I am often asked which models of Mac can run Apple’s new OS X 10.8, Mountain Lion, so I thought I’d give you the definitive guide.
To find out what model your Mac is, go to the Apple Menu on your Mac, click ‘About this Mac’ and then ‘More Info’. If you are running Lion, click ‘System Report’ on the summary box that appears. Other systems will go straight to the System Information profiler. This shows you the model number of your Mac. This will be something like ‘MacBook3,2’ or ‘iMac7,1’. Make a note of this and consult my handy guide.
Which Macs can run Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion?
Mountain Lion will run on the following models according to Apple, which I’ve translated into model numbers for you:
- iMac: Mid-2007 and later. (iMac7,1 or later – basically anything aluminium; none of the white plastic ones)
- Mac mini: Early 2009 and later. (Macmini3,1 or later)
- Mac Pro: Early 2008 and later. (MacPro3,1 or later)
- MacBook: Late 2008 Alumnium, Early 2009 (aluminium or white plastic) and later. (MacBook5,1 or later)
- MacBook Air: Late 2008 and later. (MacBookAir2,1 or later – anything but the very first MacBook Air)
- MacBook Pro: Mid/Late 2007 and later. (MacBookPro3,1 or later)
To upgrade you will have to have a minimum of Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6.8) installed (see Apple Menu -> About This Mac). There is a way to get around having to buy Snow Leopard and to upgrade directly from older systems to Mountain Lion, but it’s a bit involved for this note. E-mail me if you want details!
If you have Leopard (OS X 10.5) then you’ll have to buy a physical Snow Leopard installer
I hope this helps – please do share this info if you know anyone who might benefit!
