• 27 years after launch, Apple’s decades-old iBook lineup can still get legacy updates from the company’s servers - 21-year-old iBook G4 seamlessly connects to Wi-Fi, downloads updates with no mods Apple’s old laptops are still usable it seems. • Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. • You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Long before the MacBook ever existed, Apple offered consumers its iconic iBook line. • Born after Steve Jobs’ return to the company in 1996, it was a cheaper and less powerful follow-up to Apple’s professional laptop solution, the PowerBook. • Clearly, that segmentation didn’t hurt its support, because even 27 years after its launch, the iBook lineup is still capable of receiving updates from Apple’s servers. • MacOS which officially supports 27 year old iBooks can still connect to a modern Wi-Fi network, and download updates from apple servers without any modifications, Apple is the opposite of planned obsolescence.
Article Summaries:
- Apple’s legacy iBook laptops can still receive legacy updates from Apple’s servers, a fact highlighted by a 21‑year‑old iBook G4 that successfully connected to modern Wi‑Fi and downloaded available patches in 2026. The device, released in 2003, is capable of running the last officially supported macOS version for iBooks, though full security support ended in 2011. The post sparked nostalgic comments, noting that the iBook’s ability to connect without modifications demonstrates Apple’s unusually long software support. While the updates are not comprehensive, their availability underscores the company’s commitment to keeping older hardware functional.
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