macOS 10.12 Sierra Unsupported Macs Thread

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

My predictions:

-1,1/2,1 Mac Pros: These will be once-again resurrected by way of their usual boot.efi workaround.

-3,1 Mac Pros: I am not sure. It wouldn't be a matter of the boot.efi, so I'm guessing some sort of other trickery will need to be used. That being said, it actually remains the most questionable one of the lot.

-4,1 Mac Pros: These will likely be flashed to 5,1 so that they can possibly trick the new Sierra. There could be a workaround that doesn't require a firmware upgrade, but a firmware upgrade may be easier and is also required if one wants to upgrade their CPUs.

-2009 MacBook Pros/Mac Minis: Not sure about 2008 and 2007 MacBook Pros, but they may be able to receive similar methods of upgrade, since something like a 2007 17" MBP has a better CPU and GPU than my 2009 MacBook Pro. But, anyway, the 2009 MacBook Pro and Mac Mini (and possibly 2007/2008 MacBook Pros - and 2008 Mac Mini[?]) can likely receive a quick little fix to get Sierra to run, being that they all have the same GPUs or better than that of the white 2009 MacBook. Not sure what the fix could entail, but it could just be a matter of eliminating their model IDs from the internal list of unsupported ones, etc.

-2009 MacBook Air: A given 2008 model won't be able to (that is, the earlier 2008 model), but perhaps a late 2008 and a 2009 model may be able to push through. It DOES have a 9400M GPU as well, so there should be a quick fix for that. Granted, it only can support up to 2GB of RAM, so updating is pushing it.

-2007/2008 iMacs: These - mostly the 24" models - have the capacity to run El Cap, and therefore should be able to run Sierra, with a necessary workaround. Now, these don't have the 9400M, so more trickery may need to be involved, but it should be possible. Heck, I know someone who got Yosemite on a 2006 iMac.

-Aluminum MacBook: (Making this separate because it's an odd-ball machine.) It can run El Capitan and has a 9400M, so it should be able to deal with Sierra, with the necessary tweaking.

All in all, Apple is basically screwing us over by - yet again - taking capable machines and tossing them aside. This time, they've done worse by making machines, whose GPUs are identical to those of supported machines, unsupported for Sierra. Good thing that we won't take kindly to this. Give praise to those who will soon be working on solutions to get our favorite machines up and running again.

 

[ferretex]

24" Early 2008 iMac Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz 6GB RAM OWC 240GB SSD and 13" Late 2008 MacBook Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz 8GB RAM OWC 240GB SSD. This is the end...

 

[redheeler]

-2009 MacBook Air: A 2008 model won't be able to, but perhaps a 2009 model may be able to push through. It DOES have a 9400M GPU as well, so there should be a quick fix for that. Granted, it only can support up to 2GB of RAM, so updating is pushing it.

The late 2008 and mid 2009 models are almost identical. The only difference is a minor CPU bump in the 2009.

 

[Brad9893]

The late 2008 and mid 2009 models are almost identical. The only difference is a minor CPU bump in the 2009.

Does this mean that that model could install Sierra with something like XPostFacto which just overrides the installer check?

 

[redheeler]

Does this mean that that model could install Sierra with something like XPostFacto which just overrides the installer check?

Not sure, neither model is supported but I can't think of any hardware reason why they wouldn't be able to run it.

 

[MysticCow]

My mini chugs along for one more MacOS, er...macOS.

I can only hope there are definite speed improvements to make me use it over Windows 10. I'm sorry, but Win10 is a damn good OS and makes El Cap look like El Crap on this system.

 

[0248294]

There's going to be ways to get Sierra on older Macs. I wouldn't be afraid to bet money on that. The hardware is still capable, and so are the patchers

 

[TMRJIJ]

Downloading the OS as we speak. I won't be able to dissect it until later tonight though. Anyone already found changes in the installer? PlatformSupport.plist still in the OSInstall.mpkg?

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

Downloading the OS as we speak. I won't be able to dissect it until later tonight though. Anyone already found changes in the installer? PlatformSupport.plist still in the OSInstall.mpkg?

Let me guess... there's gonna be some internal list within Sierra that shows, in plain sight, models with 9400Ms that are deemed unsupported. I'll bet that those models can simply be erased from the code (or O.K.'d) and the installer can be saved and used for said machines .
[doublepost=1465850708][/doublepost]

24" Early 2008 iMac Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz 6GB RAM OWC 240GB SSD 13" Late 2008 MacBook Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz 8GB RAM OWC 240GB SSD. This is the end...

Sadly, things won't be so easy... but I have hope that there will be a workaround for your machine.
[doublepost=1465850793][/doublepost]

The late 2008 and mid 2009 models are almost identical. The only difference is a minor CPU bump in the 2009.

I was just unsure because I don't know whether or not someone has already tried El Cap on a 2008 model. The 2008 model's latest official version is Lion. However, I guess it could go past that; however, 2GB RAM is lame.

 

[redheeler]

I was just unsure because I don't know whether or not someone has already tried El Cap on a 2008 model. The 2008 model's latest official version is Lion. However, I guess it could go past that; however, 2GB RAM is lame.

The early and late 2008 models are more different. I'm referring to the one I have, a late 2008, which has official El Capitan support.

 

[philheaton]

my 2015 rMBP is obviously fine. Its my upgraded 2008 MP that I'm worried about. 22GB RAM, GTX 680 2GB, twin quad core 2.8GHz, upgraded Bluetooth module (handoff works seamlessly), 2GB Fusion Drive, is clearly not good enough for Sierra.

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

xD Off-topic, but some Mac-hater told me I was stupid for spending "$2000" to upgrade an aging machine. I literally spent $100 on a GPU and $50 on 32GB of RAM for my 2009 Mac Pro. It's like they all assume that using a Mac (even a free, used Mac) requires that we pour money into it.
[doublepost=1465851244][/doublepost]

my 2015 rMBP is obviously fine. Its my upgraded 2008 MP that I'm worried about. 22GB RAM, GTX 680 2GB, twin quad core 2.8GHz, upgraded Bluetooth module (handoff works seamlessly), 2GB Fusion Drive, is clearly not good enough for Sierra.

The 2008 one is iffy because it already has a 64-bit EFI and cannot be flashed to 5,1 like the 4,1 can, but know that there should be a workaround for it sooner or later.
[doublepost=1465851475][/doublepost]

The early and late 2008 models are more different. I'm referring to the one I have, a late 2008, which has official El Capitan support.

Oh, I didn't know about that. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[curmudgeonette]

Wonder why they struck the 2009 Mac mini off?

Especially as the 2010 is basically the identical hardware (mainly just the 320M in place of the 9400M,) though in the new unibody case.

However, my attempt to install El Cap on the neighbor's 2010 Mini was an unmitigated disaster, and thus perhaps even the 2010 should have been stricken from the list? Maybe 10.13 will have a serious reduction in supported systems and Apple is artificially rolling out the reduction in two steps.

An interesting observation: I think all the newly stricken machines can run Snow Leopard. Sort of like - if the machine can't run an OS with the latest modern features, it can instead run the OS without any of the modern features.

 

[Czo]

El Capitan running pretty fine on my syster's Mac Mini (Early 2009, 256G SSD, 8G RAM).

 

[Nossie]

I have a macmini 3,1 - I only use it as a server with the extension and access it via VNC - such a shame Apple doesn't just warn about ageing hardware rather than cutting it straight out.

 

[Andres Cantu]

While I would have liked consistency (either all Late 2009 Macs or no Late 2009 Macs), it's still a much simpler list than the previous one (2007-2009 models, now just 2009-2010).

 

[jwpoof]

My predictions:

All in all, Apple is basically screwing us over by - yet again - taking capable machines and tossing them aside. This time, they've done worse by making machines, whose GPUs are identical to those of supported machines, unsupported for Sierra. Good thing that we won't take kindly to this. Give praise to those who will soon be working on solutions to get our favorite machines up and running again.

I have been and remain quite critical of Apple for a lot of reasons echoed elsewhere, but this is a ridiculous complaint. Do you really expect 7+ year old computers to get a free operating system upgrade? If they really wanted to "screw you over" they'd make it so you can't just continue to use El Capitan.

 

[saudor]

I wonder if there are any changes in say.. the audio chip between the 09/10 models

i.e. ipad 2 no siri but ipad mini had siri. despite same CPU because of the microphone

 

[ziggy29]

I have been and remain quite critical of Apple for a lot of reasons echoed elsewhere, but this is a ridiculous complaint. Do you really expect 7+ year old computers to get a free operating system upgrade? If they really wanted to "screw you over" they'd make it so you can't just continue to use El Capitan.

I think the criticism is based on drawing a line based on the age of the machine rather than some entirely unsupported CPU, GPU, CPU speed or installed RAM. In other words, it seems like the older machines are perfectly capable of running Sierra based on its hardware, but they decided they had to add a "time bomb" in addition to the usual and understandable hardware-based desupporting.

For example, my Unibody (Late 2008) MacBook. I wasn't sure I was planning to upgrade that one anyway (and have been considering going back to Mavericks), but just the same... it has enough RAM (8 GB), it has the same CPU (2.0/2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo) as some supported models, has the same 9400M graphics as some supported models, so the code will be there to allow it to work... but they have (presumably) specifically coded *in* the disabling of installation on this model and others that would also be able to run it. There are probably others, too. It's not that I don't think I got a good long run of running the latest supported OS and apps, but the reason for excluding it seems not based on its lack of capability.

Yes, 7+ years of being supported by the latest software is longer than usual, but maybe the changes to system requirements based on age rather than hardware specifics is an acknowledgement that Moore's Law is definitely slowing down and it's harder to get people to buy new computers as a result.

 

[Isaiah56man]

My predictions:

-1,1/2,1 Mac Pros: These will be once-again resurrected by way of their usual boot.efi workaround.

-3,1 Mac Pros: I am not sure. It wouldn't be a matter of the boot.efi, so I'm guessing some sort of other trickery will need to be used. That being said, it actually remains the most questionable one of the lot.

-4,1 Mac Pros: These will likely be flashed to 5,1 so that they can possibly trick the new Sierra. There could be a workaround that doesn't require a firmware upgrade, but a firmware upgrade may be easier and is also required if one wants to upgrade their CPUs.

-2009 MacBook Pros/Mac Minis: Not sure about 2008 and 2007 MacBook Pros, but they may be able to receive similar methods of upgrade, since something like a 2007 17" MBP has a better CPU and GPU than my 2009 MacBook Pro. But, anyway, the 2009 MacBook Pro and Mac Mini (and possibly 2007/2008 MacBook Pros - and 2008 Mac Mini[?]) can likely receive a quick little fix to get Sierra to run, being that they all have the same GPUs or better than that of the white 2009 MacBook. Not sure what the fix could entail, but it could just be a matter of eliminating their model IDs from the internal list of unsupported ones, etc.

-2009 MacBook Air: A given 2008 model won't be able to (that is, the earlier 2008 model), but perhaps a late 2008 and a 2009 model may be able to push through. It DOES have a 9400M GPU as well, so there should be a quick fix for that. Granted, it only can support up to 2GB of RAM, so updating is pushing it.

-2007/2008 iMacs: These - mostly the 24" models - have the capacity to run El Cap, and therefore should be able to run Sierra, with a necessary workaround. Now, these don't have the 9400M, so more trickery may need to be involved, but it should be possible. Heck, I know someone who got Yosemite on a 2006 iMac.

-Aluminum MacBook: (Making this separate because it's an odd-ball machine.) It can run El Capitan and has a 9400M, so it should be able to deal with Sierra, with the necessary tweaking.

All in all, Apple is basically screwing us over by - yet again - taking capable machines and tossing them aside. This time, they've done worse by making machines, whose GPUs are identical to those of supported machines, unsupported for Sierra. Good thing that we won't take kindly to this. Give praise to those who will soon be working on solutions to get our favorite machines up and running again.

[doublepost=1465862381][/doublepost]Thank you hard working developers that will be working to bring our computers to the latest version of Mac os stupid.

 

[MagicBoy]

Quick update on the Mac mini. Installed it on to an external drive via the rMBP, then had a play with the Platform Support.plist and substituted the one from 10.11. That gets past the prohibited symbol, but it won't load the GUI...

 

[mcrazza]

Crap.

I guess it means my mac is now officially obsolete.

I'm looking forward to any sort of workaround.

24" Early 2008 iMac Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz 6GB RAM OWC 240GB SSD and 13" Late 2008 MacBook Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz 8GB RAM OWC 240GB SSD. This is the end...

I feel your pain, dude.

 

[KALLT]

We’ll all become Hackintoshians. You should also pay attention to their communities, they will probably be on top of this quickly.

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

[doublepost=1465862381][/doublepost]Thank you hard working developers that will be working to bring our computers to the latest version of Mac os stupid.

I am sadly no developer, but I also thank those who have been working hard for this!

 

[KALLT]

24" Early 2008 iMac Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz 6GB RAM OWC 240GB SSD and 13" Late 2008 MacBook Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz 8GB RAM OWC 240GB SSD. This is the end...

Same here. The unibody MacBook was one of a kind and has no equals among Apple’s current lineup, especially with Apple’s trend in preventing upgradeability. If I cannot get this to work, I’ll probably abandon OS X.