My guess is 2029 before security updates stop. My reasoning:
The 2018 mini got Sequoia for 2024. The 2019 should get 2025. The 2020 should get 2026. Then three years of security updates gets you to 2029.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) Order Thread
- Thread starter RyanXM
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
My guess is 2029 before security updates stop. My reasoning:
The 2018 mini got Sequoia for 2024. The 2019 should get 2025. The 2020 should get 2026. Then three years of security updates gets you to 2029.
Those were discontinued in March 2022. I would say that main line updates end with the 2027 macOS (5 years) plus 2 years of updates thereafter.
So I should be safe until at least 2027 then? I want to get an M based iMac but I have some bills too pay off before that happens.
Well, it’s not officially declared as such but it’s a reasonable assumption based on previous macs. And being the last generation of Intel Macs we shouldn’t expect Apple to be too generous with support. Plenty of time to pick up an M series Mac in 3-5 years time. The only Intel Macs remaining after that would be the Mac Pro - let’s see how much respect Apple have for professionals who purchased one of those.
Based on the history, I was thinking Sequoia would be the last major release for the 2019 model, and whatever comes after Sequoia would be the last major release for the 2020 model. But I no longer have a horse in the race, since I replaced my 2020 with a Mac Studio.
Computers aren't like 2006 anymore. We don't change computers every 3-5 years. Nowadays computers are made to last for at least 5-7 years and it will probably be the lifespan of the 2020 iMac. I know for sure I'll only upgrade my computer when I won't have any updates anymore because this computer is already fast enough for all the things I do. I don't need my apps to open 0.5 seconds faster or my scrolling in Safari to be more snappy than it actually is.
My point is it's not in the interest of Apple to stop supporting those computer too soon. I think for now, with guaranteed security updates for 2 years if the 2020 iMac stop receiving major updates is already a decent lifespan but I expect at least one last year of major update.
Yeah, I plan on using my 2020 until I no longer can.......I think there will be at least one more major update for the 2020 then after that security updates as needed.....I just hate changing computers I lose all my bookmarks. I pay all my bills on my computer.
The 2018 Mac mini received Sequoia so I think that the 2019 model may get one more and the 2020 two more.
The 2019 is able to go to macOS Sonoma, so you'd think probably two more OS releases...but with Apple Intelligence being the thing, they might be releasing a 27"+ iMac soon...
There are some weak rumors for a larger pro iMac for 2025. I don't think that they know yet.
I too have a 2020 iMac and don't plan on renewing it any time soon.
As some say, OS15 may possibly be the last official release for Intel Macs. But after that I'd be very surprised if the Open Core Legacy Patcher team don't review their magic and release something to see our 2020 (and earlier) Intel Macs singing & dancing well into 2030 and beyond.
Fwiw, I've just upgraded my ancient 2013 MacBook Air 4Gb/128 laptop to OS14.7 Sonoma. (OS15 Sequoia wasn't advised by the specialists). I initially did it for a bit of fun and thought I'd be really pushing my luck with only 4GB RAM memory, but was truly astonished at the excellent performance for general everyday use. It even plays back YTube videos superbly without any signs of stuttering or other problems!
My advise is, don't write off and trash early Intel Macs, let alone our 2020 iMacs without researching current/future OCLP possibilities.
As some say, OS15 may possibly be the last official release for Intel Macs. But after that I'd be very surprised if the Open Core Legacy Patcher team don't review their magic and release something to see our 2020 (and earlier) Intel Macs singing & dancing well into 2030 and beyond.
Fwiw, I've just upgraded my ancient 2013 MacBook Air 4Gb/128 laptop to OS14.7 Sonoma. (OS15 Sequoia wasn't advised by the specialists). I initially did it for a bit of fun and thought I'd be really pushing my luck with only 4GB RAM memory, but was truly astonished at the excellent performance for general everyday use. It even plays back YTube videos superbly without any signs of stuttering or other problems!
My advise is, don't write off and trash early Intel Macs, let alone our 2020 iMacs without researching current/future OCLP possibilities.
I don't think Open Core is going to be able to help in the future. Either the next macOS release (16.x) or the one following (17.x) will be for Apple Silicon (ARM) only. Nothing Open Core or anyone else does will make it work on Intel Macs at that point. We Intel Mac users will be left with no further updates of any type from Apple, except maybe for security fixes, if we're lucky.
As for application support, if companies have ported their software to Apple Silicon by then, then they'll likely stop all support of their Intel versions. We may get lucky in that some software vendors will continue supporting their Intel versions for a while.
Apple provided Sequoia for the 2018 mini this year so I think that they provide macOS updates for the 2019 in 2025 and the 2020 in 2026. And then three years of security updates beyond that. OCLP depends on the macOS binaries so it's not going to support older hardware once Apple stops distributing binaries. That's fine with me as it looks like another two years of feature updates and then three years of security updates.
I'm comfortable running macOS without security updates and have options to run Windows and Linux or use it as a monitor.
