System Requirements for macOS Ventura, iOS and iPadOS 16 and watchOS 9

This year, Apple moved the bar with its OS system requirements in some big ways…

macOS Ventura brings with it a new, shorter list of supported machines that no longer includes any Mac notebooks made before 2017, the 2013 Mac Pro, and iMacs from 2015:

  • iMac: 2017 and later
  • Mac Pro: 2019 and later
  • iMac Pro: 2017
  • Mac Studio: 2022
  • MacBook Air: 2018 and later
  • Mac mini: 2018 and later
  • MacBook Pro: 2017 and later
  • MacBook: 2017 and later

(Not all features are available for Intel Macs.)

Meanwhile, iOS 16 will run on the iPhone SE 2 and 3, and iPhone 8 and higher. This cuts off the original iPhone SE and the 6S and 7 lines, which were supported by iOS 15.

Additionally, no iPod touch will run iOS 16.

On the iPadOS front, these devices will run 16:

  • iPad Pro (all models)
  • iPad Air (3rd generation and later)
  • iPad (5th generation and later)
  • iPad mini (5th generation and later)

This list trims a handful of older iPads and iPad minis that can run iPadOS 15.

watchOS 9 is perhaps the most and least surprising, as it drops support for the Apple Watch Series 3. Which is still for sale, somehow.