How long does Apple support Mac firmware?
Apple provides firmware support for Intel Macs for at least eight years, with older models ceasing updates around June 2019. Newer models and those with T2 chips receive extended support.
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Apple provides firmware support for its Intel Macs without T2 chips for a minimum of eight years after their introduction. The support period varies, with older models (pre-2012) typically receiving firmware updates until around June 2019, while newer models have seen extended support. The article highlights a notable gap in firmware updates for models introduced between 2011 and 2013, possibly due to the transition from Sandy Bridge to Ivy Bridge chipsets or other strategic decisions by Apple. For Macs with T2 chips and Apple silicon, firmware updates are expected to continue as long as the models are supported by macOS updates. The lack of transparency from Apple regarding firmware updates complicates tracking, but the author has compiled data on firmware versions and their release dates to provide insights into the support timeline. Overall, while most Intel Macs enjoy substantial firmware support, the situation differs for newer models, which may receive updates until they are no longer supported by macOS.
- Apple supports Intel Macs' firmware for at least eight years post-introduction.
- Older models saw firmware updates cease around June 2019, while newer models have longer support.
- A gap in firmware updates exists for models introduced between 2011 and 2013.
- Macs with T2 chips and Apple silicon are likely to receive firmware updates as long as they are supported by macOS.
- Apple's lack of transparency on firmware updates complicates tracking and understanding support timelines.
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6 commentsI doubt I'll be getting updates of any kind on x86 Macbooks for much longer, so I wanted to install NixOS on here like I had on previous Macs, and I did manage to get it installed, but the support for the T2 hardware is, in my opinion, not usable for daily use. Very basic stuff like suspending doesn't work, the audio sounds like crap, sometimes booting simply doesn't work, and the discrete graphics card doesn't work.
I don't blame the community for this, obviously. These are hard problems, and Apple worked pretty hard to make it difficult to actually sideload other operating systems on here. It's annoying that in another year or so, this computer might become increasingly less secure, because updates will cease.
I should probably just buy a Framework at this point and sell this Mac while it still has some street value.
When reading something like this I can’t help but wonder what the big PC makers do, but figuring that out seems like it would be pretty daunting given the large number of models even a single vendor makes.
Having so few models, plus firmware updates in the OS, probably made figuring this out so much easier than it would be in PC land.
Also: poor 2019 iMac. It’s a nice model but came out right before the Apple Silicon transition. It’s lifetime was never going to be what it could have been.
Still works great, but is capped at Catalina. I’ll have to check when it got its last update.
I use it as a Zoom machine, and it still runs the latest version of that app, just fine.
I have a first-gen iPhone Xs Max, that I’m using to test my software on iOS18. I test iOS16, on an iPhone 8 Plus. I also have an original SE, but it’s capped at iOS15, so I don’t test against it, anymore (except when I want to test really tight screen layouts). Apple kit does tend to last.
8 years seems like long enough. Did you actually buy 40 macbooks from different eras?
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