Apple MacBook Pro 15-Inch 'Core i7' 2.8 Mid-2015 (DG) Specs
- Mac Os Catalina Performance On Macbook Air 2015
- Mac Os Catalina Macbook Pro 2015 Upgrade
- Can A 2015 Macbook Pro Run Catalina
- Does Macbook Pro 2015 Support Catalina
Identifiers: Retina Mid-2015 15' - MJLU2LL/A* - MacBookPro11,5 - A1398 - 2910
All MacBook Pro 15-Inch Models | All 2015 Models | Dynamically Compare This Mac to Others
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The MacBook Pro 'Core i7' 2.8 15-Inch (Dual Graphics/Force Touch - Mid-2015 Retina Display) originally was only available as a 'configure-to-order' configuration of the MacBook Pro 'Core i7' 2.5 15-Inch (Dual Graphics/Force Touch - Mid-2015 Retina Display), but Apple later added it as a standard option, as well.
The MacBook Pro 'Core i7' 2.8 15-Inch (Dual Graphics/Force Touch - Mid-2015 Retina Display) features a 22 nm 'Haswell/Crystalwell' 2.8 GHz Intel 'Core i7' processor (4980HQ), with four independent processor 'cores' on a single silicon chip, a 6 MB shared level 3 cache, 16 GB of onboard 1600 MHz DDR3L SDRAM (which cannot be upgraded later), 512 GB or 1 TB of PCIe-based flash storage, and dual graphics processors -- an AMD Radeon R9 M370X with 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory and an integrated Intel Iris 5200 Pro graphics processor with 128 MB of 'Crystalwell' embedded DRAM (and shared system memory). It also has an integrated 720p FaceTime HD webcam and a high-resolution LED-backlit 15.4' widescreen 2880x1800 (220 ppi) 'Retina' display in a case that weighs just less than 4.5 pounds (2.04 kg). It does not have an internal optical drive.
Connectivity includes 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, two USB 3.0 ports, two 'Thunderbolt 2' ports, an HDMI port, an audio in/out port, and an SDXC card slot.
In addition, this model has a backlit keyboard, a new advanced 'Force Touch' trackpad, a 'MagSafe 2' power adapter, and an internal, sealed battery that provides an Apple estimated 9 hours of battery life.
Compared to its predecessor, this model is similar, but it has a faster graphics processor, faster flash storage, a higher capacity battery, and a more advanced 'Force Touch' trackpad. It has some different identifiers, too.
Also see:
- What are all the differences between the 'Mid-2015' Retina Display MacBook Pro models? What are the differences between these models and the 'Mid-2014' models replaced?
- What are all the differences between the 13-Inch 'Early 2015' and the 15-Inch 'Mid-2015' Retina Display MacBook Pro models?
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Mac operating systems are free since the launch of OS X Mavericks in 2013. Windows 10 was likewise a free update until 29 July 2016 (out of Windows 7 8) – but today, you are going to need to cover #119.99 for the Home edition of Windows 10 and £219.99 for Windows 10 Pro. An October 24, 2011 Macbook Pro will only run 10.8 retail, and 10.9 retail downloads, but needs an. AppleCare requested 10.7 installer to install 10.7. An exception exists in 10.6 Server, as indicated here: Rosetta/PowerPC Applications and Lion and above. A pre-October 26, 2007 MacBook Pro will only run the system specific Mac OS X 10.4 installer. The MacBook Pro 'Core i7' 2.8 15-Inch (Dual Graphics/Force Touch - Mid-2015 Retina Display) originally was only available as a 'configure-to-order' configuration of the MacBook Pro 'Core i7' 2.5 15-Inch (Dual Graphics/Force Touch - Mid-2015 Retina Display), but Apple later added it as a standard option, as well. Newest compatible operating system: macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Tech Specs: MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013) User Guide: MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013) MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2013) Model Identifier: MacBookPro10,2 Part Numbers: MD212xx/A, ME662xx/A Newest compatible operating system: macOS Catalina 10.15.7. Testing conducted by Apple in October 2019 using preproduction 2.3GHz 8-core Intel Core i9-based 16-inch MacBook Pro systems with 16GB of RAM and 1TB SSD. The wireless web test measures battery life by wirelessly browsing 25 popular websites with display brightness set to 12 clicks from bottom or 75%.
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- Tech Specs
- Ports
- Global Original Prices
- Popular Q&As
Click on a category for related details. The most commonly needed info is 'open' by default, but all info is important. Asterisks (*) reference data in details fields.
| Introduction Date: | May 19, 2015 | Discontinued Date: | October 27, 2016 |
| Details: | The 'Introduction Date' refers to the date a model was introduced via press release. The 'Discontinued Date' refers to the date a model either was replaced by a subsequent system or production otherwise ended. Also see: All Macs introduced in 2015. |
| Details: | Also see: All models with a 64-Bit processor courtesy of EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Sort. |
| Details: | Geekbench 2 benchmarks are in 32-bit and 64-bit modes, respectively. These numbers reflect an average of user provided 32-bit and 64-bit results as submitted to the Geekbench website. Higher numbers are better. You also might be interested in reviewing all 32-bit and 64-bit Geekbench 2 user submissions for Macs with the MacBookPro11,5 Model Identifier, which may include multiple models. To dynamically compare Geekbench 2 results from different Macs side-by-side, see EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison. |
| Details: | These Geekbench 3 benchmarks are in 32-bit mode and are for a single processor core and all processor cores, respectively. Both numbers reflect an average of user provided results as submitted to the Geekbench website. Higher numbers are better. You also might be interested in reviewing all 32-bit single core and multicore Geekbench 3 user submissions for Macs with the MacBookPro11,5 Model Identifier, which may include multiple models. To dynamically compare 32-bit Geekbench 3 results from different Macs side-by-side, see EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison. |
| Details: | These Geekbench 3 benchmarks are in 64-bit mode and are for a single processor core and all processor cores, respectively. Both numbers reflect an average of user provided results as submitted to the Geekbench website. Higher numbers are better. You also might be interested in reviewing all 64-bit single core and multicore Geekbench 3 user submissions for Macs with the MacBookPro11,5 Model Identifier, which may include multiple models. To dynamically compare 64-bit Geekbench 3 results from different Macs side-by-side, see EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison. |
| Details: | These Geekbench 4 benchmarks are are for a single processor core and all processor cores, respectively. All Geekbench 4 benchmarks are 64-bit. Both numbers reflect an average of user provided results as submitted to the Geekbench website. Higher numbers are better. You also might be interested in reviewing all single core and multicore Geekbench 4 user submissions for Macs with the MacBookPro11,5 Model Identifier, which may include multiple models. To dynamically compare Geekbench 4 results from different Macs side-by-side, see EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison. |
| Details: | These Geekbench 5 benchmarks are are for a single processor core and all processor cores, respectively. All Geekbench 5 benchmarks for the Mac are 64-bit. Both numbers reflect an average of user provided results as submitted to the Geekbench website. Higher numbers are better. You also might be interested in reviewing all single core and multicore Geekbench 5 user submissions for Macs with the MacBookPro11,5 Model Identifier, which may include multiple models. To dynamically compare Geekbench 5 results from different Macs side-by-side, see EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison. |
| Processor Speed: | 2.8 GHz | Processor Type: | Core i7 (I7-4980HQ) |
| Details: | This model is powered by a 22 nm, 64-bit 'Fourth Generation' Intel Mobile Core i7 'Haswell/Crystalwell' (I7-4980HQ) processor which includes four independent processor 'cores' on a single silicon chip. Each core has a dedicated 256k level 2 cache, shares 6 MB of level 3 cache, and has an integrated memory controller (dual channel). This system also supports 'Turbo Boost 2.0' -- which 'automatically increases the speed of the active cores' to improve performance when needed (up to 4.0 GHz for this model) -- and 'Hyper Threading' -- which allows the system to recognize eight total 'cores' or 'threads' (four real and four virtual). Also see: How fast are the 15-Inch 'Mid-2015' MacBook Pro models compared to one another? How fast are they compared to the models replaced? |
| Details: | N/A |
| Details: | Also see: Can you upgrade the processor in the Retina Display MacBook Pro models? |
| System Bus Speed: | 5 GT/s (DMI2)* | Cache Bus Speed: | 2.8 GHz (Built-in) |
| Details: | *This system has a 'Direct Media Interface' -- specifically DMI2 -- that 'connects between the processor and chipset' in lieu of a traditional system bus. Intel reports that it runs at 5 GT/s. |
| Details: | N/A |
| Details: | *Each core has its own dedicated 256k level 2 cache and the system has 6 MB of shared level 3 cache. |
| Details: | Shipped standard with 16 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3L SDRAM onboard. |
| Details: | 16 GB of RAM is onboard and cannot be upgraded to a higher capacity at the initial time of system purchase or later. Also see: Actual Max RAM of All G3 & Later Macs. |
| Details: | There are no RAM slots. 16 GB of RAM is onboard. It cannot be upgraded after purchase at all. |
| Details: | *This model has dual graphics processors -- an AMD Radeon R9 M370X with 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 SDRAM and an Intel Iris Pro 5200 with 128 MB of 'Crystalwell' embedded DRAM (and shared system memory). The system automatically switches between graphics systems based on use (when applications use OpenGL, Core Graphics or other graphically demanding technologies, the system will use the dedicated AMD graphics, otherwise it will use the integrated Intel graphics to conserve battery life). Also see: Is there a 'hack' to switch between graphics processors on the Retina Display MacBook Pro models manually? |
| Details: | *The AMD Radeon R9 M370X graphics processor has 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory. The 'integrated' Intel Iris Pro 5200 graphics processor shares 1 GB of memory with the system for graphics function, but also has 128 MB of 'Crystalwell' embedded DRAM on the CPU package to provide more memory bandwidth than earlier integrated graphics solutions. |
| Built-in Display: | 15.4' Widescreen | Native Resolution: | 2880x1800 |
| Details: | This model has a 15.4' color widescreen LED-backlit display with IPS technology with a 2880 by 1800 native resolution at 220 ppi (178-degree viewing angle). It also supports scaled resolutions of 1920 by 1200, 1680 by 1050, 1280 by 800, and 1024 by 640. Also see: How can you 'force' or 'hack' the Retina Display MacBook Pro models to run at the native resolution or otherwise fit more on screen than by default? In the UK, site sponsor ALB Repair offers component-level logic board repair, display repair, and other repair services for this MacBook Pro. No fix, no fee! In Germany, site sponsor Conodi provides high quality Mac and PC repair services as well as remote home office setup and troubleshooting. In-person and mail order repair services include the display, motherboard, water damage and more for this MacBook Pro. In Spain, site sponsor iRepairs provides affordable repair and data recovery services. In-person and by mail repair services include the display, battery, keyboard, motherboard, and more for this MacBook Pro. In Singapore, site sponsor Esmond Service Centre provides highly regarded repairs for the display, motherboard, battery, water damage issues, and more, all with a free estimate and fast turnaround for this MacBook Pro. |
| 2nd Display Support: | Dual/Mirroring* | 2nd Max. Resolution: | 5120x2160* |
| Details: | *This model can support a single external display up to 5120x2160 at 60 Hz via Thunderbolt 2. Via HDMI video output, it can support 1080p up to 60 Hz, 3840x2160 at 30 Hz, and 4096x2160 at 24 Hz. Also see: How many external displays can the Retina Display MacBook Pro models support? What is the maximum supported resolution of each? Are adapters required? |
| Standard Storage: | 512 GB, 1 TB SSD* | Std. Storage Speed: | N/A |
| Details: | *If configured as a CTO model, it also could be equipped with 1 TB of flash storage for an additional US$500. As part of the standard MJLU2LL/A configuration it came with a 1 TB drive by default. Apple does not intend for one to upgrade the storage after purchase, but it is quite possible. Also see: How do you upgrade or replace the storage in the 15-Inch Retina Display 'Mid-2015' MacBook Pro? Is it the same storage and process as other Retina Display MacBook Pro models? Is it possible? In the US (and many other countries), site sponsor Other World Computing sells storage upgrades for this MacBook Pro. In the UK, site sponsor Flexx sells storage upgrades for this MacBook Pro. In Australia, site sponsor Macfixit sells storage upgrades for this MacBook Pro. Also see: SSD Compatibility Guide for All G3 & Later Macs. |
| Storage Dimensions: | Proprietary | Storage Interface: | Proprietary* (PCIe 3.0 x4) |
| Details: | *As first documented by site sponsor OWC, this model shipped with a proprietary PCIe-based SSD. |
| Details: | *This MacBook Pro does not have an internal optical drive. Site sponsor Adorama offers the external Apple USB SuperDrive for US$79. It writes DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL at 4X, DVD-R and DVD+R at 8X, DVD-RW at 6X, DVD+RW at 8X, reads DVD at 8X, writes CD-R at 24X, writes CD-RW at 16X, and reads CD at 24X. Site sponsor Other World Computing also has a variety of compact external optical drive options that may be of interest, including some with Blu-ray capability. Also see: What are the full capabilities of the external SuperDrive available for this MacBook Pro? Can it be used with other Macs? |
| Details: | *This model does not have an internal Ethernet port. However, an Apple Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet adapter is available for US$29. |
| Details: | 802.11ac Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n compatible) and Bluetooth 4.0 standard. Also see: What is 802.11ac? How is it different from 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n? |
| Details: | Two USB 3.0 ports (up to 5 Gbps). It does not have a Firewire port although an Apple Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter is available. |
| Details: | This model has an SDXC card slot. No expansion bays are provided. In the US (and many other countries), site sponsor Other World Computing sells a wide variety of external expansion options and accessories, including docks, adapters, cables, input devices, cases, and more for this MacBook Pro. In Australia, site sponsor Macfixit offers an extensive selection of external expansion options and accessories like docks, stands, chargers, cases, security products, and more for this MacBook Pro. Also see: Which SD Card storage solution is best for the Retina Display MacBook Pro? Which models are compatible? Is this type of storage safe? |
| Incl. Keyboard: | Full-size | Incl. Input: | Trackpad (Force Touch) |
| Details: | Apple reports that the integrated keyboard has '78 (US) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys, 4 arrow keys (inverted 'T' arrangement) with ambient light sensor.' The 'Force Touch' trackpad offers 'precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures.' |
| Case Type: | Notebook | Form Factor: | MacBook Pro (Retina) |
| Details: | This MacBook Pro uses a thin black and silver 'unibody' case design milled from a single piece of aluminum with a 'catchless' magnetic latch. |
| Apple Order No: | MJLU2LL/A* | Apple Subfamily: | Retina Mid-2015 15' |
| Details: | *MJLU2LL/A refers to the standard configuration with a 1 TB SSD. |
| Apple Model No: | A1398 (EMC 2910) | Model ID: | MacBookPro11,5 |
| Details: | Please note that these identifiers refer to more than one model. Also see: All Macs with the A1398 Model Number, the 2910 EMC Number, and the MacBookPro11,5 Model Identifier. For more about these identifiers and how to locate them on each Mac, please refer to EveryMac.com's Mac Identification section. |
| Details: | Apple reports that this model has a '99.5-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery' that provides 'up to 9 hours' of wireless web use or iTunes movie playback. It cannot be upgraded by an end-user. Also see: How do you replace the battery in the 15-Inch Retina Display MacBook Pro? Is it possible? In the US (and many other countries), site sponsor Other World Computing sells quality batteries for this MacBook Pro. In the UK, site sponsor Flexx is a local distributor of OWC batteries for this MacBook Pro. In Australia, site sponsor Macfixit is a local distributor of OWC batteries for this MacBook Pro. |
| Pre-Installed MacOS: | X 10.10.3 (14D2134) | Maximum MacOS: | Current* |
| Details: | *This system fully supports the last version of OS X 10.10 'Yosemite' as well as OS X 10.11 'El Capitan.' It is fully supported by the last version of macOS Sierra (10.12) and macOS High Sierra (10.13), also. Running macOS High Sierra (10.13), it supports HEVC (High-Efficiency Video Coding), but it does not support hardware accelerated HEVC. This model is compatible with the final version of macOS Mojave (10.14), the final version of macOS Catalina (10.15), and the current version of macOS Big Sur (macOS 11), as well. Also see: Which Macs are compatible with macOS Big Sur (macOS 11)? What are the system requirements? What are the major new features? |
| Minimum Windows: | 8 (64-Bit)* | Maximum Windows: | 10 (64-Bit)* |
| Details: | *The pre-installed version of Apple's Boot Camp BCA supports the 64-bit version of Windows 8. Boot Camp 6 supports the 64-bit version of Windows 10. Earlier versions of Windows are not supported. |
| MacOS 9 Support: | None | Windows Support: | Boot/Virtualization |
| Details: | Also see: Are there any third-party programs to run Mac OS 9/Classic applications on Intel Macs? Site sponsor OHS specializes in heavily upgraded Macs capable of running both Mac OS X and Mac OS 9 applications. For more on running Windows on Intel Macs, please refer to the exhaustive Windows on Mac Q&A. |
| Dimensions: | 0.71 x 14.13 x 9.73 | Avg. Weight: | 4.49 lbs (2.04 kg) |
| Details: | In inches while closed - height by width by depth, (1.8 cm, 35.89 cm, 24.71 cm). |
| Original Price (US): | US$2699, US$3199* | Est. Current Retail: | US$1100-US$1300 |
| Details: | *If configured with a 512 GB SSD, the original price was US$2699. With a 1 TB SSD, the original price was US$3199. Please note that on average the estimated current retail pricing of used systems is updated twice a year (please refer to the date on the bottom of the page for the date last updated). Photo Credit: Apple, Inc.. |
Click on a category for additional details. The most commonly needed info is 'open' by default, but all info is important. The icons correspond with the icons for each port on the computer.
| Video (Monitor): | 2 (Thunderbolt 2), 1 (HDMI) | Floppy (Ext.): | None |
| Details: | This model has two Thunderbolt 2 ports as well as an HDMI port. Also see: How many external displays can the Retina Display MacBook Pro models support? What is the maximum supported resolution of each? Are adapters required? |
| Details: | N/A |
| Details: | N/A |
| Details: | Two USB 3.0 ports (up to 5 Gbps). It does not have a Firewire port although an Apple Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter is available. |
| Details: | No internal modem or Ethernet, although an Apple Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet adapter is available. 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 are standard. |
| Details: | N/A |
| Details: | Dual internal microphones on the left hand side of the notebook. Has a single headphone jack that also supports audio line out (digital/analog) and the Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone. |
| Details: | Has a single headphone jack that also supports audio line out (digital/analog). |
| Details: | N/A |
| Details: | 100V-240V AC, 85W 'MagSafe 2' power adapter. |
Global original prices for the MacBook Pro 15-Inch 'Core i7' 2.8 Mid-2015 (DG) in 34 different countries and territories follow; organized alphabetically by region.
For global original prices for Intel Macs in one particular country on a single page, please refer to EveryMac.com's Global Original Prices section.
Original Prices - North & South America
| Mexico: | MXN $51,599 | United States: | US$2699, US$3199* |
Original Prices - Europe
| Denmark: | DKK 23,219 | Finland: | ¤3089 |
| Ireland: | ¤3089 | Italy: | ¤3049 |
| Norway: | NOK 25.990 | Portugal: | ¤3089 |
| Switzerland: | CHF 2'919 | United Kingdom: | £2149 |
Original Prices - Asia
| India: | N/A | Indonesia: | N/A |
| Malaysia: | RM 10,063 | The Philippines: | PHP 134,990 |
| Thailand: | THB 91,460 | Vietnam: | N/A |
Original Prices - Australia & New Zealand
If you have additional original prices for this model, please get in touch. Thank you.
Ten of the most popular Q&As about the MacBook Pro 15-Inch models follow.
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This tip replaces version 2126 originally released on the Discussions Feedback forum.
Find the serial number on:
Plug your serial number in at this link:
Do not use third party links as they may not be secure.
Do not post the serial number on this board, as that is your key to any support you may have left.
Use this tip also to help figure out which portion of the Support Community to post in, as this tip explains:
When you have no serial number, use one of these third party sites to find your model, production year, time in year
(early, middle, late, summer, fall, winter, spring):
Note:
PowerMac, PowerPC, eMac, iMac PPC, iBook (Apple recycled the name iBook for its eBook application on new Macs and iOS devices), Powerbook, Classic all refer to Macs that are older than the present series
of Macs. Posting in those forums about a current Mac, shows you have not researched your Mac sufficiently to get a succinct answer to your query. Apple menu -> About This Mac will tell you the Mac OS version or System version you are running. The X in the version is important, and so is the preceding 10 in the version if it exists.
Questions saying X.1 could refer to Mac OS X 10.13.1, 10.1. Don't truncate the version you see.
There are no iOS forums specific to the operating system found on iPads, iPod Touch, AppleTV, Apple Watch, and iPhones. Figure out the type of portable device you are running to ask a question about that device specifically.
Apple has these identifying articles as well:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3255 - MacBook Air
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1635 - MacBook
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4132 - MacBook Pro
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3476 - Mac Mini
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6069 - Mac Pro
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1758 - iMac
http://support.apple.com/kb/sp96 and http://support.apple.com/kb/sp37 - PowerMac G5
http://support.apple.com/kb/TA25585 and http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3082 - PowerMac G4
http://support.apple.com/kb/TA22033 - PowerMac G3
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3065 - Powerbook G4
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2395 - eMac
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2287 - Powerbook G3
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1772 - iBook
Macs generally will not run an older Mac OS X operating system than shipped with them.
The one exception is virtualizing 10.6 Server on 10.7 or later, which is described later.
Also important to note is that the Apple App Store only has 10.7, 10.8, and 10.12, except for those who purchased in between systems, and have a Mac that shipped with in between systems. For all others if you need an in between system, and your Mac is older, contact the App Store tech support.
A quick upgrade guide has been posted on
These dates are important for recognizing what Mac OS X will run on Macs. Macs released on or after (including their model #s or name
where known):
September 30, 2018 will only run 10.14 or later
• MacBook Air 8,x
• Mac Mini 8,x
September 25, 2017 will only run 10.13 or later.
- iMac Pro 1,1
- MacBook Pro 15,x (2018 model)
June 5, 2017 Mac models (all 2017 Models except iMac Pro) will only run 10.12.5 or later
• MacBook Pro 14,x
• MacBook Air 7,2
• MacBook 10,1• iMac 18,x
September 20, 2016 will only run 10.12 or later.
- MacBook Pro with touchbar (instead of physical F keys)
- MacBook Pro 13,x
- iMac 18,x
- MacBook Air 7,2 see this article on which ones could only run 10.12 or later.
September 30, 2015 will only run 10.11 or later. These Macs are the first Macs that can be upgraded directly to
Mac OS 10.14 without installing any other software.
- iMac 16,x and 17,x
- Macbook 9,x (these Macbooks came with the USB-C, instead of the USB 2 or USB 3 connector. USB 3 and 2 look identical on the outside, use System Profiler to determine which you have)
October 16, 2014 will only run 10.10 or later (10.10 is only available for Macs that shipped with it).
- MacBook Air 7,1 and 7,2 (some models could only run 10.12 or later).
- Mac Mini 7,x
- iMac MF885LL/A came with 10.10.2. All other 15,x came with 10.10.0
- MacBook 8,x - the oldest that can run Mac OS 10.14 with this model name after installing 10.11 or later.
- MacBook Pro 11,4 and 11,5
October 22, 2013 will only run 10.9 or later (10.9 is only available for Macs that shipped with it).
- Macbook Pro 11,1 through 11,3
- Mac Pro 6,x
- MacBook Air Early 2014
- Mac Mini 6,x
- iMac 14,4
June 25, 2012 will only run 10.8 or later. 10.8 through 10.11 are supported by these Macs [indicate machine ID found in profiler], and newer models may run some variety of 10.9, 10.10, or 10.11):
- MacBook Pro with Retina EMC 2557 from 2012 and 2013 and later models.
- MacBook Air (2013 or newer) [6,1]
- MacBook Air (Mid 2013 or newer) [6,1]
- Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer) [6,1] - the oldest that can run 10.14 after installing 10.11 or later.
- iMac (Late 2012 or newer) [13,1]
- Mac Pro (Late 2013) [6,1]
These models above are the first models that can be upgraded directly to High Sierra 10.13 without other prior upgrades.
The oldest MacBook Air and iMac that can run Mac OS 10.14 after installing 10.11.
• MacBook Air 5,1
• iMac 12,1
These Macs which are older can also be upgraded to 10.12 by upgrading to 10.7.5 first, and 10.13 by upgrading to 10.8 first:
- MacBook (Late 2009 or newer) 6,1
- MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer) 6,1
- MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer) 3,1.
- Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer) 4,1
- iMac (Late 2009 or newer) 10,1
- Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer) 5,1
The Macs are compatible with 10.8 and later from prior 10.8's release
- Mac Pro (Early 2008 with AirPort Extreme card, or Mid 2012) [3,1]-[5,1] (Earlier Mac Pros are discussed on the 10.8 upgrade tip).
- MacBook Late 2008 [5,1] to mid 2010 [7,1] with no Pro or Air in the name.
- iMac (Early 2009 to mid-2011) [9,1] to [12,1]
- Mac mini (Mid 2010 to mid 2011) [4,1] to [5.1]
- MacBook Air (Late 2010 to mid-2012 [3,1]-[5,2]
- MacBook Pro Late 2008 [5,1] to Retina 2012 that are not EMC 2557.
July 20, 2011 will only run 10.7 or later. The model IDs (x,x) and EMC that fit this description until June 25, 2012 release of 10.8 (excluding the ones which will run only 10.8 or later earlier mentioned) :
iMac of an EMC of 2496; 13,x and later.
Mac Mini 5,x and later.
Macbook Air 4,x and later.
MacBook 8,x and later (no Pro no Air in the name)
Mac Pro 5,1 with EMC 2629 - the oldest that can be have Mac OS 10.14 installed after installing 10.11 or later, those without that EMC number came with 10.6 and can also be updated to 10.14 the same manner; 6,x and later.
MacBook Pro with EMC 2555, 2563; 9,x and later.
Note all the Macs that can only run 10.7 and later, may be able to run 10.6 Server with Parallels, if you need compatibility with an older operating system:
Beyond this point Macs released during certain date ranges also have a maximum operating system, and/or
minimum retail operating system and system specific operating system requirement (when I say up to 10.9 that includes all incremental updates):
Note: images shown below for retail operating system are those that have no 'Update, Dropin, or OEM' wording on them.
March 15, 2010-July 19, 2011 will only run prebundled 10.6 installer disc, and not retail, but also able to be upgraded to 10.9. Note this tip
if upgrading to 10.7 or later: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6271
August 28, 2009-March 14, 2010 will only 10.6 or later up to 10.9. And will at minimum be able to use
10.6.3 retailto install 10.6. Note this tip if upgrading to 10.7 or later: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6271
During 2000 to 2009, the serial number also made it easier to identify the Macs, as the 3rd, 4th, and 5th character of the serial number referred to the week
and year of the shipment date. Thus for serial numbers where x can be any letter or number, xxABCxxxxx serial numbers would refer to an A which is the last digit of the year, and BC=week of the year. xx905xxxx is the fifth week of 2009. You can then use Wikipedia to figure out what date the release was, and if it was after a specific retail release of an operating system to determine which pre bundled disc it came with, and which later retail discs the Mac could work with.
December 15, 2008-August 28, 2009 will only run prebundled 10.5 installer disc, and 10.6 retail https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/43236040snow.jpg, and if on https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3761
will also run up to Mac OS X 10.11 if you follow this tip: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6271
October 28, 2007 -December 14, 2008 will at minimum be able to use the 10.5.6 retail, and install up to 10.9 if included on https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3761 if you follow this tip https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6271
January 10, 2006-October 27, 2007 will at minimum be able to 10.5 retail, and if
on Which 10.5 systems can upgrade to 10.8 or 10.9?or Are there 10.4 systems that can upgrade to 10.8 or 10.9? are
able to run 10.9. Core2Duo and Xeon can upgrade to a minimum of 10.7.5. Otherwise if they only have a CoreDuo, CoreSolo Intel
processor only be able to upgrade to Mac OS X 10.6.8. G5, G4, and G3 processors are not Intel.
Earlier dates are covered on this tip:Can I download my Mac OS upgrade?
Using the dates from the above documents, and the dates according to Wikipedia when specific retail
operating system systems were released, you can find which retail releases were newer than the Macs and the ones immediately older.
i.e.:
An October 24, 2011 Macbook Pro will only run 10.8 retail, and 10.9 retail downloads, but needs an
AppleCare requested 10.7 installer to install 10.7. An exception exists in 10.6 Server, as indicated here:
A pre-October 26, 2007 MacBook Pro will only run the system specific Mac OS X 10.4 installer
that shipped with it, which can be ordered from AppleCare, or newer retail installer versions
of 10.5, 10.6 compatible with its hardware, and 10.7 if it is at least a Core2Duo.
Mac Os Catalina Performance On Macbook Air 2015
CoreDuo, nor is CoreSolo is not compatible with 10.7.
For PowerPC Macs, Mac OS X 10.4.11 and earlier offer Classic compatibility, and on certain 2003 and earlier Macs dual booting on Mac OS X 10.5 & Mac OS 9:
No Mac may run an older version of Mac OS 9 than was prebundled with it.
A more precise timeline of Mac OS X follows (in U.S. date notation. Links to relevant articles up to 10.7 are included, as 10.7 drops PowerPC applications on Intel):
4/8/2015 10.10.3 (with supplemental on 4/16/2015)
1/27/2015 10.10.2
11/17/2014 10.10.1
10/16/2014 10.10 Yosemite
9/17/2014 10.9.5
6/30/2014 10.9.4
5/15/2014 10.9.3
Mac Os Catalina Macbook Pro 2015 Upgrade
2/25/2014 10.9.2
10/22/2013 10.9 (10.9 & 10.9.1 should be skipped due to security issues) Mavericks
10/3/2013 10.8.5 supplemental update
9/25/2013 10.8.4 iMac Late 2013
6/10/2013 10.8.4 MacBook Air mid 2013
6/4/2013 10.8.4
3/14/2013 10.8.3
11/29/2012 10.8.2 Mac MIni Late 2012
10/4/2012 10.8.2 supplemental update
10/4/2012 10.7.5 supplemental update
8/23/2012 10.8.1
7/25/2012 10.8 Mountain Lion
5/9/2012 10.7.4
2/1/2012 10.7.3
10/12/2011 10.7.2
8/16/2011 10.7.1
7/25/2011 10.6.8 v1.1
5/4/2011 10.6.7 Early 2011 MacBook Pro
3/21/2011 10.6.7
1/6/2011 10.6.6
11/10/2010 10.6.5
6/15/2010 10.6.4
4/13/2010 10.6.3 v1.1
4/1/2010 10.6.3 retail installer presently sold at the online Apple Store.
8/28/2009 10.6 retail installer (Snow Leopard)
12/15/2008 10.5.6 retail installer (Last PowerPC installer)
6/30/2008 10.5.4 retail installer
11/15/2007 10.5.1 retail installer
10/26/2007 10.5 retail installer (Leopard)
8/7/2006 Mac Pro (Intel, first Snow Leopard compatible professional desktop) replaces PowerMac G5 (the last PowerPC Mac and Mac capable of running Classic)
5/16/2006 The MacBook replaces the iBook (the last consumer notebook capable of running Classic)
Can A 2015 Macbook Pro Run Catalina
4/3/2006 10.4.6 retail PowerPC only.
2/28/2006 First Intel Mac Mini (not capable of running Classic, first Mac)
1/10/2006 First Intel iMacs, MacBook Pro replaces Powerbook (first Macs not capable of running Classic, first Mac capable of running Snow Leopard)
10/31/2005 10.4.3 retail PowerPC only.
8/9/2004 10.3.5 retail
12/17/2003 10.3.2 retail
12/19/2002 10.2.3
Some hints about operating systems:
- Mac OS X 10.8 or later are required to sync with iOS 9.2 or 9.2.1.
- No PowerPC Mac can run Mac OS X 10.5.8 or higher, or sync with iOS 6 or higher.
- No PowerPC Mac can run Boot Camp
- No Mac can run Classic (side by side Mac OS 9 with Mac OS X without reboot) on the same partition as Mac OS X 10.5 or higher.
Does Macbook Pro 2015 Support Catalina
- No Intel Mac can run Classic.
- All Intel Macs can run at least Mac OS X 10.6.8 as long as they are older than Mac OS X 10.7's release.
- PowerPC applications need Mac OS X 10.6.8 or earlier to run on Intel Macs.
- Boot Camp needs Mac OS X 10.5 or later on Intel Macs. Note other virtualization tools are available for Mac OS X 10.4.11 or earlier on Intel Macs.
- Mac OS X 10.7.3 is needed for the latest Java and minimum iCloud.
- The same minimum system requirements exist for Mac OS X 10.8, 10.9, 10.10, and 10.11.
- 10.6.6 is the minimum for the Mac App Store, and upgrading to 10.7 without erasing the drive you install 10.7 on if the hardware supports it.
- 10.6.8 is the minimum for 10.8 or later upgrades if the hardware supports it.
- Apple has a 10.6.8 to 10.11 updateon the App Store.
- Some Macs that shipped with 10.6 can install up to 10.12 if they are upgraded to 10.7.5 first.