I have an old MacBook Pro and I am thinking about this question. Apple already slowed down IPhone with new iOS releases, maybe they are doing the same with MacBooks.
So is it better to keep an OS or always keep it updated if you have an old MacBook?
MacBook Pro, macOS High Sierra (10.13.2)
Apple managed iPhone battery life, by reducing power consumption. Slower CPU speed, or keeping some of the CPU Cores idle, uses less power and is one way to extend battery life. iPhones running out of battery when you really need it, is also something users do not want, especially if you need to make an emergency phone call.
Do not let people that refuse to understand the limitations of battery technology make your decisions for you.
As for always upgrading, it depends.
If the Mac is your everyday driver, then keeping within the last 3 operating system releases is going to keep you up-to-date with security releases (today that would be El Capitan 10.11.*, Sierra 10.12.*, or High Sierra 10.13.*)
If this is a system that does not surf the internet, such as an older Mac being used as a home server (I do this with an older Mac), or a Mac you use for things that do not involve lots of random internet access (also called surf'in the web), then an even older macOS release can be acceptable.
If you are willing to use an alternate web browser, where that web browser is still being updated with all the most recent security fixes, AND it runs on an older macOS release, then you could also continue using an older macOS release AND surf the web.
HOWEVER, you should ALWAYS download a copy of each major macOS release, so that you will have that release in your Applications -> App Store -> Purchases list. You can "Quit" the download when it begins the install and starts asking you questions.
If you DO NOT download a copy of each major release so it is in your Purchases tab, then when Apple releases a new major macOS version, you will no longer be able to get an older version. If you have downloaded a copy, you can either use your saved copy, or you can download a new copy from your App Store -> Purchases tab.
This gives you much more flexibility in the future if you prefer using older macOS releases.
Finally, you should be budgeting for a new Mac, as eventually your older hardware is not going to run any up-to-date web browser, and your hardware will be too old to run a current macOS release that has security fixes and runs web browsers that include security fixes.
Apple managed iPhone battery life, by reducing power consumption. Slower CPU speed, or keeping some of the CPU Cores idle, uses less power and is one way to extend battery life. iPhones running out of battery when you really need it, is also something users do not want, especially if you need to make an emergency phone call.
Do not let people that refuse to understand the limitations of battery technology make your decisions for you.
As for always upgrading, it depends.
If the Mac is your everyday driver, then keeping within the last 3 operating system releases is going to keep you up-to-date with security releases (today that would be El Capitan 10.11.*, Sierra 10.12.*, or High Sierra 10.13.*)
If this is a system that does not surf the internet, such as an older Mac being used as a home server (I do this with an older Mac), or a Mac you use for things that do not involve lots of random internet access (also called surf'in the web), then an even older macOS release can be acceptable.
If you are willing to use an alternate web browser, where that web browser is still being updated with all the most recent security fixes, AND it runs on an older macOS release, then you could also continue using an older macOS release AND surf the web.
HOWEVER, you should ALWAYS download a copy of each major macOS release, so that you will have that release in your Applications -> App Store -> Purchases list. You can "Quit" the download when it begins the install and starts asking you questions.
If you DO NOT download a copy of each major release so it is in your Purchases tab, then when Apple releases a new major macOS version, you will no longer be able to get an older version. If you have downloaded a copy, you can either use your saved copy, or you can download a new copy from your App Store -> Purchases tab.
This gives you much more flexibility in the future if you prefer using older macOS releases.
Finally, you should be budgeting for a new Mac, as eventually your older hardware is not going to run any up-to-date web browser, and your hardware will be too old to run a current macOS release that has security fixes and runs web browsers that include security fixes.
have you read my answers? I gave two good reasons why the practice of planned obsolescence works. There are many more. As long as there is not a big movement boycotting products the gains outweigh the losses.
this is not tin-foil-paranoia but simple marketing strategy.
Apple has a long history of monopolising their products, be it power plugs or other weird plugs which work only for apple products, or pentalobe screws or batteries which are hard to remove or software which works well with other apple products but hardly with other devices etc.
Again, it was more profitable to do that despite the few customers they lost because of that.
I don't think the battery was the reason for slowing it down, although they like to state that of course. My old I Phone 4 battery still drastically outperformes any new I Phone. It can still be used as an mp3 player but it went so slow that even a skype talk was a burden. I can use it easily several days without recharging.
And even for devices like my MacBook Pro were battery life became a problem, it should never be an excuse to slow down devices, because batteries can be replaced.
The incentive of apple here is clear, it is greed. As long as there is no pressure from the consumers to demand long living products nothing will change.
So, if you feel this is a deliberate attempt to force user to purchase newer products, allow me to ask: Would you buy a new replacement product from such a company? Do you know anyone that would tolerate such tactics, and purchase a newer product.? I consider myself an average consumer, and would run, not walk from any company that I thought was involved in such tactics. I suspect most consumers would, or at least they should. Do you consider that to be a viable marketing tactic? If you do, I fear for the future of the human race.
unfortunately there are not many consumers who do run away. It is quite hard to find alternative companies which abstain from that practice. I recently had the case with my Samsung display where a capacitor is failing a couple of months after guarantee expires. I found out that this happened to many consumers and luckily I could find an instruction how to easily replace the 2$ capacitor. Most people would buy a new display instead. It is also hard to find information which companies do the practice of planned obsolescence and to obvious reasons companies are covering these facts.
Another reason why it works is that most consumers are happy with the practice of buying a new product every year and are never experiencing these issues at all.
The human race is indeed lost if we continue like this because resources are limited and our bodies can only tolerate a limited level of pollution.
I am not buying their products I was buying their products.
I don't know if I will continue to buy them.
But as mentioned above, it is not that easy to find alternatives.
I probably wouldn't act differently as a company because our market system is based on maximum profit but similar to a check and balances we as consumers need to demand better practices from companies.
If you aren't buying their products, because of their marketing tactics, do you suppose other people would feel the same way, and stop purchasing their products? Does that seem like a viable marketing plan on Apple's part? Of course it doesn't. The tin-foil-hat paranoia about such things is bewildering.
I don't think the battery was the reason for slowing it down, although they like to state that of course. My old I Phone 4 battery still drastically outperformes any new I Phone. It can still be used as an mp3 player but it went so slow that even a skype talk was a burden. I can use it easily several days without recharging.
Different CPU, different graphic processor, different cellular radios, different WiFi radios, different Bluetooth radios, different screen technology and pixel density, smaller screen, thicker iPhone body, apps that used less RAM and did not try to do as much with the graphics, but besides that, they are obviously identical and will obviously have identical battery life characteristics.
You cannot compare 7 year oe ld technology against today's tech. It just does not work. There are so many variables it is impossible to draw a valid conclusion.
Also if Apple stopped managing battery life, and just range the CPU and Graphics chips at full speed all the time, everyone's iPhone battery would be toast in far less time, then it is today, and they would be buying new iPhones faster.
As it is, most iPhones live longer and users can wait an extra year or 2 before they need to get a new iPhone. If Apple wanted to maximize its profits, it seems to me extending the life of the battery is the wrong way to do that.
Personally thing an iPhone dying in the middle of a call is going to be more noticeable than the iPhone going a little slower.
but I was comparing I Phone 4 with I Phone 4. Which btw apple didn't admit that it was slowed down as well. But it was, it went from working well to working horribly slow from one iOS version to the subsequent. And this given the fact that the battery worked well before and also worked well afterwards and as unbelievable as it sounds still works well to the present day without every changing it.
But this is also a legitimate reason not to believe me, because a company can always say "we did it just to save the battery" or "we didn't plan to build a board with a capacitor that dies after around 2 years, this happened only by mistake" . Of course I am only guessing here that these things are done on purpose. But why run CPU and Graphic chips full speed in the first place? And why not built honest devices with economic software that don't start full speed to slow them down later?
I have an iPhone 4 as my sole phone. Works the same as when I bought it off ebay.
The other three cheapo no-name phones I had died in six months of light use. The iPhone worked well in the three years I've owned it. I'd say it's a little slow too, but this is because my expectations have changed.
R
If you think that Apple are lying to you why would you buy their products.
Vote with your wallet.
But we don't believe you.
There is no confirmation from Apple or third-party testing that Apple is deliberately slowing down desktop, or laptop hardware. It may feel like it when you install into a minimal configured machine though, as the operating system continues to demand more resources going forward.
Apple has for the last several years, provided a three-year sliding window of operating system security updates, and on occasion, browser updates among those. If your installation of the operating system is currently older than El Capitan, then you are outside of the above mentioned security update window.
Otherwise, you should always ensure that you have the last released version of the previous (or current) operating system so that you qualify for these Security updates. By example, there are nine Security updates available if you have El Capitan 10.11.6 installed. If you stopped upgrading at 10.11.5, then none of these nine Security updates will be available to you — including Safari 11.0.2.
To directly answer your question, here are some things to consider:
1. The older the OS, the more vunerable it is from a security standpoint. Thus, if you reguarly use the internet (mail, web surfing, purchases online, etc.), it's best to stay up-to-date.
2. If you use your computer to run a business, you'll want to do some research a bit before your update. Namely, will all the software you rely on still work? You don't want to end up in a jam and losing business in case things fail. Eventually though, you should still be able to update.
3. Kinda like #2, but more generalistic. Sometimes updates come with major changes. For example, the next major OS after 10.13 will no longer run 32-bit software. So even if you don't use your Mac for business, there may be quite a bit of software that will no longer run. Games are notorious for never being updated, so expect that many may no longer function. Some people keep older Macs around just to run older software.
4. Software development (what I do)... in this case, you almost always need an up-to-date OS which is critical for writing macOS software (you need to test on what your customers will actually have).
Other notes... there will be a point in time when your hardware will be too old to update. So if you see a particular OS will no longer support your computer, time to put some money aside for a new computer.
It's possible to have multiple-boot systems. Here, you can keep older operating systems around (e.g. to run older software) and have the newest one also installed.
Is it a good idea to always update OS?
