Within the last decade, many things have got faster and better, with more memory, more power, more efficiency. However some things have not gotten better – like some of the limitations of versions of Apple software and their hardware they leave behind at times.
If you have been experimenting in Apple or ios programming, you may know that Xcode 15 is now the requirement for all apps submitted to Apple. Xcode 15.x requires Mac OS 13.5 or newer, and this is not offered on a variety of older Macs. In fact, even a >10 year old refurbished Mac may be fine for developing some apps (but not “vision apps”), and run newer Mac OS for the required Xcode version.
Apple unfortunately does not always give an option to upgrade the OS version, even though newer versions may work perfectly fine. This seems to go along with a dangerous trend of planned obsolescense that ends the usefulness of millions of devices that could have a useful life of 10 years or more, but for market pressure and recommended two year updates by some phone companies and marketing departments at certain companies.
To bring some older Macintosh computers up to date, check out OpenCore Legacy Patcher. This will help you build a bootable installer for a newer version of MacOS for an older Mac that Apple no longer supports.
A few caveats and documentation
Before installing on your old Mac, make sure the version of MacOS is listed as working on your computer. Under “System Information” app, hardware tab, find your “Model Identifier” and look it up on the supported models page. The linked page should tell you what issues you may have on newer MacOS versions.
To install the OpenCore installation, you will need a USB stick which you will need to erase and format it with a MacOS installer using the instructions here. Use the tool to build a bootable disk which you’ll use to replace the OS. Back up all your files if you have been working on the computer and install the newer OS.
