Apple restricts online Apple Store access to newer versions of Safari and macOS
In a move presumably designed to protect customers from potential online threats, Apple recently changed access requirements of its online store to restrict compatibility to more current versions of macOS and Safari.
The online Apple store now requires at least OS X 10.10.5 Yosemite or over and Safari version 10.1.2 or newer to access. Attempting to view the shopping domain within Apple.com using an older version of Safari or OS X results in an error message.
As noted by Mac Otakara, which stumbled onto the new requirement on Friday, Apple's webpage displays an "Unsupported Browser Version" message when using older Safari and Mac software.
Interestingly, a separate alert suggests third-party web browsers are completely unsupported when running iterations of OS X 10.10.
Attempting to access the online storefront from a legacy Yosemite build triggers a message instructing users to download the latest version of Chrome or Firefox. Yosemite-compliant iterations of the two browsers are already outdated, meaning Mac owners must update to a more recent operating system build like macOS 10.14 Mojave.
The minor change further protects customers from online threats by ensuring they are running the latest, most up-to-date operating system and web browser software.
Apple, long a stalwart of consumer privacy, has over the past year amplified efforts to secure its hardware and software offerings, including online services. The company will introduce a new slate of protections with iOS 13, iPadOS, macOS Catalina, watchOS 6 and tvOS 13 this fall, including internet-based utilities like Sign in with Apple.
The online Apple store now requires at least OS X 10.10.5 Yosemite or over and Safari version 10.1.2 or newer to access. Attempting to view the shopping domain within Apple.com using an older version of Safari or OS X results in an error message.
As noted by Mac Otakara, which stumbled onto the new requirement on Friday, Apple's webpage displays an "Unsupported Browser Version" message when using older Safari and Mac software.
Interestingly, a separate alert suggests third-party web browsers are completely unsupported when running iterations of OS X 10.10.
Attempting to access the online storefront from a legacy Yosemite build triggers a message instructing users to download the latest version of Chrome or Firefox. Yosemite-compliant iterations of the two browsers are already outdated, meaning Mac owners must update to a more recent operating system build like macOS 10.14 Mojave.
The minor change further protects customers from online threats by ensuring they are running the latest, most up-to-date operating system and web browser software.
Apple, long a stalwart of consumer privacy, has over the past year amplified efforts to secure its hardware and software offerings, including online services. The company will introduce a new slate of protections with iOS 13, iPadOS, macOS Catalina, watchOS 6 and tvOS 13 this fall, including internet-based utilities like Sign in with Apple.
Comments
1. Firefox 67.0.2 on OS X Yosemite 10.10.5 or OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 is accepted by the Apple online store.
2. Chromium 75.0.3770.90 on OS X Yosemite 10.10.5 is accepted by the Apple online store. (I haven't tried Chrome but it should be the same.)
3. Even though it is a year out of date, Chromium 67.0.3396.99 on OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 is accepted by the Apple online store.
(Firefox still supports OS X Mavericks 10.9 and later; Chrome has required OS X Yosemite 10.10 or later since late June 2018.)
The unsupported browser message does appear as described in Safari on OS X Mavericks and earlier, and in too old versions of Firefox and Chrome on any system.
OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5 is too old: the last supported versions of Safari, Firefox (49.5.0esr) and Chromium (49.0.2623.112) are rejected by the Apple online store.
Therefore access the Apple online store from a Mac now requires OS X Mavericks or later if using a reasonably up to date Firefox or Chrome, or OS X Yosemite or later with Safari.
On iOS devices, the Apple Store app now says it requires iOS 11 or later, which means it isn't available on devices with A6 or older processors that can't update past iOS 10 (iPhone 5/5c or earlier, iPad 4 or earlier, original iPad mini, iPod Touch 5 or earlier).
I first encountered it years ago with iTunes. Apple would release the latest iTunes and it would run on/support 7 year old Windows XP, but only run on the last 2 or 3 Mac OS X releases.
iTunes today is worse - the latest release will run only on Mojave, but it runs on Windows 8 (an 8 year old OS) just fine.
Now they block lock access to apple.com for 5 year old MacOS releases, but not 8 year old Windows releases.
Apple make their money from hardware - so they do everything in their power to get you to upgrade your hardware. I get that - and I prefer it than buying from an advertising company who do everything in their power to get you to give up personal information and watch adverts. But it’s the choice between two evils, not the choice between good and bad.
If apple would just update the SSL libraries on those old MacOS releases then they would be secure for web browsing.
Cheers
And, jesus macOS Catalina supports down to a 2012 Mac...how fuckin far back do you want Apple to go? Thats 7yrs back!
I wonder about the ability to get older macOS releases up-to-date after an Internet Recovery, since you're likely to get the OS that came with the machine and not the newest that it is capable of supporting. If you can't hit the App Store to get the latest OS you can run because your OS is too old after a restore, that kinda sucks.
Obviously, most here are smart enough to keep a download of the full installer that can be made into a bootable USB, but the average person off the street might just give up.
Do you have an idea about this to enlighten us and add productively to the discussion?
I'm a l little annoyed at the idea of a computer needing to phone home in order to operate completely, yet home tells them to drop dead when they call? Or at least they threaten that they will no longer be providing good answers. I wonder if Apple could farm that out to a pay-for-support company or something. What if I have a file on an IDE HD that requires some program which runs only on a PMG4 to access it? Let's go back to Leopard and run it. Where's that pesky Leopard install DVD. Oh. right here in the CD wallet.
I like having that power and Apple provided it. Will they do so when El Capitan is 15 years discontinued? Will there be a way to take a long side-lined 2008 Mac Pro and bring it back to life with the last supported OS? I don't think I have a DVD install disk for El Capitan. Should I?
Good riddance. Don’t let the fucking door hit you on the way out, you troll.
What facts do you offer to assert that Apple supports devices less now than previously
I have a 2011 iMac on my desktop. It’s fine. If I couldn’t shop Apple.com by the time I replace it, it won’t be the end of the world.
Also, it’s “Mac” not “MAC” as it’s short for Macintosh and is not an acronym.
Bahahaha. Ok. Let us know what these two guys should do to set themselves apart from macOS and iOS, which are excellent. Lemme guess, MP is too expensive?
In recent years Apple has been much better with support for older hardware with OS X/macOS. These days you can usually get 6-7 years of full OS updates out of a Mac, and after that, two years of security updates before total end-of-support. I remember in years past, including when Steve Jobs was still around, there would occasionally be releases where some machines that did not make “the list” had been released only 3-4 years earlier.
The computer doesn’t stop working after it stops receiving OS updates. You just need to take more precautions to prevent the system from being compromised by security vulnerabilities that affect unpatched systems.