Apple has a great track record of supporting its devices with software updates for many, many years after their release. It’s not uncommon for Apple to supply iPhones, iPads, and Macs with updates for well over five years. However, as the years go by, some devices end up being too old to be supported and Apple drops them from the software update cycle.
When it comes to updates for the 2024 iterations of iOS, watchOS, macOS, and iPadOS, it’s a bit of a mixed bag.
Good news for iPhone users
iOS 18 will be made available to every single iPhone that can currently run iOS 17. After the iPhone X was cut from updates last year, I was worried about the fate of my trusty old iPhone Xs Max. Fortunately for me, Apple has decided to keep it updated it for one more year.
It’s worth noting that all of the flashy new Apple Intelligence features coming to iOS are at the moment reserved for the iPhone 15 Pro series only. Unless you have one of those or are planning to upgrade to one of the new iPhones releasing this fall, you’re going to live without Apple’s AI features for now.
These Apple Watches won’t get watchOS 11
Unfortunately, this is the end of the road for the following Apple Watch models, which won’t be able to upgrade to watchOS 11:
Two MacBook models won’t get macOS 15
Apple won’t be making macOS 15 Sequoia available to the following MacBooks that were still supported last year:
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MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)
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MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
Once again, note that all the Apple Intelligence AI features won’t be available on any of the Intel Macs. You’re going to need an M-series Mac to update to macOS Sequoia.
Some iPads won’t get iPadOS 18
Finally, Apple won’t be sending iPadOS 18 to the following iPads:
And again, the Apple Intelligence features that are a part of iPadOS 18 won’t be available on all models—you’ll need an iPad with an M-series chip to use these features.
Although this is the end of the road in terms of major version upgrades for all of the devices listed above, Apple may still continue to issue them important security updates for some time to come.
