Question about moving to Apple desktop

[Jerry1]

I’ve been thinking (for some time now) about getting a Mac desktop Likely candidate is the 24” iMac after they update it later this year. However, my issue is something that would impact any Apple I might buy. In my research, I’ve been reading about Hardware becoming obsolete due to Apple discontinuing support for a particular OS. I was reading on mac rumors and this person summed up the concern pretty well:

The problem with APPLE is that while your iMac is still running like a charm after 10 years, the O.S. is outdated, because no longer upgradable, and the software has become a chain of limitations: my 27" of 2013 was stuck on Catalina, but also refused to run beyond JAVA 14 and thus beyond ECLIPSE 26, etc., etc.

Is this a real issue? My biggest concern is that I’d have a machine that I couldn’t use a program like Turbo Tax that I need to update every year. I’d not be concerned about using an old version of something like Office as long as it would keep running, which I think it would. But something like TT might not be able to be installed.

Of course I could be gone in 10 years so all this may not matter, but I still wanted to hear from you who have been with Apple for a long time. I’ve run Apple before but haven’t in several years. I’ve always had a DOS/Windows machine because of work, but I’ve also had a few Apple laptops along the way.

 

[GenXguy]

It's probably true, and expected that they won't support the old hardware indefinitely. But, Microsoft is doing the same thing with Windows 11, and various hardware and software wouldn't work with newer versions of Windows, either, plus the changes in newer hardware can cause compatibility issues. None of my Windows computers or laptops are supported on Windows 11. So, not unexpected with Apple to have the same issues. Look at smartphones - even worse.

 

[jim584672]

You can run Win 11 on almost any hardware with workarounds unofficially. Not that you would want to run Win 11 since it is hot beta quality garbage.

 

[GenXguy]

You can run Win 11 on almost any hardware with workarounds unofficially. Not that you would want to run Win 11 since it is hot beta quality garbage.

Yeah, that's why I said "supported". And with updates that Microsoft forces out, they could break things at any time. And that still doesn't guarantee if will even work with accessory/peripheral hardware or installed software, that could also break with any Microsoft update as well. They have done that with Windows 10 quite a few times.

Eventually, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates to Windows 10. I don't recall the date off hand, but a quick google...

 

[homestead]

I have been updating my 10 year old macbook pro using open core legacy patcher which allows it to run the current Ventura software.
Without that you can expect to get updates for about 6 years.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

My 2017 iMac still runs the latest version of MacOS. It just updated itself the other day to Ventura 13.4.1.

Best computer I ever had. I resisted going Mac for years mainly because the w*rk world was all windoze.

edit to add: Checking the list of Macs that can run Ventura, I see that year 2017 is at the bottom of the list. So six years might be it, dunno. We'll see.

 

[jim584672]

A possible solution for an outdated Apple is to run a virtual machine of Win 10 and that can run Turbotax. I run Win 10 in Linux via the QEMU VM to run H&R Block software.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Checking the list of Macs that can run Ventura, I see that year 2017 is at the bottom of the list. So six years might be it, dunno. We'll see.

And to add yet another thing: I see that Sonoma, to be released this fall, will require a 2019 iMac or newer. Not sure how long the older version of MacOS are supported.

 

[dixonge]

Buy whatever computer you want and stop worrying about software version support. The hardware will last long after they stop making updates for it. So just keep using it with whatever software is the most recent. TT 2019 runs on anything back to High Sierra from 2017. You've got many years of runway.

 

[SnowballCamper]

I'm on a Mac mini (Late 2012) The latest update is High Sierra 10.13.6

It all still works fine for me...

 

[target2019]

I’ve been thinking (for some time now) about getting a Mac desktop Likely candidate is the 24” iMac after they update it later this year. However, my issue is something that would impact any Apple I might buy. In my research, I’ve been reading about Hardware becoming obsolete due to Apple discontinuing support for a particular OS. I was reading on mac rumors and this person summed up the concern pretty well:

Is this a real issue? My biggest concern is that I’d have a machine that I couldn’t use a program like Turbo Tax that I need to update every year. I’d not be concerned about using an old version of something like Office as long as it would keep running, which I think it would. But something like TT might not be able to be installed.

Of course I could be gone in 10 years so all this may not matter, but I still wanted to hear from you who have been with Apple for a long time. I’ve run Apple before but haven’t in several years. I’ve always had a DOS/Windows machine because of work, but I’ve also had a few Apple laptops along the way.

There is truth in every experience.

Besides your app software needing to keep up with Apple OS updates, you have potential driver issues with those updates.

For me, I like to refresh the monitor every few years. There is always a significant monitor improvement. Wider, more pixels, whatever. I've done that three times since 2014 with this Dell-Windows PC.

You'll need work-arounds, like parallels, but an iMac is a very simple, quick solution.

I would get the Macbook Air fully loaded, and use my large monitor with that. You do need room on your desk, but then you have flexibility in using as a travel computer at times.

 

[eytonxav]

Get the mac desktop and stop worrying about OS longevity.

 

[Midpack]

I keep desktops/laptops for about 7-8 years on average, never tried 10+. But Microsoft ends support for Windows eventually just like Apple does with Mac OS. I’m not sure what the difference is?

After 30 years exclusive with Win PCs, we bought a 24” iMac (M1) and a 16” MacBook Pro (M1 Pro) in 2021 and we couldn’t be happier. No plan to go back.

And we had no problems moving ALL our files from PC to Mac FWIW including past TurboTax files - my first year on the iMac using TT Mac, it grabbed all my history like always. I was worried about losing our music library, photos and videos I’d created, all transferred without issue.

 

[MichaelB]

I keep desktops/laptops for about 7-8 years on average, never tried 10+. But Microsoft ends support for Windows eventually just like Apple does with Mac OS. I’m not sure what the difference is?

I agree, there’s no reason to expect Windows to be any different. In addition, even when support continues one can expect OS upgrades and newer versions to perform poorly on older hardware due to resource limitations.

 

[target2019]

I agree, there’s no reason to expect Windows to be any different. In addition, even when support continues one can expect OS upgrades and newer versions to perform poorly on older hardware due to resource limitations.

Your last sentence is very important. That is why I choose very carefully, and appreciate expandabilty down the road.

So what's in that mini, or all-in-one, or laptop? When I upgrade the OS and apps become more taxing with time, do I have room for expansion?

So, my advice has been to businesses and their owners since 1990 or so. Let's examine YOUR use cases. You bought this all-in-one two years ago. With 4 GB of memory you now have complaints about how slow. That works for home decisions too.

Look at the specs, and think about the future. YMMV.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

You'll need work-arounds, like parallels, but an iMac is a very simple, quick solution.

Not necessarily. MacOS comes with Bootcamp which runs Windows natively in a separate partition. It requires re-booting to switch between MacOS and Windows, however. I started out with a Windows partition when I first made the switch so I could run the windows version of HRB tax software which I had just bought, and I was afraid of discovering other Windows apps I couldn't live without. Eventually I realized that was not so, and I deleted Windows.

Couldn't be happier. Especially the integration with my iPad and iPhone. I will say that Numbers and Pages took some getting used to, but I've learned to love 'em. OTOH, I had to buy Excel so I could run a purchased spreadsheet that was incompatible with Numbers. I found a deal on a purchased copy of MS Office with a lifetime license, so keep an eye out for that (it comes up periodically).

 

[Jerry1]

Let's examine YOUR use cases.

Look at the specs, and think about the future. YMMV.

I have a desktop that DW uses for pictures and storage that is high end. My use case for this machine is my office. My use is very simple. I surf the web and review/edit a couple of very basic spreadsheets. I also might write a letter once in awhile. I would load Office onto the machine. Then, once per year, I do taxes for me and the family using Turbo Tax.

I think about the most taxing thing I do would be watching videos and I really don’t do much of that. Any streaming I do in the living room on my tv. I don’t typically have multiple programs running and if I did, it would be a spreadsheet while I’m surfing. Again, very light use. I just like a very clear screen and a quiet computer that’s reasonably fast.

 

[GenXguy]

Yeah, it's good to have some upgrade options. One of my Windows computers is a 13 year old desktop i5 overclocked to 4 Ghz, and I have upgraded to 16 GB RAM and an SSD drive over the years. The computer is actually snappier performing than much newer computers at my ex-employer.

And upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10 was actually faster. It made one of my older laptops less painful to use.

My main monitor is 15 to 20 years old. It's 4x3 which I prefers to the newer wide screen monitors I used at my ex-employer, and I have one of those also not currently attached, although the wide screens are nice for wide screen movies, I don't typically use my desktop computer for that.

It figures that Apple wouldn't take you as long before you're no longer supported with current updates. I have no intentions of going down that route since I've been happy with, very familiar with, and have not had problems with Windows.

 

[Rianne]

I have a 21.5-inch 2015 iMac. I just updated the software to 12.6.7. No issues upgrading, or software updates. A couple of times I've called Applecare (never paid for it) and they always help. But we have all Apple products, iPhones and Ipad.

 

[explanade]

I’ve been thinking (for some time now) about getting a Mac desktop Likely candidate is the 24” iMac after they update it later this year. However, my issue is something that would impact any Apple I might buy. In my research, I’ve been reading about Hardware becoming obsolete due to Apple discontinuing support for a particular OS. I was reading on mac rumors and this person summed up the concern pretty well:



Is this a real issue? My biggest concern is that I’d have a machine that I couldn’t use a program like Turbo Tax that I need to update every year. I’d not be concerned about using an old version of something like Office as long as it would keep running, which I think it would. But something like TT might not be able to be installed.

Of course I could be gone in 10 years so all this may not matter, but I still wanted to hear from you who have been with Apple for a long time. I’ve run Apple before but haven’t in several years. I’ve always had a DOS/Windows machine because of work, but I’ve also had a few Apple laptops along the way.

If anything, Turbo Tax will make you upgrade to newer OS but it will take years.

I'm on a 2017 iMac that I may upgrade if they come out with a 27-inch or bigger monitor or iMac.

It's still on Intel processor. I also have a 14-inch MacBook Pro that I bought in 2021. Software works on both, even though the laptop is on the Apple M1 Pro processor which uses a completely different architecture than Intel chips.

I am running Mac OS Big Sur, which was released in November 2020. I've gotten security updates. One of the reasons I upgraded to this OS is that Turbo Tax required it as a minimum.

Before that I was on some older OS.

What I face is that older applications are no longer supported. So for instance, all 32-bit applications which are typically around 10 years old since their last update can't run on Big Sur or later Mac OS versions.

I think you will get at least 5 years of OS updates, probably longer, with a Mac.

The current latest version is Ventura, released in 2022 and it supports Macs released in 2017.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213264

Mac OS Sonoma, which will be released later this year, will drop support for 2017 Macs.

https://www.macrumors.com/guide/will-my-mac-run-macos-sonoma/


But that doesn't mean my 2017 iMac is useless. I can still update it to Ventura if I wished and it should continue getting security updates.

 

[Dan32]

My situation is a little different. I have a late 2013 iMac running Catalina. For the most part, I'm still satisfied with performance. I use a second monitor and run ThinkorSwim along with several other programs usually open. If too many windows are open I do see a slow down in TOS performance (which I don't like). So I'm thinking of upgrading to either a new 24" iMac due for an update later this year? or a Mac mini. With the Mac mini I would keep my current Mac and use it as the 2nd monitor along with my stand alone monitor. I would also like to use the 1 TB of storage on my old iMac. Does anyone have experience with updating the computing power via a Mac mini and continuing to use the monitor and storage capability of an older iMac?

 

[Al18]

Based on history, it's likely Apple hardware will likely continue operating long after Apple stops supporting it. Case in point - a 2012 MacBook Pro 15 inch has an Intel i7 4 core processor. It shipped with OSX 10.7.4 and you can upgrade the OS for free to OSX 10.15.7. While Apple stopped selling replacement parts and supporting the OS a few years ago, you can still run HRBlock 2023 on it - though this will probably change next year. My point is when you do decide to upgrade your Mac in the future, there's a good chance your old Mac will still be running if you want to run old software.

 

[mcbraemer]

I keep desktops/laptops for about 7-8 years on average, never tried 10+. But Microsoft ends support for Windows eventually just like Apple does with Mac OS. I’m not sure what the difference is?

After 30 years exclusive with Win PCs, we bought a 24” iMac (M1) and a 16” MacBook Pro (M1 Pro) in 2021 and we couldn’t be happier. No plan to go back.

And we had no problems moving ALL our files from PC to Mac FWIW including past TurboTax files - my first year on the iMac using TT Mac, it grabbed all my history like always. I was worried about losing our music library, photos and videos I’d created, all transferred without issue.

This has been my experience exactly! Once you figure out how to work with MAC file management, TTax rums perfectly on our Macbook Pro, finding previous tax return files no problem
After over 30 years using exclusively DOS and many versions of Windows, I'm still figuring out the idiosyncrasies of the Apple OS. It has many similarities to a Windows system. The biggest difference I noticed was much less access to the OS and files than Windows; but very stable with way less lockups and system errors.

 

[eytonxav]

Back when I was in the corporate world, our hardware refresh cycle was 3+ years for laptops and 5+ for desktop PCs. I have no idea what companies did that were exclusively Mac shops, but suspect it would be a bit longer. That said, for my home machines, I held on to my Mac computers longer than the windows machines.

 

[Jerry1]

Thanks to all for the input. It will help a lot as I figure out how best to proceed. My current lean is to wait for the refreshed 24” Mac but we’ll see.