Using An old iMac for App Development

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Created Apr ’21

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First, newbie here, so be kind. Second, almost eligible for SS so be kinder;-)

I have an old iMac 27-inch (late-2009) with High Sierra 10.13.6. I can load Visual Studio on my system finally, but still cannot build apps because the hardware appears too old for Xcode ... 12.5 Beta 3.

Any solutions without buying new hardware ... or new hardware is the way to go? IF new hardware is the ONLY option what is the least expensive route (I WANT the Mac Pro, but $6k entry point is very restrictive for "playing around")

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Answer 1

DTS Engineer OP

Apple

Apr ’21

First, newbie here, so be kind.

I always try to be kind but please let me know if I don’t succeed.

According to MacTracker your iMac is already running that latest version of macOS that it supports, 10.13.6. According to this fabulous table, the last Xcode that runs on 10.13.6 is Xcode 10.1. That’s quite old, alas. For Mac development that’s fine but for iOS development it puts you in a bit of a pickle. Xcode 10.1 can’t deploy to anything later than iOS 12.1, and presumably your test devices are running something much newer than that.

If new hardware is the ONLY option what is the least expensive route

Any shipping Mac should be fine for standard app development. If you’re on a budget then one of the new Apple silicon (M1) Macs would be ideal.

I WANT the Mac Pro

Do not underestimate the speed of the M1. I was talking to one of my developer friends earlier this week and he tells me that a low-end M1 Mac (I think it was a Mac mini but it might have been a MacBook Air) builds his project faster than his iMac Pro!

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