why should a Mac be dumped. I think my 2009 backup unit will run for 15+ years easily, as will the new 12".

Technology marches along at an ungodly pace. Apple is constantly striving to do New and Amazing things, and unfortunately that means that if you want to take advantage of them you may need New and Exciting (and often Expensive) hardware.

I'm a tech person. I have to buy new tech because it's what I do for a living. I frequently complain to my friends that I'm going to become a luddite and throw out everything with a screen on it and move into a shack in the woods. I'm sort of joking.

I personally feel it's unsustainable, and eventually we'll have to do something about it. But for now, the price of the ticket on the Apple ride is replacing your hardware every so often if you want to use the latest and greatest.

Because you asked? "How long should a computer stay up to date, you tell me please."

I guess your lack of question mark should have made me realize you were being sarcastic. 😉 But my statement still stands.

J. Charles Holt1 wrote:

But for now, the price of the ticket on the Apple ride is replacing your hardware every so often if you want to use the latest and greatest.

Just curious, how would one use the "latest and greatest" without owning it?

Since mine is mid 2009 I'm taking this means apple is forcing to purchase a new MAC to keep up with the new versions!?! Especially since pages won't update without the new update version 10.12! I love my MACPRO but now feeling dissapointed 😟

Make sure your Mac meets Sierra requirements > macOS - How to Upgrade - Apple

Same problem here. 10.12 won't install..

According Sierra requirements my MacBook Pro from Mid 2009 does meet requirements.

And still it does not work.

Any tricks to let this work?

I too have this problem with a MacBook Pro from 2009 which meets the requirements. In the message box with the error there is a "Learn More" button, but when I click on it nothing happens. I used the disk utility to check for errors on my hard disk. There were a couple, but DU fixed them and I still have the problem.

If its a mid 2009 MacBook Pro, then it does not meet the requirements.

It needs to be a Mid 2010 MacBook Pro or later:

http://www.apple.com/macos/how-to-upgrade/

Mac Hardware Requirements

For details about your Mac model, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen, choose About This Mac, then choose More Info. These Mac models are compatible with macOS Sierra:

• MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)
• MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
• MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
• Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
• iMac (Late 2009 or newer)
• Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)

This isn't a list of "Hardware Requirements" - this is a list of "you're screwed if you bought before this date"

"Hardware Requirements" is "28 GB Ram", "at least 2 quad core intel xenon" "NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 1024 MB", 1 TB boot drive.

dang, Apple - why keep ******* off 30+ year Apple customers/developers?

My MacPro (early 2009) is purring like a tiger, with all those specs above & two 30" Cinema Displays.

nothing in the extended details web pages says this shouldn't run just fine.

bovine excrement.

(not to rag on Phil0124, but you answered it)

I agree. There is no indication, so far as I can see, of how a mid-2009 MacBook Pro does not meet the requirements.

My MacBook Pro (mid 2009) has a new hard-drive and full memory of 8 gb. So is it the CPU which is not up to scratch!!

OS 10.12 Sierra downloaded without problem and indicated it had installed. On restart it was still El Capitan?

For all it's user friendliness the actual documentary support from Apple is more often than not pretty abysmal.

The cynic in me wonders if this is at all related to the imminent release of the new MacBook range!!

I'm pretty irritated about this. I'd love to know if this is genuinely a technical matter and that mac0S Sierra is simply unable to work on older hardware or is it simply a way to get people to get rid of their old Macs and buy new ones?

I was going to purchase one of the new Macbook pros. However, if Apple are now selling computers that are built to last for over a decade yet they are seemingly unable to provide the latest software for those older computers it does somewhat defeat the purpose of paying extra for a robust computer that should last for five years plus.

I wonder does this inability to provide older Macs with the latest OS make pre 2009 Macs less secure?

A 2009 computer is now 7 years old, and has been supported for all of those 7 years with all 7 OSX updates. Most people change their cars more often than that.

More features require more resources, and its not just about processing power or ram, its also other hardware like Bluetooth adapters, Wifi, video cards, hard drive interfaces. All these things advance and move on, and features in more modern OSes require more modern hardware that can handle them. 2009 MBP already was getting a more limited feature set in Yosemite and el Capitan since they could not AirDrop to iOS devices.

Would you prefer to have gotten a stripped down version of Sierra too instead without most of the new features?

Most of the new features of Sierra do require the newer Bluetooth, wifi, and other hardware inside it to support it. Tech moves on, 7 years is an excellent run in computer life time. Is it really unreasonable to think after 7 years it may be time to update to a newer computer?

I'd like to see any computer manufacturer support their computers even half as long as Apple does.

As for security, an OS does not become automatically insecure because a new one is released. It becomes insecure when exploits and other breaches are found in it that make it insecure. This takes time. Apple has been known in the past to offer updates and patches to a certain degree if security holes are found in older oses.

As it stands you can still probably use a 2009 MBP for another couple years without any major issues. Will be it be unreasonable then to expect to update to a new computer to?

At some point older hardware gets left behind, its the nature of technology. 7 years is an impressive run for any computer. Just because you cannot update to Sierra does not mean the computer's life is at an end.